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IMDbPro

Letters from Iwo Jima

  • 20062006
  • RR
  • 2h 21m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
165K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,803
92
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
From 'Saving Private Ryan' to 'Apocalypse Now,' here's a look back at some of the most memorable moments in military films.
Play clip1:27
Watch Memorable Military Moments in Film
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71 Photos
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The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
165K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,803
92
    • Clint Eastwood
  • Writers
    • Iris Yamashita(screenplay)
    • Paul Haggis(story)
    • Tadamichi Kuribayashi(book "Picture Letters from Commander in Chief")
  • Stars
    • Ken Watanabe
    • Kazunari Ninomiya
    • Tsuyoshi Ihara
    • Clint Eastwood
  • Writers
    • Iris Yamashita(screenplay)
    • Paul Haggis(story)
    • Tadamichi Kuribayashi(book "Picture Letters from Commander in Chief")
  • Stars
    • Ken Watanabe
    • Kazunari Ninomiya
    • Tsuyoshi Ihara
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 368User reviews
    • 242Critic reviews
    • 89Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar

    Videos1

    Memorable Military Moments in Film
    Clip 1:27
    Watch Memorable Military Moments in Film

    Photos71

    Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
    Kazunari Ninomiya and Nae in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
    Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
    Tsuyoshi Ihara in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
    Tsuyoshi Ihara and Ken Watanabe in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
    Ryô Kase in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
    Kazunari Ninomiya and Yuki Matsuzaki in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
    Kazunari Ninomiya and Ryô Kase in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
    Ken Watanabe in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
    Ken Watanabe in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
    Ken Watanabe in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
    Ken Watanabe in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ken Watanabe
    Ken Watanabe
    • General Kuribayashi
    Kazunari Ninomiya
    Kazunari Ninomiya
    • Saigo
    Tsuyoshi Ihara
    Tsuyoshi Ihara
    • Baron Nishi
    Ryô Kase
    Ryô Kase
    • Shimizu
    Shidô Nakamura
    Shidô Nakamura
    • Lieutenant Ito
    • (as Shidou Nakamura)
    Hiroshi Watanabe
    Hiroshi Watanabe
    • Lieutenant Fujita
    Takumi Bando
    Takumi Bando
    • Captain Tanida
    Yuki Matsuzaki
    Yuki Matsuzaki
    • Nozaki
    Takashi Yamaguchi
    Takashi Yamaguchi
    • Kashiwara
    Eijiro Ozaki
    Eijiro Ozaki
    • Lieutenant Okubo
    Nae
    Nae
    • Hanako
    Nobumasa Sakagami
    • Admiral Ohsugi
    Lucas Elliot Eberl
    Lucas Elliot Eberl
    • Sam
    • (as Lucas Elliot)
    Sonny Saito
    Sonny Saito
    • Medic Endo
    • (as Sonny Seiichi Saito)
    Steve Santa Sekiyoshi
    • Kanda
    Hiro Abe
    • Lt. Colonel Oiso
    Toshiya Agata
    Toshiya Agata
    • Captain Iwasaki
    Yoshi Ishii
    • Private Yamazaki
      • Clint Eastwood
    • Writers
      • Iris Yamashita(screenplay) (story)
      • Paul Haggis(story)
      • Tadamichi Kuribayashi(book "Picture Letters from Commander in Chief")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Most of the young cast knew nothing about the incidents on Iwo Jima, as it is not taught in Japanese schools.
    • Goofs
      The bottle of Johnnie Walker appears to have a screw cap made of aluminum. At that time liquor bottles had a cork stopper.
    • Quotes

      Baron Nishi: [reading the letter from the mother of Sam, the dead marine] Remember what I said to you: always do what's right because it is right.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Rocky Balboa/The Good German/Letters from Iwo Jima/The Pursuit of Happyness/Breaking and Entering/Home of the Brave (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      String Quartet No.6, Op. 1-6, Hob. III-6, Mov.2
      Composed by Joseph Haydn

      At a party where Ken Watanabe participated

    User reviews368

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Iwo Jima From The Japanese Perspective
    I was not one of those who was really taken with "Flags Of Our Fathers." I thought the story was rather lacklustre and lacking to be honest, and so had little interest in "Letters From Iwo Jima." This is the sort of sequel to "Flags" - or it might be better called a companion to "Flags." Both were directed by Clint Eastwood and "Letters" shows the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective - and much to my surprise I liked this movie very much. It was, I thought, by far superior to "Flags."

    Most American movies dealing with World War II in the Pacific do so from a specifically American perspective that portrays the Japanese in an unflattering light. That's understandable. In the context of World War II, after all, Japan was the enemy. But "Letters" takes a very personal and human look at the Japanese soldiers assigned to Iwo Jima's defence. To me, the point that was being made was how much alike the Japanese and the Americans were. Both were fighting for their countries; both had little knowledge of the other, and therefore had distorted views of the other; both were doing their duties as they understood it. And, of course, the movie is based on letters supposedly written by Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima - addressed to wives and mothers and other family. This is a surprisingly sympathetic look at the Japanese, something I really wasn't expecting from Clint Eastwood.

    The story focuses on Japanese General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who commanded the Japanese defence of Iwo Jima. Kuribayashi was a man well acquainted with the United States, having lived there for two years on a military exchange, and he had no illusions about Japan's ability to win the war, largely seeing Iwo Jima as a suicide mission from which he wouldn't return. He's portrayed very well here by veteran Japanese actor Ken Watanabe. The movie is almost entirely in Japanese (except for some brief scenes that feature American soldiers) with subtitles, but - although I'm usually not big on subtitles - this didn't really distract me. They were appropriate to this movie and provided a sense of authenticity.

    This isn't a "war movie" in the normal sense of the war. Although there are battle scenes (and some of it is mildly graphic) it is for the most part the personal stories of the Japanese soldiers that dominate. It's extremely well done, and deserves a lot of credit for showing a side of the Japanese soldier in World War II that's rarely shown. (8/10)
    helpful•8
    0
    • sddavis63
    • Dec 2, 2012

    FAQ7

    • What is "Letters from Iwo Jima" about?
    • Is "Letters from Iwo Jima" based on a book?
    • Is seeing "Flags of Our Fathers" important for understanding this movie?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 2, 2007 (United States)
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Warner Bros (Germany)
      • Warner Bros (United States)
      • Japanese
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Iwo Jima, Japan
    • Production companies
      • Dreamworks Pictures
      • Warner Bros.
      • Malpaso Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 21 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital

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