very impressive, thoughtful war drama

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2005)

"Jarhead" is a war movie not really about war. Rather, it's about that strange time before war, when young men and boys are trained to kill without hesitation or remorse, when group-think and group cohesion become the goal of every soldier, and when the boredom and tedium of waiting for the enemy to strike can be almost as unnerving and unbearable as the horrors of war itself.
The film is based on the true story of Anthony Swofford (superbly embodied by Jake Gyllenhaal), a Marine sniper who served in the Gulf War in 1991. The story begins in 1989, as Anthony is undergoing the grueling rigors of boot camp training. When Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait, Anthony is shipped off to the Middle East as part of the operation known as Desert Shield, soon to become Desert Storm. For Anthony and his fellow Marine sharpshooters, it is the waiting that turns out to be the least endurable aspect of the assignment, as they battle the discomforts of life in the Arabian Desert - and often each other.
At no time does "Jarhead" pretend to be anything other than the story of one particular soldier in one particular war; we never get the sense that Anthony is supposed to be representative of all Marines at any given time. As such, the movie eschews politics and philosophy, avoids heavy-handed moralizing and preaching, and refuses to either glorify or denigrate the men who are its subjects. Instead, it keeps it all life-sized and realistic, showing us how ordinary men cope with the extraordinary life of being a Marine in times of peace as well as times of war. Writer William Broyles Jr. makes every moment count as each of the major characters confronts some sort of personal demon, although Broyles never overstates the issues or indulges in cheap theatrics or hyperbole. The men remain complex and real, with each character drawing both strength and weakness from those around him.
Director Sam Mendes keeps the scale intimate and the story tightly focused on the interplay between the men, reserving most of the actual fighting scenes for the final act. The film is filled with memorable moments and unforgettable images that often border on the surrealistic: the boys achieving a near-orgasmic frenzy watching the helicopter scene in "Apocalypse Now;" their stumbling upon endless rows of burned-out vehicles filled with charred corpses of fleeing civilians; oil from set-afire wells raining down from ink-black clouds, turning day into night and covering the earth with a thick coating of sludge and ooze; an oil-drenched horse mysteriously emerging out of nowhere only to disappear back into the vast wasteland of the ruined, darkened landscape. The film is worth seeing for its imagery alone.
Those seeking a traditional war film - one heavily laden with booming artillery and graphic battle scenes - may find "Jarhead" a bit of a slow go at times, but those in the mood for a film about personal relationships set in a military context will find much to celebrate in this movie.