Movie Review: Jarhead

Anthony “Swoff” Swofford moves from a grueling marine boot camp to being deployed to the Gulf War as his unit joins Desert Shield in the middle east. The marines bond, jack up the level of testosterone, and are eager to fight, but become bored after 175 days of no action. The war begins and Desert Storm is over in less than five days: five days of death, destruction, and fear Swoff will never forget.

Jarhead is based on the real life experiences of former Marine Anthony “Swoff” Swofford and his best-selling 2003 book recounting his pre-Desert Storm experiences in Saudi Arabia and fighting in Kuwait. The movie is packed with action and ably directed by Mendes. I am not sure if it was the screenplay that was slightly lacking but this was a good war film, not a great war film. The positives of the film are the focus on the soldiers and their lives. There are solid performances by the supporting cast, including Jamie Foxx, with excellent performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard. Gyllenhaal to me is often underrated as an actor, he’s very good here. I especially liked Sarsgaard, whose haunting performance was the bright spot of the film.

Jarhead is more of a character driven movie with plenty of action sequences. If you like war films and are a fan of Gyllenhaal’s work this is a good one to rent.

2005. Directed by Sam Mendes. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Scott MacDonald, Jamie Foxx, Lo Ming, Lucas Black, Kevin Foster, Brian Geraghty, and Damion Poitier.

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