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Letters from Iwo Jima

(2006, Rated R, Drama, Starring Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 15, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    5.0
  • Common Sense says

    Eastwood offers a profound perspective on WWII.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 16 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The soliders are mostly noble, though they're confronted by impossible orders, expected to commit suicide rather than surrender (with an eye to future honor); some soldiers (including Americans) are plainly overzealous and weary, killing out of frustration.
  • Violence:

    Frequent conversation about death and suicide; captain beats his men to make them work harder; battle images are rough, with explosions and bodies flying, as well as close-range stabbings and shootings; Japanese soldiers kill themselves by holding grenades to their chests (explicit effects); a horse is found dead following a bombing raid; blood effects are jarringly red, as most other imagery is in washed-out greys and blues.
  • Sex:

    Flashback discussion of Hanako's pregnancy (Saigo leans into her belly and speaks to their child).
  • Language:

    One use of "s--t," in subtitles.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Cigarette smoking; occasional, formal drinking by officers.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Letters from Iwo Jima

Parents need to know that this war drama deals with a very serious subject: the defeat of soldiers who know they'll die and that their cause is lost. Thanks to that and the fact that it's deliberately paced and spoken entirely in Japanese (with English subtitles), it will likely appeal only to older teens. The explosive action scenes include brutal battles with shootings, stabbings, and the use of flamethrowers -- resulting in dismemberment, beheading, burning, bloody injuries, and general chaos. Some wounded soldiers appear in distress, and U.S. Marines take and abuse prisoners. A dog is shot off screen (kids can be heard crying), and a beloved horse is killed in an explosion. A character dies of dysentery (off screen, though he's sick for some time). A couple of soldiers write letters home that reveal their awareness of their imminent bad ends. Characters smoke cigarettes, and officers drink in flashbacks.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the dedication shown by the Japanese soldiers -- to their nation and sense of cause, and, more immediately, to their commander. How does the movie connect this dedication to their previous experiences? How is their behavior different from that of the U.S. soldiers in Flags of Our Fathers? How does this movie draw connections between history and current events? How does the film argue against war, even as it admires national pride and individual soldiers' bravery? How is the Japanese perspective (filtered through director Clint Eastwood's U.S. lens) different from one that might be considered strictly American? Is there such a thing as the "true" version of history?

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 5.0

    awesome movie

    wow. when i saw the trailer for this movie I thought: "i hope it's better than Flags of Our Fathers." After I watched this movie, It changed my perspective of the Japanese in World War 2. The great thing about this movie is that all of the Japanese soldiers aren't faceless like the ones in Windtalkers. When Japanese soldiers get shot, you think. "ah, I liked that guy". While in most movies you go "yay." I think this movie is fantastic and a must see for teenagers that are liek Military History. Bloody though. No one under 12 would want to see it.

  2. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 5.0

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Iowa
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 5.0

    If you saw the Pianist you can deifinatley see this

    If yu saw Batman Begins,the Matrix,Flags of our Fathers, r the Pianist no doubt this film is appropiate for you.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    Excellent movie

    I saw this, and thought it was an excelent. I am not squeamish, so any violent effects don't bother me. The only part I didn't like was the part where the Japanesse torture and kill a U.S Marine. I think if you are o.k with blood and gore, and don't have an issue with repeating swear words, you can see it. I thought it was a powerful and well-made film. (please excuse my spelling)

  5. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Minnesota
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 5.0

  6. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 5.0

  7. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 17 and give it 5.0

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