Gen X's "Full Metal Jacket"; Gyllenhaal & Sarsgaard acquit themselves nicely

Rating: 6/10 (15 November 2005)

JARHEAD (2005) **1/2 Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx, Lucas Black, Chris Cooper, Dennis Haysbert. Not bad adaptation of Anthony Swofford's best-selling book account of his stint in the Marines during the first Gulf War where tedious waiting for action goes hand in hand with the brutal facts of war: war is hell. Somewhat predictable and akin to a softer version of "Full Metal Jacket" without the overwrought carnage. Gyllenhaal acquits himself as Swofford, a jacked up but no account to his own standings in the grand scheme of things and Sarsgaard as his fellow grunt has some nuanced low-key moments that counterbalance his one fine sequence of a meltdown that best sums up Sam Mendes' wait-and-see direction while William Broyles' adaptation seems half-baked at best.