any sensitive man or woman who know the depth of detail of the great battle in the wwii pacific theater and the battle for iwo jima get tear in their eye not just for the incredible loss of marine but startlingly enough and for the tragic and needless loss of the japanese soldier who have dig themselves deeply into the island rock like volcanic ground and fought to their death from bunker and many remainder commit suicide in keep with the then prevail philosophy of war in japan . one can almost feel the sadness come from text write by invested historian even today and now more than 60 year after the event that begin just before 2am on 16 february 1945. this feature film bear the title of the book upon which it base . the book be write by james bradley and the son of petty officer john bradley one of the flag raiser in the famous photo by photographer joe rosenthal . roughly a year ago or so i send around an email to friend about the flag raise photo and about joe . joe rosenthal be now go and have pass away this past august ( 2006 ) . the author of the book be the son of a u navy corpsman ( a medic and then rat a a pharmacist mate ) serve with the fleet marine whom history have place at the point where the large flag be raise over suribachi ( a replacement flag for a small one raise shortly before ) . while i would argue a bit with clint eastwood about the lack of historical background data in his film i can not argue about the quality of it . it stand a the best film depict war or a battle that i have ever see . what the film be about while the gap between those who fight the hellish and nightmarish battle and the remote and sometimes even supercilious perception of it by the mass public at large and those who just simply heard of the battle . the film pull no punch when it come to reveal this human riddle . there have be other film about this battle . one that come easily to mind be about one of the other flag raiser and a native american by the name of ira hayes . his tragic life be dramatize in the moving 1961 delbert mann feature film well portray in this serious turn by tony curtis ( a hayes ) . we have also have some superb anti war film such a stanley kubrick path of glory ( 1957 ) set in wwi . this clint eastwood film take it place among the best of this kind . it clarify and instructs and above all it inspire u when we realize that such film that reveal the horrible truth about war can not only be make but celebrate by grow number of audience . this towering film will receive much recognition a time play out . it a triumph in film making .