JARHEAD (Sam Mendes, 2005) **1/2

Rating: 6/10 (23 April 2006)

I've watched all of Mendes' films so far (not to mention a stage adaptation of Chekov's "Uncle Vanya" directed by him and co-starring Emily Watson during my week-and-a-half stay in London in 2002) but every new effort seems to me to be a lesser achievement than the previous one! Anyway, while the film is essentially  and typically  well-made (particularly the editing, propelled by an eclectic soundtrack), it's also unoriginal since it basically rips off FULL METAL JACKET (1987)  but is inferior to it in every way (with the second half, as described further down in my comments, being even more of a let-down than that film's!)  as well as having elements from both SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998) and particularly BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001) thrown in for good measure!
Despite good performances by the established actors (Gyllenhaal, Sarsgaard, Foxx and Cooper) and the fact that the film is based on true events, the characters are total stereotypes (with the sex-obsessed camaraderie being especially alienating)though the recruits' frustration/jealousy over their respective partners back home, albeit over-emphasized, is perhaps the film's sole novelty! Besides, it's disappointing that the soldiers see no real action during their stay in the war zone  and neither is the intriguing suggestion that a war veteran remains inclined towards violence and never truly readjusts to civilian life developed in any waywhich, ultimately, renders the whole thing somewhat pointless!