Jarhead (2005)

Sadly Over-hyped

Great Film overall

Don't listen to the negative reviews

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

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.

Sam Mendes, director of American Beauty (1999), takes a step into the war genre with this Gulf War-set war movie, based on the autobiography by Anthony Swafford. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Swafford, a young man from Sacremento, who enlist in the U.S Marine Corps in the late 1980s. Surviving through boot camp under the ruthless Drill Sergeant Sykes (played by Jamie Foxx), Swafford makes it out as a sniper, and he and his unit are stationed in Saudi Arabia. With the 1991 Persian Gulf War erupting, Swafford and the unit are plagued with personal issues such as homesickness, humiliation, abuse, frustration, and fear of girlfriends' infidelity. This is until Operation Desert Storm breaks out and the unit find their chance to finally get the taste of what war is really all about. As explained in the movie, Jarhead is the slang term for a Marine. Jarhead is not quite your typical war movie, this war is more of a comedy than an combat action-heavy film. Many war movie fans may be disappointed as this movie revolves more on how war affects the main character as well as his fellow marines than soldiers engaging in violent, bloodshed combat, with very few scenes of actual combat on screen. I was a little disappointed in some ways. Unlike most war films, the plot in this one focuses on what soldiers do when they're not in active combat. While the plot is okay, it could have been better written. There are various points in the film where the plot seems to stumble. For the most of the first half, we are treated with scenes of Marines sharing conversation about their sexual experiences, watching pornographic videos, pulling pranks on each others, comparing girls, sneaking booze and throwing wild parties. It very realistically portrays the daily lives of Marines off the battlefield. Jake Gyllenhaal's character is develops so well throughout the film, and you see as how the war begins to change him. The scene when has a mental breakdown towards one of his fellow marines gives a clear demonstration of how war begins consuming him. Gyllenhaal's performance was good, and Jamie Foxx did alright as well. I can't say their performances are Oscar-worthy though. One major flaw with this film is that it lacks emotional investment, and so while the characters' emotions are evident, they don't feel real or engaging.Overall, Jarhead is not bad movie. Yes, it has its ups and downs here and there. However, it is certainly not one I would recommendable to everyone. Maybe those who are big Jake Gyllenhaal's fans would be the best people to recommend to.

A lot of people don't like this film because it holds no message or anything other than the story line itself. But it is worth a watch if you like this sort of war humour film. I was laughing all the way through it. But aside from all the funny stuff, it also shows the emotion and torture of war. This guy as to go 175 days away from home, he starts getting worrying letters from his girlfriend and he thinks she's cheating on him while he's at war. On top of that he's going 175 days with nothing to do but sitting around with the other bored soldiers. There are some beautiful dessert shots in this film. Considering it is based in the dessert and there really isn't much to see, they actually did quote a good job of it. The acting is okay, especially as you see Jake's character slowly break down as the days in the dessert carry on. When you take away all the hilarious humour, this is actually quite an emotional film. You see the happy and carefree side of him but then you also see the darker and more emotionally tortured side of him when he finally begins to loose it. The only bad thing about this film is its slowness. Not a lot happens but I guess that is the reality of the film since not a lot is meant to happen. You see Jake mess up, get punished, threaten his friend and loose his mind. But not much else. I guess the humour really makes up for that though because it's a really funny film. So there we go, a tragic and also a very funny film. Worth a watch but don't watch it with your parents around!

This is not your typical war movie. For others that may be okay but going into this I was expecting it to be somewhat similar to FMJ or Platoon. This movie revolves around the boredom and lives of the soldiers. There is not an ounce of action except for a man getting shot in the head in basic training. It was highly disappointing, all the buildup and hell of training and they do not get to use their skills. There are also random scenes throughout such as a horse covered in oil, and I was very annoyed when Gylenhall and Saarsgard are told not to take the shot and an air strike is called instead. Praise for Jamie Foxx's performance though and the bit of humor throughout.