Rating: 
Summary: A good movie about WWII, and a great performance by the Duke
Review: John Wayne stars as Sargeant John M. Stryker in this very well-done movie about what is perhaps the most famous battle of the Pacific campaign--Iwo Jima. The special effects are good for the time (1950), and the scenery adds greatly to the overall effect of the film. Wayne does an excellent job as Stryker, the tough-as-nails marine who is hard on his men but soft at heart. The most compelling thing about this film is Wayne's character. He is no great war-hero--in fact, he does very little on the battlefield of any great consequence. Instead, he does his duty, unglamorous though it may be. He is human, and this is what sets him apart from many war-movie heroes today. The movie lacks any intense combat or epic battles, but its strength lies in the character of Stryker and in his relationship with his men. The reason I don't give this five stars is because it's scope pales in comparison with many other war movies. Part of this is due to technology, but much is also due to more action-intense films which (I think) help us understand better the battles and conflicts which the movies portray. Such movies as Gettysburg, We Were Soldiers, and even old films like All Quiet on the Western Front do a much better job than this film of showing the various positions of the battle, and of the obstacles the soldiers faced. The marines in this film have a relatively easy time getting to the top of Iwo Jima, but I would have liked to have had a little more information about the battle. Were it not for this, I would give the movie five stars without hesitation.
Rating:
Summary: A good movie about WWII, and a great performance by the Duke
Review: John Wayne stars as Sargeant John M. Stryker in this very well-done movie about what is perhaps the most famous battle of the Pacific campaign--Iwo Jima. The special effects are good for the time (1950), and the scenery adds greatly to the overall effect of the film. Wayne does an excellent job as Stryker, the tough-as-nails marine who is hard on his men but soft at heart. The most compelling thing about this film is Wayne's character. He is no great war-hero--in fact, he does very little on the battlefield of any great consequence. Instead, he does his duty, unglamorous though it may be. He is human, and this is what sets him apart from many war-movie heroes today. The movie lacks any intense combat or epic battles, but its strength lies in the character of Stryker and in his relationship with his men. The reason I don't give this five stars is because it's scope pales in comparison with many other war movies. Part of this is due to technology, but much is also due to more action-intense films which (I think) help us understand better the battles and conflicts which the movies portray. Such movies as Gettysburg, We Were Soldiers, and even old films like All Quiet on the Western Front do a much better job than this film of showing the various positions of the battle, and of the obstacles the soldiers faced. The marines in this film have a relatively easy time getting to the top of Iwo Jima, but I would have liked to have had a little more information about the battle. Were it not for this, I would give the movie five stars without hesitation.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best war movies ever
Review: John Wayne stars as Sgt. Striker. Striker is a marine who
is given a group of misfits to turn into men. Striker is
also dealing with problems at home. His wife hates the military
and has left him taking their son away. Wayne is obviously
concerned about what will happen to his son in the clutches of
someone who may teach him none of the values of being an
American.
Making it worse, one of Wayne's men is the son of a famous
soldier but has been so brainwashed that he hates America,
everything it stands for and the military. Its obvious that
this guy represents what Wayne fears his son will be turned
into by his wife: an anti-american/anti-military peacenik
liberal weakling.
Wayne is the pure image of the american fighting leader. He is
a machine that crushes everyone in his path. He knocks one
old troublemaker soldier around as an example and that brings
the men into line. By the time they get to Iwo, Striker has
built them into a fighting unit. No personalities, no thoughts
except for battle, no fear. They have been perfectly prepared
for the battle. And having accomplished his task, Striker is
killed during the battle.
His death teaches us as Americans a final and most important
lesson. None of the men are important in their lives or what
they do. Leaders are not important either. Whats important is
that the corps as a big machine keeps going. Striker builds
the new leaders in battle and then the torch is passed to them
to go on and do the same thing.
War builds character and burns away the phony idealogy of
liberalism and peace. Great men like Sgt. Striker are not
created in classrooms, they can only be created in war.
Rating:
Summary: The Duke
Review: Just the thing to watch before you go down to the Toyota place and bargain for prices.
Rating: 
Summary: Live action G.I. Joe
Review: Macho macho man, when I grow up, I want to be a macho man. When I was a little boy, I collected the G.I. Joe action figures and watched the cartoon religiously. The simplistic plots and simpleminded flag waving along w/ the cool characters and frequent explosions was just what the dr. ordered for a ten year old. Then I got older and stopped watching the show and gave all my action figures away. Now, 20 years later, I'm intelligent and educated enough to see through the simpleminded jingoism and see Wayne's character as an empty-headed insecure tough-guy blowhard very much like my childhood cartoon heroes. I come from a military family. Members of my family were or are in the Army, Marines and Navy. Cartoonish and hollow representations of these men and women who serve and safeguard our country so ably and with such sacrifice is laughable at best and extremely disrespectful at worse.
Rating:
Summary: Let's Get Back In The War!
Review: No one ever gave a performance in the 1940's about men at war like John Wayne! Sands Of Iwo Jima was the first film to give full credit to the Marines. By the time 1949 had come around (when this film was released) every branch had several films made about there own. Only the Marines had a few before, and they were far and few between each other. The film starts out as Cpl.Dunne (Arthur Franz) who is our narrator, informs us about his rifle squad. His squad saw action on Guadalcanal and from there on were battle harden Marines. Only himself Pfc. Bass (James Brown) and tough as nails Sgt. Stryker (John Wayne) survived to fight another day. When the squad is sent to New Zealand to recieve even more training. The new replacements just from the states arrive. Cpl. Thomas (Forrest Tucker), who already knows Stryker and hates him. The Flynn brothers from the city of Brotherly Love, who fight all the time (Richard Jaeckel and William Murphy.) and Pfc. Conway (John Agar) who's father fought on the "Canal" with Sgt. Stryker, he is only there because of "tradition." But the person that helps shape the film as a supporting actor is Pfc. Benny Regazzi (Wally Cassell) who gives a better than note worthy performance. Regazzi always carries a flag tucked into his shirt to raise over the island once it has been secured, but is always too late. The new formed squad heads to Tarawa, this is where the new state side men get there taste of combat. They go up against Japanese Marines, thats the best they got. From the begining Stryker and Conway go at it all the time. Conway who hated his father for more than one reason, finds another reason to hate Stryker because of his admiration for Conways late father. Conway falls in love with a girl Allison Bromley (Adele Mara) and finds a reason to come back from the war. But in the end he can't help but hear a voice in the back of his mind saying he might not return to her. But he along with his men start a slow relationship of respect torward Stryker. Great editing is used to mix real combat footage with the actors in the film. In some places it is so real, one has to look closely to tell them apart. Even then you can't at times. Wayne's performance earned him along overdue Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Although he did not win. What he gave us was a believable, flawed, loving and troubled man at the same time. This war movie has stayed at the top of many list, and it is still loved to this day. Get the original black and white version. The color one just doesn't do it! Grade:B+
Rating:
Summary: Sort of high quality propoganda
Review: The battle of Iwo Jima was actually the most successful defensive action the Japanese fought in the Pacific. Their strategy had been to set up a defensive perimeter and to then inflict heavy casualties on the attacking American and Imperial forces. This way they hoped to offset the material and technical superiority of the allies by the fanatical courage of their troops. The problems faced by the Japanese was that often local commanders would lose patience and order their men to attack. These attacks were easily repelled by the superior allied fire power. Iwo Jima was a battle in which the Japanese dug in away from the beaches and stubbornly fought a defensive battle making the Americans pay for every inch of territory that they moved over. At the end of the battle the Japanese had caused the greatest number of casualties for their own losses in any of the later Pacific Battles. It is thus no surprise that a film was made about this action. In addition the battle gave rise to one of the more effective symbols of any action in the Pacific. The raising on top of the Mount Suribachi of an American flag by seven members of the US armed forces. The film itself is very much a film that has been made close to the Pacific war. The portrayal of the Japanese is not good and the aim of the film is to celebrate the courage of the US marines who took the island. (And of course courage they had in abundance) The way the film is designed is to initially concentrate on the training of the recruits with the suggestion of its importance in steeling them for battle. It has always surprised me how much Americans have been addicted to methods of troop training which were designed to coordinate the movement of musketeers in the time of Frederick the Great. The characters are pretty much stereotypes rather than real people but to concentrate on that would be churlish. Never the less the film is a classic of its type. Perhaps not so much propaganda but a celebration of the actions of brave men who gave to their country what was asked of them.
Rating:
Summary: A Good John Wayne Movie
Review: This is a B&W movie which seems just right for a World War II movie. There is good acting and good writing. This is John Wayne's best war movie. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in this film. This film has both good war action and Hollywood-style romance.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent war movie
Review: This is one of the best (if not the best) war movies John Wayne ever did. Here he plays a hard-nosed leader but with a soft side too (which of course he doesn't show to his men). He was nominated for an Oscar (and should've won). He wouldn't be nominated for another 20 years, until True Grit. This shows how good of an actor Wayne really is. He is about the only great actor that could've done this great of a job with this movie. It has an excellent script and cast. It is drama, love, war, (sounds like Vietnam, doesn't it?) all into one unforgettable movie. It is a must for the true John Wayne fan.
Rating:
Summary: Sands of Iwo Jima
Review: War movies have taken an upturn in popularity with the success of "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Thin Red Line," so it proves timely to watch again what to a generation was the quintessential World War II movie, "Sands of Iwo Jima." After John Wayne had starred in three previous WW II dramas, "The Fighting Seabees" (1944), "Back to Bataan" (1945), and "They Were Expendable" (1945), it was "Sands of Iwo Jima" that confirmed the actor's reputation as the man who won the war, ironic considering he had never actually served in the military. It was also this movie that most kids like myself, growing up in the fifties, imitated when we played soldiers or army men. And it is this war film that has been copied by moviemakers the world over, bearing, for instance, a marked resemblance to something as seemingly far afield as 1997's "Starship Troopers." By comparison to today's starkly realistic war films, "Sands" may seem old-fashioned, sentimental, and romanticized, but it is also exacting in much of its depiction of army life and at least true in spirit to the heroism of many WW II veterans. Its crystal-clear black-and-white appearance on DVD is thoroughly welcome and helps make it an engaging viewing experience. Sergeant John M. Stryker (Wayne) is a rigid, no-nonsense, combat-hardened Marine Corp. warrior who is assigned to train a platoon of mostly young recruits for entrance as soon as possible into the Pacific Theater of war. Stryker is respected by some of his men for his dedication and toughness, but he is hated by most of them for being too strict, too much by the book. It's one of Wayne's most persuasive movie portrayals, one that earned him an Academy Award nomination. Sorry, Broderick Crawford beat him out for "All the King's Men," but you see the company he was keeping. Stryker's name was later parodied in the "Airplane" movies and his personality copied in dozens of subsequent pictures, not the least of which was Michael Ironside's character in the aforementioned "Starship Troopers." Stryker takes his men into two major battles, culminating in the famous flag-raising scene on Iwo Jima. The movie also takes a look at a bit of Stryker's private life, his weakness for alcohol, his self pity, and his soft heart; as well as giving us a sub plot involving one of his men, a fellow who marries a girl from a USO dance. The picture costars John Agar, Adele Mara, Forrest Tucker, Arthur Franz, Richard Jaeckel, Martin Milner (later of TV's "Route 66"), Richard Webb (later to be TV's Capt. Midnight), and Wally Cassell among many more, including three of the original members of the actual flag-raising ceremony. As with other black-and-white movies released by Republic on DVD, this one is outstanding for its clarity and definition. The blacks are a deep black and make a solid contrast with all the surrounding shades, giving the picture a degree of depth not often found even in Technicolor films. The transfer is near perfect. The inherent excellence of DVD reproduction does, however, show up the defects in the authentic combat footage that is otherwise intermixed so convincingly with the newly filmed material. The sound is the usual monaural of its time, here rendered quite listenable although unremarkable in any audiophile sense. In addition to the motion picture, the disc boasts a short documentary on the making of the film, written and hosted by movie critic Leonard Maltin. It's worth watching. Otherwise, there are just the usual language and subtitle tracks, a scene selection index, and a theatrical trailer. I suppose a lot of viewers these days will find "Sands of Iwo Jima" corny. Even though it was closely supervised by Marine Corp. officials, it looks rather tame compared to a Spielberg production. Heck, you can't even see the color of the blood in black and white! But it's still got plenty of action, plenty of gung-ho sentiment, and, of course, plenty of John Wayne at its core. It was a blockbuster when it was first released, one of the highest-grossing films of 1949-50. Yes, it's aged, but haven't we all.
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