A war film without the war.

Rating: 10/10 (1 April 2011)

---------------SPOILER ALERT------------
War. The very word instantly summons to mind the vision of explosions, gunfire, and death. When we think of the word "war", a plethora of famed movie classics come to mind - Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, or even Lord of the Rings. Again and again, it seems that film makers and producers are finding new ways to make man's worst habit into the neighborhood's best blockbuster.
Now imagine a war film without any bullets or explosions. Jarhead is a war movie that takes the word "war" to a whole new level.
Jarhead is a war film that follows Marine sniper Anthony Swofford through his experience as just another grunt in The Gulf War of 1991. Unlike typical war films, "Jarhead" sheds true light on any soldier's time overseas. Stationed for four months in the Persian Gulf's 112 degree desert, Swofford does not wake up to explosions and gunfire but rather, the torment of boredom and heat.
In a scene depicting this misery, Swofford narrates, "Suggested techniques for the marine to use in the avoidance of boredom and loneliness: masturbate. Rereading of letters. Further masturbation. Cleaning your rifle. Arguing about religion and the meaning of life. Further masturbation. " This statement holds true as majority of the 123 minute long movie are scenes focused on the marines patrolling an endless empty desert, lounging about their camp, and training with false hope of combat.
Throughout the film, Swofford experiences historical events of the Gulf War: The Highway of Death, deployment of Operation Desert Shield, and commencement of Operation Desert Storm. Despite, Swofford and his platoon of borderline-psychotic snipers are cheated their anticipation for combat.
The climax of this movie comes towards the end: Swofford and his best friend/sniper spotter are assigned to assassinate two Iraqi officers. Allow me to vividly describe this scene: Music is not playing and all that is audible is the beating of Swofford's heart. He has the torso of the officer in his cross hair and is ready to fulfill his commitment to kill. Mere milliseconds from pulling the trigger, a squad of marines and a superior officer barge into the room and instruct the eager snipers that they are forbidden from taking the shot. Dismayed and frustrated, Troy (Swofford's spotter) lashes out in a rage of tears and anguish. All they've desired - all they've yearned for - was a single kill, to make all four months of boredom and torment worth while.
Despite being Swofford's best friend and military partner, even Troy has skeletons of his own. After discovering a falsity in Troy's paperwork (unmentioned criminal record), Staff Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Foxx) informs Swofford to assure Troy stays in check. Relating from an earlier scene, the gang of Marines joyously force Troy down and brand him with a "USMC" hot iron. Near the beginning of the movie, Troy states to Swofford that a branding must be earned by honor and commemoration, thus permanently denoting the individual as forever loyal to the corps. This just goes to show that everyone – not just Swofford – has a story of their own.
Another noticeable quotation is the closing narration, "A story. A man fires a rifle for many years. and he goes to war. And afterwards he comes home, and he sees that whatever else he may do with his life - build a house, love a woman, change his son's diaper - he will always remain a jarhead. And all the jarheads killing and dying, they will always be me. We are still in the desert." This quotation is Swofford's prediction on how he may live out the rest of his life – scarred by the memories and experiences he endured in that desert – he will always be lost in the desert. No matter what he may do in life, his hands will always bear the taint of a rifle.
From a historical and military stand point, Jarhead stands to exemplify how obsolete the foot soldier has become. With advances in aviation and surface warfare, Troy states, "This war's gonna move too fast for us. We can shoot a thousand yards. To go that far in Vietnam it took a week; in WWI, a year; here, it's gonna take about ten seconds. By the time we have our rifles dialed, the war is gonna be a mile down the road!" This further shows not only the obvious frustration of the soldiers, but the hard truth that the marines – who so prayed for war – may never even fire their rifles.
Unlike classic war films that tells the events of a nation, "Jarhead" tells the events of Anthony Swofford. It focuses not on the War in the Persian Gulf, but the personal war struggling within the mind of a single soldier. Believe it or not, Jarhead is based on the best selling 2003 memoir Jarhead by Anthony Swofford himself. All events and scenes are based on real life experiences of this young corporal.
This is a very black and white film. It does not have a "grey" area. Audiences will either absolutely love it, or absolutely hate it. After the movie is finished, no further pondering is required. The plot is very simple and linear. If you're looking for another classic war film filled with gunfire and explosions, Jarhead will surely disappoint. However, if you're looking for something a little moreliteral, then Jarhead is a must-watch. As stated, Jarhead lets you experience war through the eyes of an average soldier – not a hero, nor action star – but just another grunt. It sheds truth on exactly how unwarlike war can be.