hu-rah

Rating: 8/10 (13 November 2005)

I had personally been looking forward to this one years ago. As soon as I heard Mendes (director) and Newman (composer) were teaming up again to make a movie, you can bet I got giddy "ricky tick". Boy, those two son's of b's didn't disappoint. This was only Sam Mendes' third piece of direction in his career. Simply an astounding young record for this guy. First, American Beauty, where he won an Oscar for Best Director and Best Picture. Then, Road to Perdition which we all know and love. And now Jarhead. Thomas Newman pumped out kick-ass Oscar nominated scores for both of those movies, and much to my ecstasy, a bitching composition for Jarhead. A bold and bad-ass concoction of rock, middle eastern and farther eastern music. For all you soundtrack geeks out there, this movie is worth a look simply for its score.
But enough about the behind the scenes action. Nobody cares about that. What we all care about is seeing Jake Gyllenhaal naked, and yes, that scratch will be itched my friend. Just picture Santa, drunk, chiseled and with an M-16 rifle and there you have it folks.
Among some more interesting scenes, were, in typical Mendes trippy form, an odd, but mildly intense bathroom scene, where Swoff (Jake) has visions and starts puking sand. Another of my favorites is a very poignant scene in the burning oil fields, where Swoff (Jake) finds a lone horse. The meaning and density of that scene is still rattling around in my head.
The politics of the film are very interesting, and i'm sure the z-man will touch upon this, but for me, the psychology of it sent my sparks flying. Watching intense group norms emerge quicker than you can say "hu-rah" and seeing a soldier reach a psychotic break down after being denied the opportunity to aid a fellow soldier snipe an enemy were among the most strong and prevalent psychological gears at work.
Overall, this character driven film turned out to be a modern Full Metal Jacket, with a little Mendes Madness factored in. But that is put very simply.