Jarhead Review

From the director of American Beauty, Jarhead is a fascinating look at Desert Shield/Storm and the experiences a group of Marines during this seminal event. I’ll start by saying if you are looking for a body count, see something else. This is a gripping story about Anthony Swofford and his time in the Marines, focusing on the Gulf War of 1990-91, based on his best selling novel.

It is intense, dark, humourous, sarcastic and does its level best to be apolitical. Some characters are all for kicking Saddam’s ass, while others question the reason for the war in the first place.

The movie itself is very similar to Full Metal Jacket, with the first half of the movie taking place in boot camp and at Camp Pendleton. Then the Marines are deployed and it focuses on the troops handling the interminable boredom of the desert and Marine Corp life.

The big surprise is that for a war movie, there is very little war, and the story focuses more on the characters and how they handle a variety of extremely stressful situations. While Jamie Foxx does a great job in this film, I think it will be Gyllenhaal’s breakthrough performance. This is a must-see film and an instant classic.

8 out of 10