Sumptuous, well-acted, worth seeing- but doesn't seem to have a point

Rating: 6/10 (4 November 2005)

The film follows Jake Gyllenhaal's character (Swofford, who wrote the book upon which this is based) from basic training through his unit's deployment in Saudi Arabia for Desert Storm (in 1990 after Saddam invaded neighboring Kuwait) and finally through the (brief) first Persian Gulf war. Much of the film focuses on the ever-evolving relationships among the men in Swofford's unit, who at various times come across as psychopathic, sensitive, ignorant, insightful, crude, patriotic, self-indulgent, and just plain trying to get by. Swofford excels as a sharpshooter, and the film pays particular attention to his relationship with his spotter Troy (played by the always engaging Peter Sarsgaard) and his commanding officer Sgt. Sykes (Jamie Foxx, also excellent).
In many respects, the film is a success. Top-notch acting from Gyllenhaal, Sarsgaard, and Foxx. Amped up physicality and the perpetual potential for violence lend the proceedings an air not dissimilar to the films that it often references, especially Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. It has a tremendously raw feel to it, from the profanity-laced tirades of basic training to the surreal patrols through burning deserts streaked with raining oil.
Through it all, though the characters share bonding and destabilizing encounters with one another in a manner typical of the genre, the story refuses to follow any established formula. Characters most emphatically will NOT be learning great life lessons or developing the courage to stand up to their convictions or becoming deeply disillusioned by the horrors around them, nor will they come together to overcome tremendous obstacles. There will be no explicit commentary on the war that was fought then or the sequel that we are engaged in now. It's a story about life in the Marines, in all its ambiguity and with no attempt at putting anything in perspective or context.