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| Jarhead (2005)
 
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris Cooper, Jamie Foxx, Dennis HaysbertDirector: Sam Mendes Rating: R Category: Drama/Comedy  |
ALSO! Check out our interview with screenwriter Bill Broyles, and see where "Jarhead" ranked in our 2005 Year in Review. Then, be sure to enter our Universal War Pack contest for a chance to win "Jarhead" and four other war films on DVD.
Director Sam Mendes’ latest film, “Jarhead,” is sure to cause some controversy amongst fans of war movies. This is because the film is a different kind of war movie – devoid of any actual war or politics – though that’s hardly something to be disappointed about, since the war that “Jarhead” depicts was a different kind of war. The chance of any serious political discussion is quickly put to rest shortly after the U.S. troops land in Iraq (“Fuck politics. All that matters is that we’re here now. Everything else is bullshit.”), but who are we kidding? Just by not being political, it is, and you can hear the anti-war statement loud and clear through the course of the film’s hilariously candid look at the average soldier’s time spent in Desert Storm.
Based on the best-selling memoirs of the film’s protagonist, Anthony Swofford (played here by Jake Gyllenhaal), “Jarhead” (military slang for Marine) tells the true accounts of Swofford’s time spent in the Corps, from his first day in boot camp to his last day in Iraq. Along the way, Swofford is encouraged by Marine lifer Staff Sargeant Siek (Jamie Foxx) to join the STA (Surveillance and Target Acquisition), an elite sniper/scout unit where he’s teamed up with Troy (Peter Sarsgaard), a fairly level-headed Marine who greets his new partner with, “Welcome to the Suck.” How appropriate. News of Iraq’s sudden takeover of neighbor Kuwait reaches the military base within the day, and the taste of imminent war lingers on the tips of their tongues.
While they sit and wait for their call to arms, the troops are pumped up with midday screenings of “Apocalypse Now,” and before they know it, Swofford’s platoon is shipped out to Iraq where they will seemingly aid in the takedown of Saddam Hussein. After sitting around for nearly six months doing nothing short of playing football, sleeping, masturbating, and Darth Vader impressions in their gas masks, the boys are finally given orders to make their way to the front line of battle. The problem is the initial air attack on Iraq forces was so efficient that most soldiers didn’t even get to fire their gun once, including Swofford, to the point where everyone was asking “Are we ever going to get kill anyone?”
“Jarhead” is easily one of the best films of the year, with a strong screenplay adaptation by William Broyles Jr. and another award-worthy effort for director Sam Mendes. Gyllenhaal and Sarsgaard once again prove that they are two of the most promising young actors in the business, while Foxx turns in a satisfying supporting role as their good-humored commander. Also making short, but amusing, cameos are Chris Cooper and Dennis Haysbert as military officials, and John Krasinski (from NBC’s “The Office”) as a Dartmouth graduate of Literary Arts relegated to typing the General’s dirty love letters to his wife. You’d find yourself hard-pressed, though, complimenting any of these men without mentioning the real life Anthony Swofford, whose wry account of the Desert Storm debacle has seamlessly transitioned over to the big screen. Many expected "Jarhead" to be the next-generation “Platoon,” but it's not; it’s actually better.
DVD Review:
The two-disc Collector’s Edition of “Jarhead” is shaping up to be one of the best DVDs of the year with a nice selection of audio commentaries, deleted scenes and production featurettes. The first disc of the special edition houses the film and some dandy bonus content, but more importantly, it contains two excellent audio commentaries. The first track features director Sam Mendes and plenty of great behind-the-scenes information, while the second track includes a discussion between writer William Broyles, Jr. and author Anthony Swofford about the differences in the collected memoirs and the script. Also located on the first disc are four fantasy sequences (“Swoff’s Fantasies”) -- all of which must have been cut once one was -- 11 deleted scenes including an alternate opening with Sam Rockwell, and the fake news interviews in their entirety.
The second disc of the box set contains all of the documentary bonus material, including an unorthodox EPK entitled “Jarhead Diaries” that runs for 30 minutes and features the various cast members documenting production on the film; “Background,” a behind-the-scenes look at the casting/filming of the movie’s extras; and “Semper Fi: After the Corps,” a 36-minute documentary on a few real-life Marines just returning from serving in Iraq. All in all, this is a pretty solid collection for what’s sure to become the next great war movie. As usual, spend the extra cash where necessary and pick up the two-disc version over the skimpy single-disc release. You’d only be missing out on a few documentaries if you don’t, but there certainly worth your time.
~Jason Zingale
jzingale@bullz-eye.com