Jarhead
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, Chris Cooper, Dennis Haysbert, Rini Bell
Directed by: Sam Mendes

Released in the US on: November 4th, 2005
Released in the UK in: December 2005

Reviewed by: The Boneman, ZBoneman.com

Jarhead (based on the 2003 best selling book by real life marine Anthony Swofford) is a haunting war film, but with a twist. When I say twist, I don’t mean in a Sixth Sense sort of way. This is entirely different, and for those who followed Desert Storm as it was happening, it probably won’t come as a twist at all. While I don’t really want to go into the logistics of the direction this movie takes, I will say that Jarhead is more of a soldier’s story than an all-out war picture.

In this dramatic and often darkly funny offering from American Beauty and Road to Perdition director Sam Mendes, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Swoff, a confused twenty year old who enlists in the Marines during Desert Storm because he more or less has nothing better to do. After rigorous training, Swoff quickly bonds with his fellow soldiers who gleefully refer to their military endeavor as "the suck." Perfectly fitting given where these men are headed. And where Desert Storm takes them is one of the most interesting aspects of this truly original look into a side of war you may never imagined.

Sam Mendes likes to make complicated films about complicated people and Jarhead is certainly no different in that regard. As a result, this film will most certainly divide audiences. Why? That isn’t an easy question to answer, but for starters, I have no doubt that there will be some who are offended by the idea that the men involved in the “Police Action” of Mendes’ film suffer similar fates to those who have fought in bigger more romantic wars. But in a way, that’s the whole point of this movie. War is hell regardless of the size of the battle.

There are several moments of undeniable power in the film, none more so than a moving sequence in which a Vietnam Vet welcomes a bus full of Marines home from Desert Storm. This particular scene is made all the more powerful because of the vastly different wars these men have been involved in.

The marketing campaign for Jarhead is slightly deceptive. From the get go, Mendes sort of baits the audience into thinking that they know exactly where this movie is headed. As the film opens, we are even treated to a sequence in which an abrasive, gung ho drill sergeant practically beats (literally) the rules of war into Swoff’s head, in what could be best described as an ode to Full Metal Jacket’s bigger than life R. Lee Ermey. The war film references don’t stop there. There’s also nods to the likes of Apocalypse Now and Deer Hunter (a film I will never be able to watch in the same way again after seeing the way it’s used in Jarhead) and the movie does have a tone that recalls David O. Russell’s Three Kings, but Mendes ultimately takes Jarhead in a much different direction. The irony is, that while the journey itself is different, the outcome is virtually the same.

Given that Jarhead revolves around the war theme, and more to the point, those who fight in a war, it may come as a surprise that the movie isn’t necessarily anti-war or pro-war. It’s somewhere in between. Jarhead isn’t so much a political statement as it is a unique glimpse into a side of war that I’ve certainly never seen depicted in a film.

Anchoring the movie is Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) who continues to mature as an actor with each passing performance. His Swoff is a compelling young man with layers upon layers of complexity, and Gyllenhaal is dramatic, vulnerable and extremely lively in the role. The rest of the cast is stellar. Peter Sarsgaard (Kinsey, Flight Plan) is extremely effective as Troy, the voice of reason in the field. Every time things begin to get out of hand, Troy is there to rectify the situation. Jaime Foxx lends his usual likable demeanor chewing up the scenery as an energetic sniper platoon leader. The rest of the actors who make up the sniper platoon are perfectly cast (they include Sling Blade’s Lucas Black), and all are given a chance to shine individually, but it is the way they play off one another that really make the film tick. This cast has genuine chemistry. They truly come across as a brotherhood.

As Mendes films go, Jarhead didn’t leave the same impression on me that American Beauty and Road to Perdition did., but it’s still an exceptional film and takes this particular genre in to uncharted territory. It’s well acted, well written, and well shot, and even though it’s completely different than I thought it would be, I admire and respect it for it’s patience and it’s unique vision. While Jarhead may be about the "suck," I’m happy to report that it doesn’t suck at all. It is yet another masterful title on Mendes’ small but impressive resume.

Grade: B+