A good movie, but...

Rating: 8/10 (4 November 2005)

Thank God the Marines of Desert Shield weren't overseas during World War II, lest they would have all gone mad. From viewing the film, Jarhead, one would gather the poor blighters of Desert Shield were suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from simply camping out in the desert for a few months. I had no idea a soldier could be so psychologically harmed from not killing. Peter Sarsgaard's character literally bangs his head against a wall, in a fit of rage, because he wasn't allowed to kill anyone, but he was only the spotter, anyway.
My father was a soldier in the Pacific Theater of World War II. I'm sure he would have been very happy not to kill anyone and hang out in a desert for a few months, given a choice.
The film is very engrossing and shows the human side of the anti-event. The acting is quite good, but for a few moments of unbelievable suffering from not killing.