Jarhead
Directed by Sam Mendes
Written by William Broyles Jr.
Rated R: for language, some violent images, and sexual content
By Erik McClanahan
Director Sam Mendes puts his spin on the war film with “Jarhead,” a film about the first Gulf War that shows the workman-like, day-to-day activities of a soldier during Operation Desert Storm.
The Oscar-winning director’s previous films showcased his talent for creating beautifully-framed images against backdrops of ugliness—the mid-life crisis, suburban hell of “American Beauty” (in which Mendes won the best director Oscar in his film debut) and the violent, depression-era mob tale “Road to Perdition.”
Both previous films were filled with unforgettable images that had qualities of an artist’s painting.
Mendes keeps with this style in “Jarhead,” showing the Kuwaiti desert as bleak and devoid of color (a visual approach similar to David O. Russell’s Gulf War film “Three Kings”), but still hauntingly beautiful.
“Jarhead” is a war film with no war in it, something that gives the film a sense of originality. While most other war movies focus on staging huge, special effects-heavy battles, “Jarhead” instead takes the approach of showing us the humdrum, everyday life of a Marine starting at boot camp and ending in Kuwait at the end of Operation Desert Storm.
Often quite funny and objective, the film is much like Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant war opus “Full Metal Jacket,” and while it isn’t quite on the same level as that Vietnam War tale, it is a well-made and well-acted film.
Jake Gyllenhaal (who played the title character in one of my all-time favorite films, “Donnie Darko”) plays real-life Marine Anthony Swofford, whose memoirs and subsequent book about his Desert Storm experiences were the basis for this film.
Gyllenhaal is clearly one of the most talented, fearless young actors of his generation, playing his part with wise restrain and hints of serious anger.
Other great performances come from Jamie Foxx (as Swofford’s commanding officer) and Peter Sarsgaard (from “Garden State”) playing Swofford’s friend and sniping partner.
As I mentioned before, the film features little in terms of actual battles, but the horrors and violence of war are shown in other, more lasting ways.
Swofford’s platoon, calling themselves Jarheads partly because of their shaved haircuts but mainly because a soldier’s head, as Swofford puts it, is empty like a jar, train and keep themselves busy in interesting and amusing ways.
Wanting a chance at some real combat, and hoping to actually shoot his rifle at least once, Swofford is a man who doesn’t want to be in this war but knows he must deal with his situation at hand.
In the film’s most disturbing and lasting sequence, Swofford stumbles across Kuwaiti bodies who have been bombed in the desert. Watching Gyllenhaal play out this scene makes you feel his emptiness and longing to do some good in a war that he has little part in.
If you are looking for a war film that is quite different from the present Hollywood norm, then “Jarhead” shouldn’t be missed.
It is a film with no real plot, but instead a collection of almost short stories played out like a check list of things that happened to Swofford during his war service.
With the present Iraq conflict going on right now, “Jarhead” feels immediate and important. It isn’t so much about the politics of the Gulf War; it is about the emptiness of that generation’s war experience.
HDFEST grading scale
-Jarhead-
Story B
Acting B+
Visuals B+
Originality B
Enjoyability B+
Overall Grade B
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