Flags of Our Fathers

Based on the moving book from James Bradley of the same name, this movie depicts the battle of Iwo Jima and more importantly how one picture can affect a battle, country and all the lives within them. James Bradley's father, John Bradley, was one of the six flag-raisers of the infamous picture of Iwo Jima. They are from Wisconsin which is the same state as this reviewer and therefore adds another layer of emotion to her enjoyment of the film. The movie jumped around between each of the six flag-raisers and the war. The movie jumped around even more because like most movies based on books, there has to be portions eliminated from the film. The viewer doesn't get as strong of a sense of connection between each man due to this eliminated information. This was a better film for me because I watched Letter's From Iwo Jima earlier in the day as part of a double feature. Flags of Our Fathers was a little more violent and a lot more jumpy in the flow of the picture. It was good and elicited tears from this viewer but could have been great as a mini-series so as to allow more of a connection between the viewer and the six flag-raisers. I give this a thumbs up but would recommend passing on the thumb for your fingers to turn the pages of the actual book.....at your local library or bookseller now!