An authentic portrayal of the Gulf War

Rating: 7/10 (7 September 2019)

This review contains spoilers.
Jarhead is a biographical war movie that premiered in 2005. The movie is directed by Sam Mendes. The movie is based on the book Jarhead by Anthony Swofford. The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris Cooper, Lucas Black, and Jamie Foxx. The movie is about a group of United States Marine Corp recruits that go through training and then are deployed to the Gulf War.
Jarhead is an incredibly authentic movie. This movie has an authentic portrayal of life in the United States Marine Corp. The movie makes the United States Marine Corp out to be an independent and storied institution. The recruits are what is expected from how the military recruits young adults. There really is not anything held back in the portrayal of the United States Marine Corp. The audience does see the insanity that is caused by shipping abroad and the sheer boredom the soldiers on the ground will endure.
The movie's greatest attribute is its cinematography and visuals. This is a stunningly gorgeous movie that recreates the Gulf War. The attention to detail and visuals produced by the creators of the movie should be commended. The Highway of Death and other classic Gulf War iconography is shown in this movie in gruesome detail. It made for the movie being incredibly authentic. The audience does feel like a person that is on the ground with the soldiers in the Gulf War.
Jake Gyllenhaal does an amazing job as Anthony Swofford. He is able to portray the gruff sniper that only wants a kill in his squad. The audience experiences the sheer boredom that entails being a Marine sniper. This performance is among one of the best by Jake Gyllenhaal.
I would recommend 'Jarhead'.
Grade: B