I enjoy Sands of Iwo Jima a lot. On the whole, I'd give it an 8 or 9 out of 10. I hesitate to give it a 10 because some of the supporting actors' performances really bother me, but Duke was tremendous. I'm glad the Academy acknowledged this performance with a nomination, because I think it was his best role and performance to this point. I can't get too upset that he didn't win the Best Actor though, because I never saw Broderick Crawford in All The King's Men to judge it against. Still, Sands is one of my favorite John Wayne movies. Like many, I love the scene where he goes home with the woman who has the baby. I feel that, more than any other, that scene helped him get nominated.
