Jarhead: the review

First things first. We went to the new Atlantic Station theater to see the movie, and it was, as expected completely packed. Unfortunately, it was so full that we had to exchange our tickets for the 12 am show (which made it so the movie wouldn’t end until around am… Nice). The only other stitch about the theater, which was extremely nice, was the fact that it was about 90 degrees in there the entire movie, and considering it is a movie about a war in the desert, it wasn’t something that heightened the experience, it made it miserable. Luckily, that has no bearing on the actual quality of the film.

And without further distraction, my review of Jarhead. (At the risk of pissing anyone off, here is your warning that there may be some spoilers as to the nature of the story and what happens. As far as specifics, I tried to be pretty vague. Consider yourself warned!)

Interesting tidbit: If you google blogs of jake gyllenhaal, I am the #2 result. This is bound to make that stick.

Now, when I went in to see this movie, I really went for a couple of reasons. First, Jake Gyllenhaal. That is a good reason to see any movie (not to mention that it was said that he had 3 nude/semi-nude scenes). Second, in a time of war, where you don’t necessarily agree with the reasons we are there and whatnot, it is interesting to see a personal account of the predecessor to this war; especially since it occurred in the same area. This will give you perspective as to what the soldiers may be experiencing now, and give you some context as to what they are going through. And third, just plain old curiosity; or hot marines, can’t remember…

Anyway. The movie starts by introducing you to Anthony Swofford, the Marine that wrote the personal memoir Jarhead, which the movie is obviously based upon. Swoff, as he is affectionately called, enrolls in the Marines, and endures the hellish hazing of boot camp. This is when it really hit me that I could not be in the military; I have a real problem with people yelling at me and humiliating me. After conditioning himself for war time situations, and training to be a sniper, the boys get word that they are to be shipped off to Iraq, for what would be known as operation Desert Shield.

The are then told that they will not be actively engaged in combat, since operation Desert Shield is primarily focused on securing and protecting Iraqi oil. What follows, is a detailed look at the soldiers spending time in the desert, and essentially, doing nothing. During this time, they hydrate, the do push ups, the sit around, the patrol, and then, they hydrate some more. They play football, they talk to reporters, they party. And then they hydrate some more. This part of the story shows you just how long these guys were forced to sit there, and try desperately to hold on to their sanity. By showing you them doing nothing, and reminded you how long they have been there, it really hits home, and helps you to fully understand what these soldiers went through. They try to hold on to sanity under more any one situation, the obvious situation is because they have nothing to do, and are going mad in the middle of a desert where it is 125 degrees everyday; and the other reason, is because these boys have been trained to go to war, and to kill, and needless to say, they are really doing neither of the two. Couple that with the fact that their girlfriends and wives are sending messages of infidelity and separation, it is almost enough for these boys to crack.

Finally, after spending so much time doing nothing but going damn near crazy, the boys get word that Desert Shield is now Desert Storm, and it is finally time to “kick some Iraqi ass”. But much to their chagrin, they again spend time wandering around the desert, through burning oil fields, digging holes, in search of their elusive kill; only to find the war is over in 4 days, due to the presence of such a strong air force attack.

Watching the story through the experience of Swofford, and his squad, truly gives an interesting perspective of what people experience as they are stripped of their natural surroundings, and thrust into a situation where they are constantly uncomfortable, and continually unfulfilled. The soldiers are self-proclaimed killing machines, and, through the perspective offered in this story, you see that they are more like killing machines that are unused, unwanted, and out of order. Gyllenhaal offers an intense and compelling performance, and at times, a scary one. He really captured the Marine machismo, intensity, and even the break from sanity, of Swofford, and at times, makes you believe he actually when through this experience, or at least something similar. Peter Sarsgaard is excellent in his role as the fellow squad solider, and sniper partner of Swofford (Gyllenhaal), and at times, is so emotionally compelling, that it actually makes you a bit sad that he and his fellow soldiers where unable to “complete their mission”.

Overall, Jarhead is a story about a war that wasn’t, told through the eyes of one that was unable to truly participate as he expected. Jarhead follows one man through the deserts of Iraq, and shows the complexity of such a journey, both as a personal battle, and a mental one. While there is very little actual war drama in Jarhead, I do believe that it is a war movie that shows a perspective of war that many of us rarely have an opportunity to witness; life through the eyes of a soldier. People that are expecting a running through the desert, shoot em up thriller, are “boo-yah”ing up the wrong tree; this movie is filled with the experiences of a group of soldiers in Desert Storm/Shield, who just happened to be very separated from the actual battlefront. What the movie is filled with, is compelling performances, moving stories, and dry and unexpected wit and humor. Jarhead is a must see for anyone that wants to know anything more about Desert Storm and Desert Shield, both as a personal experience story, as well as a look at a soldier’s experience, one that was, until now, relatively unseen. This movie definitively earns 5 out of 6 stars on my scale, and is one that I highly anticipate coming to DVD; so I can add it to my collection. Now, I feel that I do have a better perspective as to what happened to many of those soldiers during the first Iraq war, and have a different view as to why they went through so much when they returned. It is definitely something we should think about, especially now, and definitely for the future.

[images from jarheadmovie.com]

Songs from the Suck:
Naughty By Nature – OPP
Kanye West – Jesus Walks (it does make you think of this movie!)