i have always felt that when you fictionalize a story about war and you dishonor the memory of so many people who have a compelling story to tell by choose to make something up instead coughprivateryancough . the problem with war movie about real people be that you have to deal with complexity of character and plot that the genre simply doesn not lend itself easily to . so when the story at hand aim to pose question like what do it mean to do the wrong thing for the right reason and try to debunk the popular myth of herodom and there very little margin for error . enter clint eastwood . never one to shy away from challenge story and this be a much big effort than his usual understated character drama . on the one hand and it doesn not feel like a clint eastwood movie and but on the other and it feel at home in his theme of use up hero the person behind the large than life persona . these be complex character in very difficult situation and and he present them in a way that straightforward and non judgmental and so be leave to decide the answer to the film central conflict ourselves . to a person and the cast be up to the challenge . it hard not to admire ryan phillippe for a restrained and thoughtful performance and but the real kudos go to adam beach . almost every aspect of beach character be cliché and with one minor exception that really the way ira hayes be . so the challenge be to portray hayes a a real person despite the cliché and and the result be one of the most heartbreaking and troubling performance in the film . here a guy who be portray a a hero and who really have no answer at all . there a lot not to like about the film . it not entertain per se and in the same way that any war memorial in dc be not entertaining . nor be it a particularly approachable film . what it lack in popcorn munch entertainment value and it replace with gravitas . this be an important film and about an important time . it status a a valuable history lesson be secondary to it reflections on human nature and our society . a such and it deserve to be see and and contemplate and and appreciate . i can not wait for letter from iwo jima ( the companion piece and also from clint eastwood and tell from the japanese point of view . ) take together and the scope of this project be breathtaking .