'Best war film of the century' now streaming on Amazon Prime
Letters From Iwo Jima, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and is a must-watch for fans of war films
Clint Eastwood's critically acclaimed war film, Letters From Iwo Jima, is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
The 2006 film, which is considered one of Eastwood's finest works, tells the story of Japanese soldiers during the brutal five-week Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II, a conflict that resulted in approximately 18,000 Japanese and nearly 7,000 American casualties.
Letters From Iwo Jima serves as a perfect companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers, another 2006 film directed by Eastwood, which depicts the same battle but from the viewpoint of the American forces.
The film, which is presented in Japanese, boasts an impressive cast including Ken Watanabe as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, Kazunari Ninomiya and Tsuyoshi Ihara.
The film received high praise from critics and was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood, reports the Express.
Despite only winning the Oscar for Best Sound Editing, the 2hr 21min epic continues to be highly regarded.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Letters from Iwo Jima holds an impressive 91% critics' rating from 201 reviews and an 86% audience approval rating from over 250,000 user scores.
The plot summary reads: "When General Kuribayashi's subordinates refuse to follow his commands to march towards the American military camp to attack them, Saigo, a young soldier, finds courage and strength to support him."
One critic wrote: "Much as already been made about the pride and honor of the Japanese, but as a people they have rarely, if ever, been depicted as fully human characters in American war movies. It's amazing to think what Clint Eastwood has done here."
Another added: "Eastwood has made a film that is thoughtful, poignant, touching, and philosophical. It stands as one of the best works in his long, illustrious career."
Film buffs share these sentiments, with one review saying: "One of Clint Eastwood's best films and best war films of the century so far," whilst another wrote: "Arguably the greatest war movie you will ever see."
The acclaim continues, with a viewer writing: "An All Time Classic. The acting is phenomenal across the board with no soldiers story ever feeling generic or repetitive, and despite hardly any English spoken you are able to connect with each of them."
Letters From Iwo Jima is currently available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video.