A look into the infamous battle that took place on Iwo Jima during the Second World War and the resulting aftermath which is not so much on the blood soaked battlefield as it is back home on the political front.<br /><br />The film shows the difficulties of trying to sell the one thing in the world no one wants: WAR. Politicians want results, soldiers want to earn a living, families want their children home, the world needs change and sometimes it seems war may be unavoidable to make the latter happen. But the fact remains: no one wants war. Yet certain people decide that it is necessary and continue to wage it at high costs of money, time, resources, and life. What seems as the film's central event - the famous flag raising on top of Iwo Jima's highest peak - is not really central at all. The great irony here of how such a small event, that happened only in the beginning of the battle, was made out to be one of the biggest drives in advertising how important it is that the American people continue to fund the war. How insignificant and even naive it is to label a handful of soldiers, who were merely following orders and trying to stay alive, as heroes that won a great victory.<br /><br />Clint Eastwood has tackled issues of all sorts, especially since he directed 'Unforgiven' and this is his grandest film yet. It encompasses an entire country and how it deals with selling war, which is one of the biggest (not best, or even worst just the BIGGEST) things any one country can do. Eastwood keeps the film critical throughout about this very important and today, ever relevant, issue. Pointing out the great political convenience that has become of "heroes." How they only matter for something that has been deemed great, yet this "great" thing can be, very ironically, routine and even disregarded when it actually happened. And the heroes disregarded and brushed off the moment they are no longer needed. 9/10<br /><br />Rated R: war violence/carnage and profanity