gripping film from mendes

Rating: 9/10 (9 February 2006)

Anthony Swofford's life has been a deterrent, with family troubles from every family member. His father is a war veteran and the Marines was a final choice to receive fulfillment. During his training he becomes a sniper, and loves every second of it. Shortly after Swofford is shipped to the gulf war, ready for action. Yet action never arrives and the marines are meet with boredom, with more marines always turning up. Ever distracting themselves with masturbation, constant rehashes of conversation about sex, religion, male order brides, their wall of shame as their wives and girlfriends one by one become unfaithful and always more masturbation. The futility of their constant mind distraction just ever increase their tension, all are constantly ready for action, if and when it arrives.
Jarhead is the name of a marine from the regulation haircut, yet more to that the marines head is an empty vessel. Pitched by the opening, which is undoubtedly comparable to Stanley Kubricks's Full Metal Jacket, where the marines are stripped of their identities to become these empty vessel. Though is isn't the extreme degradation of Full Metal Jacket, with satirical comedy of the marines training and the comradeship between one another. The metamorphose of Jarhead hits in the declaration of war, with the troops sent off to the desert land of death to call home. The tension rises from lack of stimulation and mind games between troops erupt. Many troops more annoyed that they haven't yet fired their gun and received a kill to their name.
Sam Mendes has constructed a tightly tense world where the tension doesn't come from the action, yet the drama between the troops and the unseen enemy. Jarhead doesn't take any real political stance or an anti war point of view, yet shows the psychological view of the mind set of a soldier during war. There is an openness to Jarhead where you make your own conclusion and answers, as we're taken behind the curtain; the marines freedom of speech taken, taking unapproved medicines for gases treatment.
Enhancing Mendes's direction is Roger Deakins's cinematography. The colour pallet is deep, harshly filtered through stark white, capturing the bleakness of their surroundings. The visual effect is haunting in the desert landscape. Swofford and his group walking through the bomb laden highway is so tautly haunting. There is the constant state of an unknown enemy. We never see the enemy yet you feel that they are all around them, constantly watching but never attacking; that mind game state of affairs.
Jake Gyllenhaal is stellar as Anthony Swofford. Gyllenhaal is gripping and captures that slow deterioration of sanity over the what seems never ending, action less war. Peter Sarsgaard finally focuses and gives a worthy performance as Troy. Jamie Foxx is great as Staff Sgt. Sykes, keeping a wonderful balance of humanity and leadership is Sykes.
While Jarhead does at times become unfocused, its one tense ride of human emotions during war.