Movies

Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhaal star in this critically acclaimed, brilliantly unconventional war story from Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes.

Jarhead (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows Swoff (Gyllenhaal) from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, where he sports a sniper rifle through Middle East deserts that provide no cover from the heat or Iraqi soldiers. 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 grasp.

One quick note before I go on about how much I enjoyed Jarhead. It is described as this ground-breaking film for being set during a war in a hostile zone, but not being ABOUT the war. I think it is unfair that Jarhead is credited as being the first movie to focus on the mental anguish endured by soldiers when other movies have done the same thing. To name a few, see Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter.

And now that I have gotten that out of my system, Jarhead exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed the performances by Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gyllenhaal. Even Jamie Foxx deserves credit for the work he did in Jarhead.

I do not normally like Jake Gyllenhaal. It is not that I dislike him at all, in most of his roles I have simply found him unremarkable. He brought a passion to Jarhead that he has not had the ability to display in previous movies. He has come a long way since Bubble Boy.

I like Peter Sarsgaard. I have liked him in pervious parts and I appreciate the complexity he brought to the character in Jarhead.

Not too long ago I could be heard requesting the end of Jamie Foxx's 15 minutes of fame. More often than not he plays a relatively transparent character and he does little, if anything, to bring the parts to life. (Granted, I have not seen Ray, so I am speaking only of his other work.) If he continues to bring the maturity to future characters that he brought to Jarhead, I will gladly eat my words.

I liked the way Jarhead, in a subtle fashion, portrayed different types of Marines. The movie primarily featured the enlisted son of a proud veteran, the cowboy Marine who can't wait to kill anything and everything, the man with the haunted past trying to lose himself in the Marines, and the firm-but-fair, almost fatherly, commanding officer. There were many other men and women who fought and participated bravely in the war, but these characters were the focus of the movie.

I liked two main themes/symbols from the movie. I found it very interesting the way the movie suggests that soldiers are coached on how to address the press when expressing their opinions on the war. I also enjoyed the contrast in one of the final scenes as the veteran Marine joins the young men on the bus. This scene was brilliant in its awkwardness.

(I was a little disappointed by how similar boot camp experience with the drill sergeant was to the beginning of Full Metal Jacket, but it may not bother you at all.)

I approached Jarhead very objectively and found myself very pleased with the movie. I had no expectations, lofty or otherwise. I was able to enjoy the movie for what it was. The language and some subject matter may make the movie prohibitive to a younger audience, but I believe Jarhead is an important movie for the respect and appreciation of our armed forces.

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