"Flags of our Fathers" ***1/2 (out of four): At a time when the line between political right and wrong has never seemed more blurry, Clint Eastwood's masterfully-crafted story of the flag-raising at Iwo Jima couldn’t be more resonant.

At a time when the line between right and wrong – good and evil – have never seemed more blurry, “Flags of our Fathers” - Clint Eastwood’s masterfully-crafted story about the truth behind the iconic photo of the flag-raising at Iwo Jima – couldn’t be more resonant. The script by Paul Haggis and William Broyles Jr., based on the book by James Bradley and Ron Power, makes great use of non-linear storytelling, jumping between the flag-raising itself and the resulting publicity tour, during which the three surviving soldiers are trotted out in front of audiences desperate for hope. The war had left the American government on the brink of bankruptcy – printing money to the point of devaluation - so this tour became a perfect venue to sell war bonds to raise money for the manufacture of weaponry. But since the photo was actually taken during a second flag-raising on that fateful day (after the first flag was pulled down for reasons I’ll let the film explain), these soldiers don’t feel like they belong on parade. They don’t feel like heroes.

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