After watching Flags of Our Fathers I wasn't too excited about this second installment. I found the films to be remarkably different and this film ranks alongside The Burmese Harp and Fires on the Plain as one of the best films about the Japanese in WWII. Granted this one is told from an American's perspective, but we quickly realize that we are seeing this via a Japanese lense. Extremely well executed, and brilliant all around, I didn't find the boredom that I did in Flags of Our Fathers. Perhaps one too many flashbacks involving the general, but that is forgivable. Eastwood has really come into his own, and I can only hope he steers clear of crime thrillers indefinitely, because he definitely seems to be on the right track here.