good, despite lack of story

Rating: 7/10 (6 November 2005)

the main criticism lobbed at Jarhead has been its lack of story arch. this is true, but despite that, it still held me rapt. Gyllenhaal and Sarsgaard were typically good, and even though i haven't read the book, i'd imagine the movie did a good job of capturing Swofford's horror and dark-humor. i'm glad Mendes and Broyles didn't set about artificially creating a story with more conflict. Seven years ago, critics were probably lambasting The Thin Red Line for its nebulous and ill-defined story. TRL, however, is increasingly viewed as a classic. The same might not happen to Jarhead, but this is a movie better than its reviews. Maybe, owing to the cast and crew, as well as the subject matter, people expected too much. The scenes are strong, the preachiness is non-existent, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Gyllenhaal nominated for Best Actor.