Jarhead

Plot synopsis:
The film begins with voice-over narration on a black screen, as Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal), waxes philosophically about a soldier whose hands forever remember the grip of a rifle, whatever else they do in life. Swofford is then shown in a U.S. Marine Corps boot camp, being brutalized by a drill instructor in a scene reminiscent of Full Metal Jacket. After finishing boot, "Swoff" is dispatched to Camp Pendleton in 1989, where he is subjected to a cruel joke played on him by the senior Marines. This involves branding onto him the initials of the United States Marine Corps, USMC, with a hot iron. This is a popular tattoo amongst Marines. He faints upon sight of the iron. After regaining consciousness, he realizes to his relief that the senior Marines had switched the hot iron with another room temperature iron. He is greeted coolly by Troy (Peter Sarsgaard), who says to him, "Welcome to the Suck."Swofford comes across the charismatic Staff Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Foxx), a Marine "lifer" who invites Swofford to his Scout Sniper (formally the Surveillance and Target Acquisition) course. After arduous training sessions that claim the life of one recruit, he becomes a sniper and is paired with Troy as his spotter. Shortly after, Kuwait is invaded by Iraq and Swofford's unit is dispatched to the Persian Gulf as a part of Operation Desert Shield. Although the Marines are very eager to see some combat action, they are forced to hydrate, wait, patrol the nearby area and orient themselves to the arid environment. When some field reporters appear, Sykes forces his unit to demonstrate their NBC suits in a game of American football, even under the 112 degree heat. While the cameras roll, the game develops into a rowdy dogpile, with some Marines playfully miming sex acts. Sykes, embarrassed by his platoon's rude manners and poor discipline, removes the cameras and crew from the area; the Marines are later punished by being forced to build and take down a massive pyramid of sandbags in a rainy night.During the long wait, some of the Marines fear their wives and girlfriends at home will be unfaithful. A public board displays the photos of women who have ended their relationships with members of the unit. Swofford himself begins to suspect that his girlfriend is, or will soon be, unfaithful. The most public and humiliating of these befalls Dettman (Marty Papazian), who discovers an innocent looking copy of The Deer Hunter on VHS sent from his wife, which the men are all seated to watch, is actually a homemade pornographic movie tape of her having sex with their neighbor, apparently made as revenge for Dettman's own promiscuity.During an impromptu Christmas party, Fergus (Brian Geraghty), a member of Swofford's unit, accidentally sets fire to a tent and a crate of flares. Swofford gets the blame because he was supposed to be on watch, but had Fergus sit in for him. As a consequence, Swofford is demoted from Lance Corporal (E-3) to Private (E-1) and is forced to undertake the degrading task of burning excrement. The punishments, the heat and the boredom, combined with suspicions of his girlfriend's infidelity and feelings of isolation, temporarily drive Swofford to the point of mental breakdown. He threatens and nearly shoots fellow Marine Fergus.After the long stand in the desert, Operation Desert Storm, the coalition force's ground campaign, begins, and the Marines are dispatched to the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. Briefly before the action begins, Swofford learns from Sykes that Troy concealed his criminal record when enlisting and will be discharged after the end of hostilities. Following an accidental air attack from friendly forces, the Marines advance through the desert, facing no enemies on the ground. Casualties are taken when friendly fire from an A-10 close air support aircraft hits U.S. vehicles. The troops march through the Highway of Death, strewn with burnt vehicles and remains of charred bodies, a product of the bombing campaign. Later, the Marines encounter burning oil wells, lit by the retreating Iraqis, and they attempt to dig sleeping holes as a rain of crude oil falls from the sky. Before they can finish them Sykes orders the squad to move to where the wind prevents the oil from raining on them. While digging new sleeping holes, Swoff discovers Fowler has defiled an Iraqi corpse which drives Swoff to the point of wanting to fight him. However he merely takes the body and buries it somewhere else.Swofford and Troy are finally given a combat mission. Their order is to shoot two Iraqi officers, supposedly located in a control tower at a battle-damaged airport. The two take up positions in a deserted building, but moments after Swofford pinpoints one of the officers in his sights, another team of Marines appears and calls in an air strike. Troy, desperate to make a kill, pleads with the officer in charge (Dennis Haysbert) to let them take the shot. When his pleas are denied, Troy breaks down in a fit of despair and weeps. Moments later the airport is bombed by U.S. warplanes. Swofford and Troy linger at the site in a daze, losing track of time and missing their pick-up. With night falling, they try to navigate the desert but get lost. Distant cries in the darkness frighten them, and as they begin to sense that the sounds are coming from beyond a ridge, they ready their weapons and prepare to descend. They see an encampment in the distance, but on closer look they recognize it as their base camp, and the sounds as Marine voices. The war is over, they learn, and scores of Marines celebrate this amidst a bonfire. In a climactic scene Swofford tells Troy he never fired his rifle, getting a response of "You can do it now". He then fires a round in the air from his sniper rifle and the other Marines, who also never had a chance to fire their weapons, follow suit, emptying magazines into the night sky.On returning home the troops parade through the towns in a jovial celebration of victory. The mood is disturbed when a disheveled Vietnam veteran, possibly suffering from the memories of the conflict, jumps into their bus, and congratulates them all. Soon after their return home, Swofford and his comrades are discharged and go on with their separate lives. Swofford returns home to his girlfriend, but discovers her with a new boyfriend. Fowler (Evan Jones) is seen to be spending time with a girl at a bar, Kruger (Lucas Black) is seen in a corporate boardroom, Escobar (Laz Alonso) as a supermarket employee, Cortez (Jacob Vargas) as a father of three kids, and Sykes continuing his service as a Master Sergeant in Operation Iraqi Freedom. An unspecified amount of time later, Swofford learns of Troy's death during a surprise visit from Fergus. He attends the funeral, meets some of his old friends, and afterwards he reminisces about the effects of the war.

Tags: dark, comedy, murder, anti war, violence, flashback, historical, prank

Review:
This movie is strictly a story told by the main character about his time serving in the Marine Corps and his tour in the Gulf.
There are many undertones, just none of which are attempting to reassert or defame the current war in the East.See this film if you want to see a humorous, sad, psychotic, intense, and most importantly REAL story..
Following the screening was an audience Q&A with the author (and main character), Tony Swofford.And it was no surprise that the very first question from the audience was, quite ambiguously, "Do you support the military?" When Swofford dismissed the question as too broad and complex to be answered with a simple yes or no, the inquirer followed up with, "Well, do you support the war?" Swofford dismissed this even more readily.To me, this was perfectly representative of how the film handled its potential political implications.As Troy says early on in the film, "To hell with politics.
And while the opening boot camp scenes may seem like Full Metal Jacket Lite, the rest of the film is truly unique.Sam Mendes directs with his usual brilliance, showing once again his affinity for bright, vivid color, even in the largely monochromatic desert.Jake Gyllenhaal gives an excellent performance as Anthony Swofford, complemented by the able talents of Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard.The film's only real flaw is that, like the war on which it was based, it's pretty slow, and not a lot really happens.In the strictest sense, I would have a hard time even classifying this as a war film, and it's certainly not a deliberately political film.But in its own way, it tells an intense, personal story.
A person can pick out a lot of evidence supporting the military, and at times make it look like a recruiting tool, or it can show anti war, anti-Bush, anti everything.
And the dialogue was right on.Having read several of the other comments, it is clear to me that there are events depicted in the movie which may not be clearly understood or properly contextualized by someone who has not served in the Marine Corps infantry.
What happens here is not always pretty, but it is the truth, and the truth should be all we can ask for.The screenplay was adapted by William Broyles Jr., who in addition to some TV work, adapted the recent "Planet of the Apes" remake, and "Cast Away." Personally, I didn't think either of these films were anything special, which is why "Jarhead" is such a surprise.
"Every war is different," says Anthony Swofford as the movie "Jarhead" comes to a close.
"Every war is the same." Looking back on his experience, he sees that the first Gulf War and the Marine Corps have become ineradicable parts of who he is: "Every jar-head is me." The screen shimmers and shifts into a scene of a desert patrol dwarfed by distance and hazed by heat waves.
But the scene in which the soldiers sit down to enjoy a home movie one Marine's wife has made - of herself being humped by their next door neighbor - that, we all agreed, was in the book.
They did say 'Oorah' way too much." Lance Cpl. Josh Rader, 29, of Georgia, said he thought the movie was one of the more accurate portrayals of the Marine Corps, with the only more accurate movie being Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket." "A lot of the training, they dramatize it more," Rader said.
Afterward the author of the novel it is based on held a Q&A.This movie is a bit long, but so are most War films.
It does, however, keep your attention the entire times.This film is not just a War film, it is able to seamlessly mix comedy and drama, with such issues as Mental health and even a bit of ennui.The characters are fully developed, each and everyone has an interesting story that is covered, briefly but perfectly.
You get a broad spectrum of the kinds of men that go to war, what they left behind, and how it effects them when they return.The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and Sam Mendes' direction is pitch perfect.Jakc Gyllenhaal gives an astounding performance, as does Jamie Foxx, but it is Peter Sarsgaard that steals the show, with a heartbreakingly subtle ghost of a performance.This is definitely a must-see..
Gritty story based on the true life experiences of Marine recruit Anthony Swofford, a naive teenager who gets more than he bargained for beginning in basic training, then a long and hellish nightmare of combat after he's shipped off to Kuwait during Operation Desert Shield.
Yet after seeing the movie "Jarhead," Anthony Swofford's autobiographical account of the marines during the first Gulf War, a black eye is the least of the marines' problems.The fundamental theme of Jarhead's portrayal of marine life is that heroes do not exist.
Yet like Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, a movie acclaimed for its supposed depiction of Viet Nam-era marines, none of these men and certainly none of these virtues are to be found.Instead, what one finds in Jarhead are empty men who drift though life, denied of what they truly want, and who choose to make up for it in emotional outbursts and sadistic and debased pleasures.
I served five years in the Marine Corps during the time Jarhead was set and I can certainly recount stories, both humorous and horrific.
There might have been the occasional breach of conduct or character, and some may have even failed miserably in achieving the standard of excellence that is the hallmark of the corps.Yet overall,(and in the metaphysically significant sensethe only sense that matters in art) almost every marine I knew was in the corps for a purpose and that purpose was good, noble, and just.That's why I, for one, was proud to wear the marine uniform, and that's what no Hollywood movie that I know of has ever been able to accurately capture in a film about the marines.
I was so shocked by this movie because American Beauty was one of my favorite films.Awful because it's: Predictable, Boring useless long exaggerated scenes, Useless scenes, The scene endings are not well done, Nothing impressing about it.
But i don't expect it to get better at the end.Again, maybe i was a bit disappointed because i expected much more from this great director, but this movies does not either entertain and make sense to someone looking for an intelligent film..
If you like to watch a bunch of silly kiddish marines that very occasionally have a serious moment then this is a movie for you.For the authors that gave this movie 8 - 10 stars all i can say is you must work for the film maker or somebody that is trying to make money from it.
First off let me start off by saying I loved Sam Mende's two previous works (Road to Perdition & American Beauty), but this movie flat out sucked.
Well boy was he right, I thought this was supposed to be about the Gulf War, instead we hear more about how the main character (Jake Gyllenhaal) likes to masturbate.
Also I hated how they made the soldier's out to be like nothing but a bunch of horny perverts and complete dumb asses, which is far from the truth.All I can say is if you want to see an entertaining movie along with a plot you need to look the other way.
Sam Mendes, director of "American Beauty," the critically acclaimed film that brought him an Academy Award for Best Director, brings to the big screen "Jarhead," a movie based on Andy "Swoff" Swofford's war memoir, which is more or less the same kind of war film we've all seen before.
In it, Swoff is played by "Brokeback Mountain" co-star Jake Gyllenhaal and the film shows in its gritty language and sardonic humor the former sniper's recounts of how they live each day fighting boredom until they go to war.Upon his arrival at the Marine base, Swoff is assigned to C Company.
Itching for some action and increasingly becoming bored creatures in the desert, Swoff narrates their long wait while suggesting some techniques "for the marine to use in the avoidance of boredom and loneliness." Basically the film's first part tackles the hell of a boot camp new recruits have to undergo.
In 'Jarhead' Jake Gyllenhaal plays Anthony Swofford, a new marine recruit who is going to Iraq.
Anthony Swofford was a scout/sniper in a USMC platoon in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during the Gulf War. His book 'Jarhead' tells the story of the events that happened to him and his fellow marines.Though I liked this film a lot, mostly for the realism, it did remind me too much of 'Platoon'.
It's a shame because the film has less to do with the politics of war then the unique personalities that made up a specific platoon of Marines in the first Gulf War. The title of the film derives from Anthony Swofford's very compelling novel about his adventures, a book that in no way demeans the heroism of the young men (and now young women) who live and die in the military.
Several seemed rather disappointed that the film wasn't more openly anti-war than it is; though politically a liberal, I was impressed by the effort to not take that obvious a stand and (for once) let the audience do its own thinking.While the action takes place in a relatively restricted time, place and era, I'm willing to bet that soldiers from any war -- Peloponnesian, Hundred Years or Civil -- could identify with the characters and situations.
Save your time on this one and wait for a real movie of the Gulf War to come out..
Jarhead, from Sam Mendes, is a good, solid movie with interesting characters and almost poetic dialog.
Ladies and gents, I saw the movie very recently and as a Viet Nam era Marine I was particularly disgusted and had alternating feelings between going home and burning everything I had that referred to our Corps or just getting up and asking for my money back (which is what I ended up doing).
Its hard not to compare a blockbuster war movie to "Full Metal Jacket", but I choose not to, because that is a high standard for any film to live up to.
There is almost nothing in this film that accurately portrays military service during the Gulf War. I would not recommend this movie to anyone.
We know how things can get for the guys out there when they're a long way from home, but we don't need to go through their intimate issues chapter and verse.Why didn't the filmmakers take Stan Kubrick's example of how a war film should be done.
Anthony Swoofford(Jake Gyllenhaal) tells the story of his experience while fighting in Desert Storm, beginning with boot camp to his training to be scout sniper to his experiences throughout the war and ending with his life after war.Jarhead probably stuck many as a heat-pounding war-action film and probably left many disappointed.
I'm not saying that Jarhead was not entertaining, because it was extremely entertaining witch constant comic relief from Gyllenhaal and Foxx, but it was not the same kind of entertaining that is found in other war movies.With such an amazing cast of Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsagard, and Chris Cooper, I was not disappointed with the quality of acting.
The boot camp scene in the beginning was excessively similar and twice they used the same little chant used in Full Metal Jacket where the troops said "This is my rifle, there are many like it..." The themes of Jarhead and Full Metal Jacket were also similar, both saying that "War takes average men and changes them into heartless killing machines." Mendes stressed the idea of a marine never being able to change, even after the war.Besides a similarity flaw, the movie was flawless.
Jarhead will surely be considered one of the best movies of the year and also help bring the war genre back to where it was before The Great Raid.
Overall, Jarhead is a great anti-war movie that is quite entertaining but a exceedingly intense at times.
I thought this movie might be past my experiences, but after watching it, I feel that it's a film many people will be able to relate to, not just combat vets (unlike many other more combat-oriented war movies).
Take the time to believe the concepts the film presents (because it's a good account of a real experience), and you'll enjoy the whole thing.Technical: Other than one scene, I thought the events were very technically accurate.
The director did an amazing job putting on film what really happens during war instead of "hey lets blow everything up and kill people".
I felt this film showed a lot of promise- good director, great lead (Jake Gyllenhaal) excellent trailer.Watching the finished article was quite different.
There is no story- this would be OK if there was plenty of character development, but this is also notable by it's absence.For a film that has been compared to Full Metal Jacket and Buffalo Soldiers, this film is very disappointing.Jamie Foxx stole his scenes, but that's not saying much.Maybe it was trying to say that the desolation of the ubiquitous war-torn landscape reflects the soul of modern America.
For the first time in years i watched a movie that gave me this weird feeling when i walked out of the cinema...i felt exactly the same way as the soldiers, Swoff and all the others...more than 200 days of hard training and nothingness and what did they achieve...NOTHING.
I can't deny that Sam Mendes's new film Jarhead has some power to it- that he and his director of photography (Roger Deakins) create some immensely evocative images, or that there isn't a little thought stirring around within the context of the story and premise.
It was constantly beat into our heads that the war could come, and probably would come, very soon and without warning.Put people in this situation, and things like Jarhead depicts do happen.
I liked 'Jarhead' because it was a very good description of the soldier in the gulf war.
It is a real experience of men during the first gulf war and is an important movie to watch.
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.
He was in the scout/sniper position and was in Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait during the Gulf War. The film shows Anthony's relationship with the other Marines and the sergeants and what they do while they are stationed out there and what they do before they can finally come home.
The other thing that is really good about this movie is it's look and feel from it's great director Sam Mendes.
Now, Sam Mendes comes to us with Jarhead, and it is quite a great achievement and I think after only three films so far in his career that he will win many more awards and he is on the path to becoming one of today's best directors.
I think some may be disappointed in Jarhead, for not being more faster paced or having the battle scenes but for a powerful film about characters and how they react to war and these situations this is a film for you..
Jarhead is an excellent movie that doesn't always have to have action to be a successful film, but the basis of the movie about being a marine hits us with a great note.
Jarhead was one of the worst war movies I've ever seen.
This movie shows the Marine Corp trained by stupid and sadistic leaders, and the troop completely alienated, in a war without seeing the enemy, or knows the country or the costumes of the locals, and even the reasons for their action, being trained like pawns, aiming to kill an enemy.
This was just an anti-war movie that attempted to make the military look like a bunch of "jarheads." I've read reviews from a few supposed veterans who walked away from this movie feeing "proud"?
They made you out to be stupid jarheads.The movie was completely biased and made no attempt to accurately portray the Gulf War, especially from a political point of view.
Like the disappointment that Swofford must have felt, I think the audience also feels that disappointment in the film.Jake Gyllenhaal gives an amazing performance.
This is why his 2005 war film, Jarhead, is such a disappointment.
(We're made to feel like this girlfriend of his is his everything - amusing, considering the character is 20 years old.) At the urging of Seargent Sykes (Jamie Foxx), Swofford becomes a Marine sniper, which he is very good at.
Of course, the fact that the film is based on a book written by the real Anthony Swofford about his own experiences in the Gulf War means that even Hollywood effects can't take away from the back of our minds that much of what we see is real, or at least was.Jake Gyllenhaal has become a very good actor indeed, and holds his own with Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx, whose performance could very well garner him another awards season nod for his supporting role.
In fact, the one real criticism I have about the film is that I would have liked to have known more about each of the men who served so honorably and who were so altered by that experience.Jarhead isn't a war movie per se in the sense that it shows a lot of shoot 'em up action.