Flags of Our Fathers review

 Flags of our Fathers (FOOF) accompanies Letters from Iwo Jima (LFIJ.) Having seen the latter companion film first, it only made sense to watch this film too.

John "Doc" Bradley (Ryan Philippe,) Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) and Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford) are three of the six men who raised the flag on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, on day five of the American's successful invasion, during the last few months of WW2. When their three colleagues subsequently die, Doc, Hayes and Gagnon are sent back home to raise money for the war effort. However, none of the three see themselves as heroes.

FOOF and LFIJ have their similarities. They tell similar stories from different perspectives and they're both directed by Clint Eastwood. However, LFIJ made it onto the top 1000 films of all time whereas FOOF didn't. LFIJ was subtle, nuanced and complex, but FOOF had all the subtlety of a sledge-hammer to the face.

A lot of that was down to the writing. FOOF was penned by Paul Haggis who also wrote the less-than-subtle Crash. It is no secret that the US treats it veterans appallingly. Sure when they're winning wars, the US is happy to spend billions on them, but as soon as they return home with PTSD and missing limbs, all that support evaporates. Just look at how many homeless veterans litter the streets of the USA.

Although this was an important point to address, it was far too on the nose. These three PTSD-suffering veterans are forced to raise money for a cause they no longer believe in. They're made to re-enact the flag-planting on a giant papier-mache mock-up of Mount Suribachi in front of a stadium of fans. This was supposed to be a comment on how badly military veterans are being exploited, but the real kicker, for me, came when the veterans were given little marble replicas of their flag-raising effort accompanied by either chocolate or strawberry sauce. Naturally, the strawberry sauce looked like blood.

Out of the three leads, I thought Adam Beach was the best, although that isn't saying much. Ira Hayes has intense PTSD; he is most resistant about going on the bond drive. To drown his sorrows, he turns to drink. And to top everything off, he is of the Pima tribe and faces intense discrimination despite his hero-status. But Adam beach played the role with gravitas and sympathy. He was certainly better than Ryan Philppe who scowled his way through the film. And Jesse Bradford was as bland as a ham sandwich.

FOOF was definitely a dud in Eastwood's directing repertoire. It was watchable enough, but quite rightly did not deserve a place on the top 1000 films of all time. 

In the Name of the Father review

Number 205 on the top 1000 films of all time is Jim Sheridan's 1993 biopic In the Name of the Father. 

Based on the true story of Gerry Conlon and the Guildford Four, we see the lovable rogue Gerry Conlon, a Belfastian who along with three others are falsely imprisoned when the IRA bomb a pub in Guildford.

Would you believe that this is my very first Daniel Day-Lewis film? He plays Gerry Conlon, taking him on a great character arc from workshy layabout to charismatic hero. From humble beginnings stealing lead from the roofs of houses in Belfast, we see him evolve into a brave leader prepared to stand up for what's right.

And why is that? Because he and his friends have been horrifically betrayed by the British criminal justice system. Bullied into signing a false confession, by policemen keen to cut corners to secure a quick win, he is sentenced to life in prison.

But that isn't all. Conlon's family are also imprisoned under the erroneous idea that they're a support network for the IRA. This includes Conlon's father, Giuseppe, (Pete Poselthwaite.) Poselthwaite is always a formidable actor and he played very well off Day-Lewis, as the film explores their dysfunctional relationship. Giuseppe is a straight, hard-working bookkeeper, in contrast to his immature son, and he quickly disapproves of Gerry's growing relationship with IRA prisoner and true bomber of the pub, Joe McAndrew. But when Giuseppe dies in prison, in the midst of mounting an appeal, Gerry takes up his cause. Although this was somewhat predictable, it was still tragic.

Aided by the solicitor Gareth Pierce (Emma Thompson,) Conlon secures freedom for his friends. And Emma Thompson gave a great performance. The as she fought for her clients was plain to see. I also loved Trevor Jones' musical score. In the final scene after Conlon has secured his freedom, we hear Irish pipes play in the background. This was a small, but powerful touch.

If I were to criticise the film for anything, I would have liked to have seen more of a focus on the rest of the Guildford Four: Paul Hill (John Lynch,) Paddy Armstrong (Mark Sheppard) and Carole Richardson (Beatie Edney.) But I guess Gerry Conlon was always the focus. And of course Jim Sheridan was playing fast and loose with history to produce a powerful if doomy film.

And why was this Pete Poselthwaite's only Oscar-nominated performance? He was a fine actor and he deserved a few more Oscar nods. 

And you maybe wondering whether the true perpetrators for the Guildford pub bombing were ever arrested? No, despite McAndrew openly confessing that he did it, as God forbid the police admit they made a mistake. And were any police officers every punished for hiding evidence, obtaining confessions under duress that led to the false imprisonment of the Guildford Four? No. I am disappointed but not surprised.