Actuakers
One of my all time favorites.
Contentar
Best movie of this year hands down!
Jenna Walter
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
sol-
Tension simmers between a tough-as-nails sergeant and the soldiers who he eventually leads into battle at Iwo Jima in this iconic World War II drama. John Wayne is very good as the moody sergeant with a beating human heart behind his tough exterior and John Agar is excellent as the private who clashes personalities with him the most. The son of a legendary military leader, Agar has to wrestle with the fact that he feels obliged to fight regardless of personal preference. He also has a touching scene in which he waxes poetic about marriage and fatherhood as ways to prove that one's life meant something. None of the other characters or performances are on the same level as Wayne and Agar (though Forrest Tucker has the occasional strong moment) and considering how blatantly flag-waving a film it is, it is understandable that 'Sands of Iwo Jima' might not appeal to some viewers. The two main characters have more dimension than the typical patriotic soldiers out there though, and the film is technically well produced. There are some great montages and gradual dissolves and the film seamlessly incorporates actual battle footage into the filmed action. With lots of zooms and tracking shots, the film is hardly static either. Some of the special effects (backdrops as Wayne drives along) show their age, but this stacks up rather well all things considered.
edwagreen
Excellent 1949 war film with John Wayne giving a fine performance as Sgt. Stryker, a tough leader in combat, but a man of deep convictions at heart and a kind one in the end. Wayne was nominated for a best actor Oscar here and deservedly lost to Broderick Crawford for "All the King's Men."Basic training was a real experience with Stryker as he used common sense to lead his men into battle.John Agar, first husband of Shirley Temple, shined in the role of an enlisted man, whose father expected more of him and was adored by the Stryker character. The two men learn to respect each other as is the case with Forrest Tucker in his role.
ebiros2
When I watch this movie back to back with Clint Eastwood's "Letter from Iwo Jima" it really puts perspective of how the war looked from both sides.If you see both movies, it's sort of clear that all these killing were unnecessary. Both sides were good men, not viscous killers, but for stupid reason being that you must obey orders at all cost, and some brainwashing, all this carnage occurred. Many wars if viewed in hindsight I'm sure will look this way. The movie is shot very well, and probably one of the most authentic movie of this type until more recent production such as Platoon, and Saving Private Ryan. John Wayne is great as usual, and there's real story to the plot. This is classic on its own right, and one of the better John Wayne movie that was made.
Maciste_Brother
A ridiculous propaganda war movie with a hot-headed sergeant who enjoys nothing but to fight, clobber, duke it out with his soldiers whenever he feels like it without any repercussions. I was actually into the movie but after the 4 or 5th fight between Stryker and one of his subordinates, I couldn't get into it anymore. Certainly after Stryker (John Wayne) fights with Thomas (Forrest Tucker) and Thomas is fine with it, the two men talking to each other as if nothing had happened. The film's credibility, already stretched to the limit with the typical Hollywood war-time propaganda, was thrown out the window with that fight. Yes, Wayne is a manly man and I'm sure soldiers fight with each other but this was ridiculous, veering into the realm of fetish. I mean if your sergeant drags you in the middle of the forest and starts pummeling your face just because of some disagreement but then once the fight is over, the man at the receiving end doesn't complain and is fine and dandy with it, well, the homoerotic subtext suddenly becomes clear. The fighting, btw, is not shown as horseplay. Who cares about fighting the enemy with a sergeant like Stryker? This kind of behaviour wouldn't have been tolerated in reality but because this a John Wayne fantasy based on some real characters/events, well the machismo has be flowing in order to keep audiences entertained and what's more entertaining than seeing John Wayne getting his kicks and showing who's on, eh, top? Seriously underwhelmed by this so-called classic.
