'Gritty', yet 'dreamy' take on the effects war

Rating: 8/10 (8 November 2005)

Solid performances by Fox (enjoyble to watch as a marine-lifer)and Gyllenhaal make 'Jarhead' a worthwhile time at the theatre. Mendes's film made me recall many tales of war, yet puts a completely new spin on this genre. At times I felt as if he was paying homage to such films as 'Fullmetal Jacket' and 'Platoon' to even a Kurt Vonnegut novel (there are some interesting characters tied with elements of the surreal), however this movie feels differently due to the type of war Operation Dessert Storm was. I feel Mendes perfectly captures the psyche of these soldiers in the type of hurry-up-and-wait marine mentality of this war, by the time Gyllenhaal sees his first and only action we can feel the tension and release when he gets his call to duty. One of the strongest and most realistic aspects of this film is the way the soldiers act in the environment they are in. This movie is very gritty in this aspect, giving one of the most realistic portrayals of a soldier being isolated away from home, from missing girlfriends to going crazy due to the exhaustion of war in general. At times I felt as if this film moved as a documentary due to the dialogue between its characters, it seemed as if they were not working from a script, but real life conversations. I especially liked the dream sequence in which Gyllenhaal misses his girlfriend (he pukes sand as he stares at his girlfriend's reflection in the mirror), you can feel his anxiety of being away from a loved one. This movie is a solid portrayal of what this type of war or any war can have on a soldier's psyche, no soldier is the same after he has held his rifle, this film proves it.