Poor imitation of 'Apocolypse Now'

Rating: 3/10 (4 May 2006)

Artistically I think it is very bad imitation of 'Apocalypse Now'. However, I could see how many would like it because of its intensity, drama, and vulgarity. Some may like it because they may think they are getting a taste of 'what it was really like' because of its autobiographical style.
Which brings it to the next problem: Factually Awful. So inaccurate of the United States Marine Corps and the Gulf War I don't even know where to begin. Normally this wouldn't bother me. As an historian I have long accepted Hollywood's version of history is poor at best, terrible at worst. The first thing that usually dies is accuracy sacrificed in the name of drama, which I accept, or the film makers 'point of view' (ideology) which I have more of a problem with.
More and more films from Hollywood treat history as propaganda, as much as Stalin or Hitler used film for the same purpose. The only difference is Hollywood still has to make a profit so they still pay attention to good drama. The bad part is that the majority of people today get their education, not from learned books written according to the highest scholarly standards and subject to peer review, but from Hollywood. Hollywood, who's only two standards are profit and political utility.
'Jarhead' has fallen to these twin demons and portrayed the Marine Corps as populated with a bunch of vulgar, coarse, wanton savages with little discipline or direction from their NCOs, and even less from their officers who are, for the most part, non-existent. One wonders how such a sex crazed mob could fling themselves right into the teeth of an army far larger than they with months to prepare their defense and defeat that army in an astonishing four days. A vulgar mob could not do such a thing, only highly trained & disciplined, proud professional soldiers could do so.
Alas, the average viewer won't think to ask this question.