Sands of Iwo Jima

The story follows U.S. Marine Corps sergeant John Stryker from a stint as a boot-pusher through the brutal battle on the slopes of Mount Suribachi. The troops include everything you'd expect in a World War II movie; the smart-mouthed, know-it-all rich kid; a street-wise hispanic kid from a tough neighborhood; a pleasure-loving goof off and just about every other stereotype of the American fighting man you can dream up. Of course, the Duke is there to guide them with just the right combination of verbal wisdom and right-crosses. There's even a healthy serving of sentimentality to round out the tour of cliches.

Nonetheless, the Sands of Iwo Jima rises above its predictability to be a solidly entertaining action film and a rousing tribute to the tenacity, sense of self-sacrifice and fighting spirit of the Marine Corps. Despite its rampant and obvious emotionalism, you can't help but feel a lump in your throat as The Shores of Tripoli is played to segue from the final scenes into the closing credits.

Like most Wayne pictures, the emphasis here is on the action, and the movie provides plenty of it, mixing actual combat footage, stock film and original cinematography into a tightly knit, effective product.

This may not be the best picture John Wayne ever made, but it's way up the list. Highly recommended for anyone who loves action films, Mom, the Flag and Apple Pie, or the Duke himself.


A Realistic Portrayal of WWII Pacific Combat   May 29, 2007
Jan Peczkis (Chicago IL, USA)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

Sergeant Stryker (John Wayne) must prepare his men for combat. He does! He subjects his men to rough bayonet drills and other forms of combat.

Many modern war movies are sanitized of the realities of war. Not this one! There are numerous scenes of soldiers suffering and dying. There is a scene where a Jewish soldier says his last prayers in Hebrew. There is no happy ending for Sergeant Stryker himself.

The viewer sees the progression of the US island-hopping campaign. The islands of Tarawa and Iwo Jima are seized from the Japanese. In each case, there first is the "softening" of Japanese positions by massive bombing by airplanes and shelling from battleships. Then comes the invasion by amphibious craft. The US soldiers are under constant fire. They must crawl from one hiding place to another in their advance against Japanese positions. The Japanese have a habit of jumping out of their hiding places in caves and attacking unsuspecting Americans from behind. The entrenched Japanese have to be driven out by bazookas and flame throwers. Some of the latter are hand-held, whereas others are tank-mounted. Old-fashioned field phones are used for communication.

This old movie includes actual combat footage!



The John Wayne War Movie!   March 21, 2000
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

"The Sands of Iwo Jima" is arguably one of the greatest recruiting tools the US Marine Corps has ever had, and the image of John Wayne as tough as nails Sergeant John M. Stryker can still be seen throughout the fleet. Yet Sergeant Stryker is a flawed man: a lousy husband, a negligent father, and a near alcoholic who has already been busted in rank. His men hate him, and he doesn't care. His fate is nothing heroic. Sergeant Stryker is certainly a brave man, an able squad leader, and fine Marine, but he is not portrayed as John Rambo. John Wayne turns what could have been a cartoon character into something human and understandable.

The movie has its flaws: weak supporting characters and a pointless romance. Yet, in its day, its battle scenes were praised for their realism. Despite the bashing John Wayne received recently for his WWII films glorifying war, "The Sands of Iwo Jima is still one of the finest war movies ever made. Yes, there is blatant flag-waving, but how can you have a movie about Iwo Jima without the raising of the flag on Suribachi? Not only does this movie recreate that epic moment, but actually got the three surviving men, who did the real flag rising, to recreate it for the movie.