Disturbingly accurate and realistic

Rating: 9/10 (10 May 2007)

Most war films of today are constant action. Battle after battle with every main character surviving and celebrating after making tons of kills in combat. This is the common look at war by today's standards of war from the past 100 years. All action and nothing else. Jarhead takes this myth and flushes it down the toilet and tells everyone how it truly was and shows us all war is hell without the use of combat or amazing special effects.
The film follows a platoon as they enlist in the army and head off to participate in Operation Desert Shield and eventually Operation Desert Storm. Most enter thinking they are going to get that big kill and have the time of their life in Iraq. What they don't count on is censorship of views from the military, 100+ degree heat, and overall boredom. They all simply sit around under constant watch from Staff Sergeant Sykes as they wait for combat that they begin to believe will never come.
What Jarhead does that so many other films don't is show what war is actually like. It gives a viewer a believable look. Instead of landing in Iraq and the very next day gunfire erupts, it is landing in Iraq and waiting and waiting and waiting. This is not a bad thing if you are thinking that. It shows us the life of a Marine during this waiting period. What he does to pass the time, the sense of brotherhood between the men, and the lack of seriousness from some of the more carefree recruits.
Jake Gyllenhaal delivers, in my opinion, the best and most believable performance of his career as the lead character Swofford, the newest to the platoon and the one looking for the kill he wants so badly to have. He acts normal. He isn't some amazing hero or sophisticated soldier who is smarter and more understanding then the rest. He has his faults, he has a personality, he has a view on war and on life. He isn't some brain dead soldier who acts as if they are on a walk on the beach when war is going on like other movies make leads out to be in war.
Peter Sarsgaard delivers a strong supporting actor job as Troy, Swofford's good friend and spotter (Swofford is a sniper). Like Gyllenhall, he delivers a believable and strong performance as a Marine in the Persian Gulf War. He's more of the understanding kind of soldier but still he has his faults. He is just a believable soldier who has a bit of a chip on his shoulder and understands a little more of what is going on then the rest. Many could say this is a typical kind of character found in a war, the understanding man who tells everyone off. Well I say to them that just because this kind of character is found in every film following war doesn't mean there aren't any in real life (Jarhead is based on fact too, Swofford wrote the book).
Jarhead toys with the audience a lot in the view on the war. Going off to war seems like such an exciting time for the troops when news comes. They watch old war films about Vietnam and celebrate and dance and just screw around. We are made to believe the war is going to be a cake walk with no casualties and just a good old time for the troops. The second half of the film flips the view completely with the reality of bombardment from enemy mortars, walking through the burning oil fields, and coming across the countless civilian casualties sustained during the war. It's reverse psychology at its best. It makes us believe one way with one support for it and then changes are view completely with a hundred arguments against it.
I have very few complaints on this movie. The language is very very heavy but that is to be expected. It's war, all the soldiers are barely 20, and they are all trying to sound cool and tough in front of everyone else. The film shows us the true brotherhood of the military, particularly the Marines. We see some of the practices and initiations of a platoon and views on officers and war in general. This is far by the strongest part of the film with all the in depth look at the Marines during Operation Desert Shield and Storm.
Overall, Jarhead is disturbingly realistic. It isn't constant battle and carnage. It is the war being fought in one's mind. How a man handle's himself when looking upon a charred corpse. How a man reacts when a girl friend breaks up with them in the middle of war. It takes a more human look at war which hasn't been done since Gallipoli was released back in 1981. It is filled with strong sexual references, heavy language and isn't for anyone under 16. However, anyone over that age will love a great film on the human mind during warfare.
4.5/5 Stars