Jarhead

I love movies because they often pull emotions out that I rarely experience in real life. I watch Jarhead thinking it would either anger me or make me sad. Yet, despite many intense situations, the movie left me emotionally blank. The acting was well done. The story was interesting. Yet, at the end of the movie, I was numb. Not numb as in "Saving Private Ryan" or "We Were Soldiers" numb ... just emotionally ambivalent. The movie does not overtly take sides, and straddling that line may have diminished the effect on the viewer. Perhaps by not serving in the military, I missed something, but that is why I like to watch movies about war. One thing Jarhead did do is give me an additional respect for the sacrifices soldiers make for their country.

"Jarhead"'s depiction of the hellish ambience under the oil fires is utterly accurate. In fact, the gloaming that the Marines march through on film was just as dark and just as eerie during the actual operation- midnight or midday. As a veteran of all three campaigns in the Kuwaiti Theater of Operation, I sincerely appreciate the filmmakers' close attention to historical detail. And no kidding, I too spotted a beautiful Arabian stallion fleeing the fires on D+1, following the drifting dunes, hell bent for the Saudi tapline: Until I saw the scenario unfold on the screen, I seriously questioned the sighting as some sort of surreal fever dream.

I went into the movie with high expectations. A well rounded cast and interesting story line brought me to the theater. What kept me sitting there, completely enthralled...everything. I'm always very critical, but i really cant think of anything to change. Even the supporting cast, characters who had a few lines, made an impact on me. You really felt like you were next to gyllenhaal and sarsgaard. Not only was it was filmed beautifully, but the dialog was completely in tune. It was funny and sad and suspenseful. It had everything and more. This was movie i have been waiting for all summer and into fall! This better get some nods come this December. Peter and Jake deserve it. They finally should get some recognition for their amazing performances!!!

All though understated by many, Jarhead remains one of the most realistic and powerful war films of time. The power in the film is raw and up-beat, emotional and tragic, humorous and sad. All of these are present throughout and stick with you way after the film has ended. For once since 1998's Saving Private Ryan a skilled director like Mendes can put the audience in the shoes of a soldier fighting for his country. Not only does the director achieve this aspect greatly but then makes the experience and realisation of war seem real, graphic and accurate. By no means the greatest film ever made but for story, acting, directing and cinematography Jarhead is certainly near ace among those categories. Jamie Foxx gives a sensational performance and Staff Sergant Sykes, and without his presence this film would not have been the greatness it is.

JARHEAD (2005) **1/2 Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx, Lucas Black, Chris Cooper, Dennis Haysbert. Not bad adaptation of Anthony Swofford's best-selling book account of his stint in the Marines during the first Gulf War where tedious waiting for action goes hand in hand with the brutal facts of war: war is hell. Somewhat predictable and akin to a softer version of "Full Metal Jacket" without the overwrought carnage. Gyllenhaal acquits himself as Swofford, a jacked up but no account to his own standings in the grand scheme of things and Sarsgaard as his fellow grunt has some nuanced low-key moments that counterbalance his one fine sequence of a meltdown that best sums up Sam Mendes' wait-and-see direction while William Broyles' adaptation seems half-baked at best.

There was a Q&A with Swofford after the screening I saw, as well. This audience was largely middle-aged, affluent, and from Los Angeles. Several seemed rather disappointed that the film wasn't more openly anti-war than it is; though politically a liberal, I was impressed by the effort to not take that obvious a stand and (for once) let the audience do its own thinking. While the action takes place in a relatively restricted time, place and era, I'm willing to bet that soldiers from any war -- Peloponnesian, Hundred Years or Civil -- could identify with the characters and situations. For that reason, I particularly commend it to people who have friends or relatives in the service. One mild warning: as in real life, the language and situations occasionally get a bit salty.

The best scenes are the opening 30 minutes or so at a Marine boot camp. They're very similar to many other such scenes over the years but most likely with a greater abundance of colorful words and expressions, most of which probably aren't permitted to be printed here. Once we leave training and head to what's supposed to eventually be war the film has a rapid descent downhill. Pulling an audience in with the promise of a Marine sniper in action and then never even having him fire his weapon really sucks. There's an old adage in writing that if a weapon is shown on a fireplace mantle in act one it better damn well be used by act three. Otherwise, why show the damn thing at all? The life of an average Marine may be boring as hell, but showing that boredom for an entire movie gets a big thumbs down from this reviewer.