WW2 Battles In Clint Eastwood’s $96M Box Office Bomb “Accurately Convey The Extent Of The Savage Fighting” Says Marine Corps Leader

Clint Eastwood’s WWII movie may have been a $65 million box-office bomb, but the battle scenes still get high marks for accuracy from a Marine Corps expert. Eastwood’s first starring role in a WWII film came in 1968’s Where Eagles Dare. The legendary actor followed that up with a leading role in 1970’s semi-satirical Kelly’s Heroes.

WWII was something Eastwood didn’t feel ready to tackle as a director until 2006, when he released a pair of films centered on the Battle of Iwo Jima. The more acclaimed of the two, Letters From Iwo Jima, saw the battle from the Japanese perspective, while the less-acclaimed delved into the story behind one of the war’s most iconic moments.

Telling that story meant depicting a lot of home-front scenes, but when the film did shift to the action on Iwo Jima, the picture it painted was an uncompromisingly brutal one, and at least according to one expert, an accurate one as well.

Flags Of Our Fathers Gets A High Accuracy Rating From An Expert

It Scores An 8 Out Of 10

Flags of Our Fathers grossed just $65 million at the box office in 2006, a disappointing total given Eastwood’s standing as an award-winning director, but the battle scenes were not part of whatever problems the movie had, getting high marks for accuracy from a former Marine Corps special ops team leader.

Flags of Our Fathers is based on a best-selling book by James Bradley and Ron Powers.

Elliot Ackerman broke down a major combat sequence in Flags of Our Fathers, praising the film’s depiction of amphibious tactics (via Insider):

It’s amazing to think that the man who directed this is the same man who was in Heartbreak Ridge. Amphibious operations have always been a large part of the Marine Corps’s idenтιтy, but particularly so in the Second World War, in the island hopping campaign in the South Pacific.

The Battle of Iwo Jima is one of the most famous battles in that island hopping campaign, and during that campaign Marines would often land on these islands using, whether it was Higgins boats or amphibious tractors, and you see those types of landing boats depicted in the opening sequence here of Flags of Our Fathers.

I think one thing this clip shows is the violence and intensity of these types of tactics, and the fighting, whether it’s the flamethrowers being used to clear out pill boxes or the types of close air support that’s being flown, I think accurately conveys the extent of the savage fighting that occurred on Iwo Jima.

Ackerman also talks about the iconic moment at the center of the film’s story, the Iwo Jima flag raising, and briefly discusses why similar scenes haven’t been seen in more recent wars:

This obviously became a very famous pH๏τograph and the Marine Corps memorial in Washington DC is a statue of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.

The raising of American flags in recent wars really isn’t as prevalent. I think in Vietnam in the Battle of Hue City an American flag was raised. We don’t really see it in Iraq and Afghanistan because the nature of those missions were different. We ostensibly weren’t conquering those lands for America, we were working with our partners.

Ackerman then offers his final verdict, deeming Flags of Our Fathers to be very accurate:

I would give this one an eight. I don’t think I can go necessarily much higher because I wasn’t there, so I feel like eight is safe. But to me this seems like a very well-thought-out depiction.

Our Take On Flags Of Our Fathers Bombing Despite Its Accurate Battle Scenes

It Was A Rare Eastwood Flop

Ryan Phillippe looking over his shoulder as John Doc Bradley in Flags of Our Fathers

Flags of Our Fathers disappointed on many levels when it was released in 2006. Its box office haul of $65 million came in below its $90 million budget, qualifying it as a genuine bomb. It was also only mildly well-received by critics, and sits at 76% on Rotten Tomatoes.

It’s indeed puzzling that Eastwood’s film did not do better at the box office, even with some lukewarm reviews. The director was in the middle of a solid run at that point in his career, releasing multiple movies in the 00s that crossed the $100 million mark worldwide, and two that made over $100 million in North America alone.

Clint Eastwood’s 2000s Box Office Ranking

Domestic

Worldwide

Gran Torino (2008)

$148 million

$274 million

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

$100 million

$231 million

Mystic River (2003)

$90 million

$156 million

Space Cowboys (2000)

$90 million

$128 million

Invictus (2009)

$37 million

$124 million

Changeling (2008)

$35 million

$113 million

Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)

$13 million

$67 million

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

$33 million

$63 million

Blood Work (2002)

$26 million

$26 million

The movie’s combat scenes are indeed harrowing, but they make up only part of the story, the rest being taken up by post-war scenes showing the struggles of the men who raised the Iwo Jima flag. Perhaps audiences were expecting a pure combat movie, and were disappointed to be served a large helping of non-combat drama as well.

Perhaps the film was also hurt by being released in the same year as another Eastwood WW2 film, Letters From Iwo Jima. Letters received the big nominations come Oscar time, including Best Picture and Best Director, while the overshadowed Flags received just a pair of nominations in technical categories.

It’s hard to say what went wrong with Flags of Our Fathers, but the combat scenes are certainly not to blame, as they achieve a high level of gripping realism, at least according to one expert.

Source: Insider/YouTube

Related Posts

Nicholas Hoult Addresses Why Lex Luthor Hates Superman So Much In The DCU

Nicholas Hoult Addresses Why Lex Luthor Hates Superman So Much In The DCU

Superman actor Nicholas Hoult unpacks why the DC hero rubs Lex Luthor the wrong way. Over the last 85 years, Lex has shared a legendary rivalry with…

Scarlett Johansson Achieves Major Box Office Milestone With Jurᴀssic World Rebirth’s 8M Opening

Scarlett Johansson Achieves Major Box Office Milestone With Jurᴀssic World Rebirth’s $318M Opening

Scarlett Johansson has reached a new box office peak thanks to Jurᴀssic World Rebirth‘s global opening weekend earnings. The seventh installment in the Jurᴀssic Park franchise introduces…

Jurᴀssic World’s Dinosaur Mating Scene Was More Graphic In Original Script

Jurᴀssic World’s Dinosaur Mating Scene Was More Graphic In Original Script

Jurᴀssic World Rebirth writer David Koepp explains how one scene took a more explicit turn in the original script. Rebirth is the latest attempt at rebooting the…

James Gunn’s DCU Update Hints At David Corenswet’s Superman Future Appearance

James Gunn’s DCU Update Hints At David Corenswet’s Superman Future Appearance

As Superman is about to arrive in theaters, James Gunn already has more plans in store for the Man of Steel in the DC Universe. After years…

How Powerful Is Sentry In The MCU Compared To DC’s Superman?

How Powerful Is Sentry In The MCU Compared To DC’s Superman?

Marvel Studios has finally adapted Sentry, who is often dubbed the MCU’s Superman, into live-action, but whether the character is as powerful as the Man of Steel…

New The Fantastic Four: First Steps Clip Gives Glimpse Into Dinner With Marvel’s First Family

New The Fantastic Four: First Steps Clip Gives Glimpse Into Dinner With Marvel’s First Family

A new clip from The Fantastic Four: First Steps outlines dinner time with Marvel’s First Family. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the final Marvel movie of…