Incredibly realistic, historically valuable brilliancy

Rating: 10/10 (5 November 2005)

Jarhead makes a difficult achievement; it portrays war, and hence politics, without a slant either to the left or right. The movie is like a photograph rather than a portrait in that it tells it like it is without adding the strokes or color of the painter. The plot line of the movie itself mirrors what the "plot line" of Swofford's experience must have been like. It is never predictable, it doesn't follow any movie formula, and for these reasons I highly praise it. Jarhead is not only a masterful piece of cinematography, but it is also a brilliantly true character study that allows its audience to come to their own assumptions regarding the politics of the time. Some critics are condemning Jarhead because of its "lack of point" or climactic delivery, however that is precisely what gives this movie such value; it is true to real life. Real life doesn't follow a climactic line, doesn't always deliver satisfaction, and often lacks a focused point. For the film to do otherwise would cheapen the experience. Jarhead is an entertaining, moving and historically valuable film that will be placed with the rest of the classic war movies. Go see it. It's worth the 9 bucks, and then some.