Review

Review Date: 6-November-05
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Jarhead (2005)

Sam Mendes' adaptation of Anthony Swofford's autobiographical book Jarhead has no business being as satisfying as it is. Its story is flimsy like a lot of true-life films, since real people rarely learn or grow in the structured fashion that makes a great narrative. In addition, it bucks all expectations for a movie dealing with war and recent political events. "Jarhead" is not especially dramatic or violent, nor does it carry an overt social message. Carving out a genre niche all its own, it's simply a fascinating look at a situation alien to the average viewer, graced by the talents of some of today's finest actors.

Swofford, played in the film by Jake Gyllenhaal, was a Marine who saw action in Desert Storm and apparently will never be the same again. The "action" he saw, however, was not of the death-defying or hero-making type. "Jarhead" follows his path from boot camp in 1989 to his training as a sniper and subsequent assignment to Kuwait. Each step is rife with warrior-bonding machismo and winks of "M*A*S*H"-like humor, many of which are supplied by a Bible-toting, ultra-confident staff sergeant with a rabid love for the military (Jamie Foxx, fully atoning for "Stealth"). Both the foul-mouthed camaraderie and lighthearted concession to a stressful job ring true; and Gyllenhaal, with his look of wide-eyed volatility, provides the perfect entrée into this world of chaos under control. (Also impressive is the crafty supporting turn of Lucas Black, the boy from "Sling Blade" all grown up and cute as a smirking button.)

As the scene shifts to the Near East, the experiences of Swofford and his company become more taxing and outlandish. The oppressiveness of the desert, the ache for women left behind, and the constant expectation for battles that may or may not come are voiced in expressions of giddy and desperate hysteria. When they do finally get the order to move, their course and purpose is unclear. (This was, after all, a war won by scud missiles instead of soldiers on the ground.) Along with the staff sergeant, only Swofford's partner keeps his cool (Peter Sarsgaard, fantastic as always), but even he cracks as the days wear on and the men's need to kill something, and thus justify their loneliness and obedience, takes its toll. In one astonishing segment, the troop wanders across a strip of sand drenched in crude oil raining from the sky, a humbling reminder of both the cause and futility of the strange, obscure service they perform.

At the end of "Jarhead," Gyllenhaal-as-Swofford repeats what he said at the beginning: that a man who picks up a rifle and goes to war never really puts it down again. It's a bold statement, considering what the audience now knows about his time in the Corps. The movie leaves you, then, with images and sensations that challenge your perception of what war means to those who wage it or even attempt to wage it. This penetration helps make "Jarhead" a success.

Copyright © 2005 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.