Saw this over the weekend. As you may already know, it profiles the lives of three veterans who raised one of the flags at Iwo Jima and inspired the famous photo, memorial, etc.

In terms of visual and sonic impact, there are moments when this war flick is up there with Saving Private Ryan. The scale and sweeping landscapes of the battle scenes are simply amazing to behold. Clearly, the special effects crew must have relied heavily on computer animation. And I'm glad to report the net effect is a realistic, organic looking battlescape. What they rendered on this film I'll take any day over the comic-book, video game special effects that hallmark many films that rely on computer animation. If you did not like the computer-generated effects in Lucas's recent Star Wars installments, you'll know what I'm talking about and find Flags a refreshing change.

From a film perspective, it was a very engaging movie -- or at least, passed my "I would see it again" test; which is a rare feat these days. The acting is good across the board, especially Ryan Philippe's performance. That kid has a promising future, even if he blew it with hottie Reese Witherspoon

There are moments when the transitions from the present back to the battle scenes come off a bit worn and cliched. As are the endless drone of racist jabs and stereotypes leveled against "Chief," the American Indian who is one of the central characters. But all in all, I enjoyed the movie and can without reservation (no pun intended) recommend it to my fellow Outlaws.

Best,

- VD