A critical analysis of American War Films

A critical analysis of American War Films
Clint Eastwood’s films, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, challenge the familiar narrative of most war films that are centered on America’s patriotism, heroism, and civilization. The films highlight events in the World War II between America and Japan. Predominantly, the Flags of Our Fathers focuses on the memory of the war as it follows the lives of the soldiers that planted the iconic American flag on the island of Iwo Jima. On the other hand, Letters from Iwo Jima is a sequel that gives the Japanese depiction of the war as it centers on archived letters of soldiers in the war.
Letters from Iwo Jima showed the uncivilized tactics and cruelty of American soldiers in killing the Japanese soldiers even after the soldiers surrender. Clint depicted this emotional expression of doubt using a close-up shot of a dialogue between two Japanese soldiers who contemplate suicide rather than being caught by the American soldiers. Similarly, Flags of Our Fathers depict how the U.S. government discriminates the surviving soldiers of the war who helped hoist the American flag in a foreign land. Clint uses flashbacks of the soldiers during the war and ironically contrasts this heroic image with the resentment and bad treatment the soldiers are receiving after being on the front line of battle defending their country.
Flags of Our Fathers play down the tactical prowess and heroism of American soldiers as it demonstrates how the ambus…