Clint Eastwood has turned out a pair of outstanding movies based on stories about Iwo Jima, the scene of an internecine battle between U.S. and Japanese forces during the Pacific War.
The first movie, "Flags of Our Fathers," tells the story of three U.S. soldiers who raised a U.S. flag on the island, happened to be photographed, and went on to become unwilling war heroes. To the chagrin of the soldiers, the U.S. government used them to promote the sale of government war bonds. The movie also shows a discriminatory attitude held by white soldiers toward their Native American comrade who became a hero, focusing on injustices of the state and society rather than the war itself.
The second movie, "Letters from Iwo Jima," mostly depicts the battle on the island, especially the savagery and madness of the war. Unlike the first movie that featured Americans, it focuses on Japanese, and shows that among the Japanese Army personnel there was a compassionate and intelligent commander and a kind officer who ordered care for wounded U.S. soldiers.