Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

The life stories of the six men who raised the flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in World War II.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

William Broyles Jr. (screenplay), Paul Haggis (screenplay)

Stars:

Ryan Phillippe, Barry Pepper, Joseph Cross

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Phillippe	...	John "Doc" Bradley
Jesse Bradford	...	Rene Gagnon
Adam Beach	...	Ira Hayes
John Benjamin Hickey	...	Keyes Beech
John Slattery	...	Bud Gerber
Barry Pepper	...	Mike Strank
Jamie Bell	...	Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowski
Paul Walker	...	Hank Hansen
Robert Patrick	...	Colonel Chandler Johnson
Neal McDonough	...	Captain Severance
Melanie Lynskey	...	Pauline Harnois
Tom McCarthy	...	James Bradley
Chris Bauer	...	Commandant Vandegrift
Judith Ivey	...	Belle Block
Myra Turley	...	Madeline Evelley

Storyline

In 1945, the Marines attack twelve thousand Japaneses protecting the twenty square kilometers of the sacred Iwo Jima island in a very violent battle. When they reach the Mount Suribachi and five Marines and one Navy Corpsman raise their flag on the top, the picture becomes a symbol in a post Great Depression America. The government brings the three survivors to America to raise funds for war, bringing hope to desolate people, and making the three men heroes of the war. However, the traumatized trio has difficulty dealing with the image built by their superiors, sharing the heroism with their mates.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to arizona | pima indian | japanese soldier | japan | japanese army | 

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Taglines:

The real heroes are the ones left on the island.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sequences of graphic war violence and carnage, and for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two actors in this movie have been linked before. Len Cariou (Mr. Beech) and George Hearn (Walter Gust). Cariou originated the title role of Sweeney Todd on Broadway, and was succeeded in the part by Hearn.

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Goofs

In scenes with Navy Chief Petty officers in saucer caps, a black background behind the Anchor insignia is visible. This is a post WWII innovation.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Soldiers: Corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman! For God sakes, corpsman! Corpsman! Corpsman!

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Crazy Credits

There is an additional short sequence after the credits have ended.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Surprise Attacks in Movies (2015)

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Soundtracks

Flags of Our Fathers
Written by Clint Eastwood
Performed by Bruce Forman, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens, Andrew McCormack and Graeme Flowers

User Reviews

Great war film which is actually anti-war

Many think Clint Eastwood is a hard patriot who leans to the right but in actuality he is a man of convictions and doesn't take sides or decisions based on emotions. This film doesn't decorate the soldiers who raised the famed flag in Japan that day but shows how in actuality the soldiers themselves were just reluctant heroes. Clint Eastwood juxtaposes memories of the preparation leading up to and in addition to the actual events at the Battle of Iwo Jima with ceremony after ceremony of War Bond fund-raising and the different effects it had on each man. To some, this jumping around, time-wise, may be a bit confusing, especially with the inconsistent use of a narrator.The battle scenes were, at times, gruesome and graphic, but were not overdone and successfully instilled a sense of what is was really like in the costliest battle the United States fought. The most gruesome scene, though, was left to the imagination. This was the first depiction of the Battle of Iwo Jima I've seen that attempts to divulge the mostly unknown faces of the men made famous by a photograph and the problems they faced at home. Great filmmaker that man- Clint Eastwood.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [Germany] Warner Bros. [Spain]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Flags of Our Fathers

Filming Locations:

1842 Oxley Street, South Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,245,190, 22 October 2006

Gross USA:

$33,602,376

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$65,900,249

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamworks Pictures, Warner Bros., Amblin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1