Jarhead

Rating: 3/10 (6 November 2005)

I rarely attend movies but appreciate 'realistic' films about war experiences. With such a stellar cast, the anticipation was great. Yet the script was shamefully weak and the movie never lived up to its own lofty expectations. There were a very few intense moments and a few tender moments, but mostly it was just a dull movie from the beginning until i walked out. No doubt the film tried to capture the spirit of war but the scene with the 'barrel of s**t' was gross and unnecessary. It seems to have been placed in the movie for its shock value since unfortunately, people hardly flinch at the sight of mangled dead bodies littering the landscape anymore. But i know what's**t' looks like and smells like and that one scene summed up the entire movie. i knew then that it was time to leave. Jarhead is a film that should have remained 'hermetically' sealed until it was turned over to someone who could have done it justice. I'm sure the author of the book is incensed with Hollywood. No offense to the cast, they did the best they could with such a predictable, unimaginative and sophomoric script.