DIRECTED BY: CLINT EASTWOOD

WRITTEN BY: PAUL HAGGIS

STARRING: RYAN PHILLIPE, ADAM BEACH, JAMIE BELL, PAUL WALKER.

Released at Cinemas: December 22nd

Eastwood approaches an important yet difficult to broach issue with bravery and gravitas here, providing a directorial tour de force. He employs the production prowess of Spielberg to create many a scene of battle hysteria, and screenplay It-man-of-the-moment Paul Haggis, to ensure the script remains up to scratch. This is a trio that has multiple-Oscar nominations written all over it. This superlative WW2 epic is structured around the lives of four American marines who hoisted an American flag five days into one of the most horrific battles of the war, in the Japanese Island of Iwo Jina, in February 1945. Their flag-raising was captured on camera by photographer Joe Rosenthal, and subsequently became a beacon of hope for the Allied Forces. The marines were called home to embark on a fundraising campaign to help with the war effort, due to their new heroic status across the States. Guilt, self-loathing and alcoholism sets in as the men realise the sheer volume of their compatriots who will lose their lives before their time, while they feel they got spared without reason. All three of the surviving marines struggle to cope with the repercussions of their actions in Japan. Ryan Philippe is consistent and committed as John "Doc" Bradley, but it is Adam Beach who really excels here as Ira Hayes, a Native American boy who is truly troubled and disturbed by other peoples’ interpretations of his actions. 'Flags of our Fathers' uses some disorientating narrative shifts, but employs multiple narrative voices purposefully to show the personal consequences of this momentous event. Eastwood refuses to let us forget the traumas of recent history, and breaks down traditional depictions of heroism and patriotism, showing the realities as well as the glories faced by soldiers.