Jesse Bradford plays Rene Gagnon, the over-enthusiastic runner (non-battling) soldier whose moment of fame came with raising one flag. Bradford jumps onto the screen in flying colors, but even his own guilt for not doing more begins to effect his character. Gagnon is not really the most sympathetic of the three, and finds himself lost after his fame wears away. Somehow, the character - along with its respective acting job - feels unimportant and never factors in thematically. Adam Beach, who plays Native American Ira Hayes, feels misplaced. Despite having the "look" of the character, his emotional facets never feel in touch with the real Hayes. Rather, Beach is the "lost" soldier, but the character never strikes a nerve with the audience. Barry Pepper's performance as sergeant Mike Strank is the more affecting supporting characters, uniting the group together for the flag raising.

Visually, Flags looks fantastic. The battle scenes are almost entirely saturated, to stir emotion into the island of Iwo Jima, and effectively separating the soldier's war memories with their trips across the US. Colors of dark grey and blue fill the landscape, with only fire and gunplay to strike contrast on the battlefields. But as for the story itself, Eastwood becomes so caught up in explaining the veterans' stories fact-by-fact, that it loses its dramatic human touch. Once the first title card passes, an aged John Bradley (played by actor George Grizzard) quotes, "Every jackass thinks they know about war." I was waiting for a wise response to this, and I waited. And waited. And before I knew it, two hours had flown past me, and I was none the wiser. I feel Eastwood's intentions for Flags of our Fathers were faithful to those who died in the battle, but sadly, the upcoming viscera and death toll shadows the audience from a broad perspective of war. True, the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima became a press opportunity that blocks three good soldiers from doing more from their country, but their willingness to take on their fame made them heroic in another fashion. But beyond all the confusing flashbacks and the concentration of Ira's personal struggle with alcohol, there was a great movie.

Flags of our Fathers hits the heartstrings here and there, but it failed to thoroughly provoke me. It will be different for every audience member, perhaps depending on a political stance you take, or considering our involvement with the Iraqi war. But Eastwood's attempt at the vulnerable war epic barely passes safe territory.