Jarhead (2005)
WMB Rating:
(3 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5) 
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Man, I just lost two hours and change of my life that I can't get back watching this film. Ugh. Here's the short version: Guy joins the Corps, becomes a sniper, goes to Kuwait in Desert Shield/Storm, and nothing happens.
Nothing. Zero. Zip. Zilch. They go to boot camp, "hurry up and wait", march through some friendly fire and the burning oil fields, *almost* get to take a shot but are cut short by an overriding air strike... No-thing!
Is that the point of this picture? I think in a way it is. At the end I might've had a glimpse into the meaning of it all, when the Vietnam vet jumps on the bus and welcomes them all home, and sits down with them.... I guess to say that no matter what the experiences a war might put a person through, be it the beaches of some Pacific island, the jungles of Vietnam, or a short stint in a burning, oily desert with nary a shot fired... those experiences are all equally valid, take the same (to a degree) toll on the person, and should be recognized, honored, and remembered.
OK, I'll give you that. Point taken, but geez, could something have happened along the way? The almost Full Metal Jacket copycat first half in boot camp was a bit much to swallow, there were just too many similarities to ignore, and then later with the "this is my new best friend" bit in the desert. Then there's the portrayal of the guys of my generation as a group of partying idiotic morons who want nothing else but simply to kill someone. Gung Ho is one thing, but really.
I can't say much else, really. Something comes to mind about "if you can't say anything nice..." So, you'll understand if I leave Jarhead with a dreadful three. Just don't bother.
On another note, I really would like to see some more movies come out of the first Gulf War. Other than the fair but bizarre "Three Kings", and sorta-kinda the 2004 remake of "The Manchurian Candidate"... oh and "In The Army Now" with Pauly Shore.... I'm reaching to come up with any more titles. Fill me in if I'm missing anything.
Oh, I almost forgot... and Jarhead stars Jake Gyllenahall as our "hero" Anthony Swofford, some other guys I can't say I've heard of (but play idiots and rednecks rather well), and Jamie Foxx as the flat Staff Sgt. Sykes.
Technorati Tags: war movie reviews, jarhead, 2006, jake gyllenhaal, jamie foxx, gulf war, kuwait, iraq, 1991, marines, usmc
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Description
A gripping portrayal of a group of young jarheads during the explosive days of the gulf war. In the blazing desert heat these marines whove been trained to kill find themselves in a brutal situation fighting a war they dont understand. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/09/2008 Starring: Jamie Foxx Peter Sarsgaard Run time: 123 minutes Rating: R
Based on Anthony Swofford’s excellent memoir about his experiences as a Marine Sniper in Gulf War I, Jarhead is a war movie in which the waiting is a far greater factor upon the characters than the war itself, and the build up to combat is more drama than what combat is depicted. To some viewers hoping for typical movie action, this will seem like a cruel joke. But it’s not. It’s just the story as it was written, and if you liked the book, you will probably like the movie. If you didn’t, then the movie won’t change your mind. The movie follows the trajectory of Swofford (played with thoughtful intensity by Jake Gyllenhaal) from wayward Marine recruit (he joined because he "got lost on the way to college") to skilled Marine sniper, and on into the desert in preparation for the attack on Iraq. No-nonsense, Marine-for-life Staff Sgt. Sykes (Jamie Foxx), the man who recruited Swofford and his spotter Troy (Peter Sarsgaard) into the sniper team, leads them in training, and in waiting where their lives are dominated by endless tension, pointless exercises in absurdity (like playing football in the scorching heat of the desert in their gas masks so it will look better for the media’s TV cameras), more training, and constant anticipation of the moment to come when they’ll finally get to kill. When the war does come, it moves too fast for Swofford’s sniper team, and the one chance they get at a kill--to do the one thing they’ve trained so hard and waited so long for--eludes them, leaving them to wonder what was the point of all they had endured. As directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty), the movie remains very loyal to the language and vision of the book, but it doesn’t entirely work as the film needs something more than a literal translation to bring out its full potential. Mendes’s stark and, at times, apocalyptic visuals add a lot and strike the right tone: wide shots of inky-black oil raining down on the vast, empty desert from flaming oil wells contrasted with close-ups of crude-soaked faces struggling through the mire vividly bring to life the meaning of the tagline "welcome to the suck." But much of the second half of the movie will probably leave some viewers feeling disappointed in the cinematic experience, while others might appreciate its microcosmic depiction of modern chaos and aimlessness. Jarhead is one of those examples where the book is better than the movie, but not for lack of trying. --Dan Vancini
DVD Information
Binding: DVDAspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Brand: Universal
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Original Release Date:
Actors:
- Jamie Foxx
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Peter Sarsgaard
- Lo Ming
- Lucas Black (II)
Reviews
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If no one else has pointed it out, another Gulf War movie not in you list is Courage Under Fire. It’s about a female copter pilot whose actions are being investigated for a posthumous awarding of the Medal of Honor. It’s just okay and some would say it has a feminist agenda in it, but it does show some action and is better than Jarhead.
i think the point of this film could be that the future of warfare for americans has come to a sad just bomb the hell out of the enemy. and that they can send 50 or something thousand troops over there to stand around and go on patrols in deserted areas.