Jarhead
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Jarhead (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows "Swoff" (Jake Gyllenhaal), a third-generation enlistee, from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, sporting a sniper's rifle and a hundred-pound ruck on his back through Middle East deserts with no cover from intolerable heat or from Iraqi soldiers, always potentially just over the next horizon. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see for a cause they don't fully fathom.
Member Reviews
War movies but great story - LilyandMick
This was another war movie, but this story was little more than regular war movie to follow. This had a great storyline, but it had also a slow part that you will have to get through. Overall this movie had a great part and follows all the other war movie, but lots of action.Waiting for Combat, Worse Then Combat Itself. - jmunds
There is an overwhelming sense of dread about the film, which at times makes it hard to stay invested with the film. It is film about lost Generation Xer's war. A relatively pointless war, that had not much substance but walking around in the sand as the armies of Sadam Hussein retreat to their borders. And that is just what the film depicts, a waiting game. IT seems these soldiers are constantly waiting for something that never comes. The performances in the film are solid, Gyllenhaal is wonderful as sitting on the edge of insanity. Sarsgaard is great also, channeling Willem Defoe from Platoon. Jamie Foxx, an actor who I don't usually enjoy for some reason in this film is electrifying, perhaps it is because it is Pre Ray, and he doesn't have that sense of undeserved entitlement that that terrible film gave him. But what really takes the cake in this film is the shots. The images presented by Sam Mendes, a director I much admire, is stunning. Particularly the night patrol through the burning oil wells. It felt like a scene from Dante. This film is not perfect by anymeans, it has pacing problems, and I think it goes on too far past the end. I would have ended the film with the Vietnam veteran that joins them on their bus. But it is worthy film for people who enjoy novel looks at modern events, and the acting styles of these actors.exceptional - basilbenz
At last - a movie that simply shows it like it is... No "Rambo" superhero-idiotic-nonsense; no overdone, melancholy, attempt at cinematic artistry at the cost of authenticity - such as is found in "Platoon", "FMJ", "Apocalipse Now" and "Deerhunter" - to name a few overrated war movies.
Finally a movie which captures the FEEL of being a Marine in the eighties... the sights, the sounds, the events - all brought back vivid memories. As the scenes unfolded, I found myself thinking "... I remember when that happened..." over and over, because my service somewhat paralleled Swofford's own, and I was aware of - if not a witness to - certain events that took place. A movie which portrays the Marine grunt for what he is... certainly no angel, but the absolute backbone of American military toughness. The barracks and field life portrayed in this movie is perhaps the most accurate portrait Hollywood has produced.
With only a few realtively minor technical inaccuracies, this is a movie whose full richness can probably only be experienced by those who were in the Corps at that time. And for that degree of accuracy, I am grateful to the author and those who produced the film. Too often producers and directors overlook the details that make a military film credible to veterans - such as the details of the uniform, the sounds and function of weapons, the behavior of the characters. Not so in "Jarhead". And the dialogue was right on.
Having read several of the other comments, it is clear to me that there are events depicted in the movie which may not be clearly understood or properly contextualized by someone who has not served in the Marine Corps infantry. Do not let that stop you from seeing the film - it is an excellent view into a world most people will never see. I left the theater feeling proud of my service, and although I miss the daily life of an active duty Marine, "Jarhead" left me feeling strangely happy to be able to look back on it - and to sleep i
Member Reviews
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War movies but great story - LilyandMick
This was another war movie, but this story was little more than regular war movie to follow. This had a great storyline, but it had also a slow part that you will have to get through. Overall this movie had a great part and follows all the other war movie, ...Waiting for Combat, Worse Then Combat Itself. - jmunds
There is an overwhelming sense of dread about the film, which at times makes it hard to stay invested with the film. It is film about lost Generation Xer's war. A relatively pointless war, that had not much substance but walking around in the sand as the armies ...exceptional - basilbenz
At last - a movie that simply shows it like it is... No "Rambo" superhero-idiotic-nonsense; no overdone, melancholy, attempt at cinematic artistry at the cost of authenticity - such as is found in "Platoon", "FMJ", "Apocalipse Now" and "Deerhunter" - to name ...