Jarhead (2005)
Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard
"Jarhead" (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows Swoff, a third-generation enlistee, from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, sporting a sniper's rifle and a hundred-pound rucksack on his back through Middle East deserts with no cover from intolerable heat or from Iraqi soldiers... (read more) "Jarhead" (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows Swoff, a third-generation enlistee, from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, sporting a sniper's rifle and a hundred-pound rucksack on his back through Middle East deserts with no cover from intolerable heat or from Iraqi soldiers, always potentially just over the next horizon. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see for a cause they don't fully fathom.
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R, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed by:
Sam Mendes
Release Date: Nov 04, 2005
DVD Release Date: Mar 07, 2006
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Flixster User Reviews
Watched it on TV with all the swearwords dumped out, which means that half of this movie turned mute. It's still great and full of talented actors. One of those war movies that just works and stands the test of time. Even though its only been four ye... (read more) Watched it on TV with all the swearwords dumped out, which means that half of this movie turned mute. It's still great and full of talented actors. One of those war movies that just works and stands the test of time. Even though its only been four years.
I really enjoyed it. It is a different take on war. Sam Mendes as I've said before makes all of his movies different from his others. I liked it better than Revolutionary Road. The acting is great,but I would have to say I liked Peter Sarsgaard's pre... (read more) I really enjoyed it. It is a different take on war. Sam Mendes as I've said before makes all of his movies different from his others. I liked it better than Revolutionary Road. The acting is great,but I would have to say I liked Peter Sarsgaard's preformance the best. Some of the characters are really great and likeable It had some really funny parts and some really emotional parts. I really enjoyed the special effects. I thought it was funny to see the guy from the Allstate commercials in it. I've never seen him in any other movies as far as I can remember.
Good movie, but suffering from the Full Metal Jacket handicap - any training + war sequence will always be compared to, and fall short of, the Kubrick version. In fact, seemed almost to be a remake in some scenes - training, the oilfields... the bit... (read more) Good movie, but suffering from the Full Metal Jacket handicap - any training + war sequence will always be compared to, and fall short of, the Kubrick version. In fact, seemed almost to be a remake in some scenes - training, the oilfields... the bits where he's losing his mind are good, but then he suddenly and unexpectedly gets it back together again for no reason. Ends with a bit of a "so-what?"... but decent otherwise.
Imagine the first 45 minutes of Full Metal Jacket expanded to around two hours and you can imagine how this movie is going to be. The military humor, the cursing, and the underlying hostility and camaraderie among the soldiers. Jarhead takes place du... (read more) Imagine the first 45 minutes of Full Metal Jacket expanded to around two hours and you can imagine how this movie is going to be. The military humor, the cursing, and the underlying hostility and camaraderie among the soldiers. Jarhead takes place during the Gulf War and follows Jake Gyllenhaal as a sniper for the Marinies.
The first thing that should be said about this movie is that THIS IS NOT A WAR FILM. In no scene is there any large climatic battle, instead Jarhead focuses on the boredom that soldiers face as they calm that trigger finger. However the one or two scenes that deal with a potential fire fight are tense and are pulled off perfectly by Mendes. The acting is great from all sides and the cinematography and direction is outstanding.
Overall: High Matinee
noT A real big army film fan..BUT damn this shit was good. Best Gyllenhaal has done....for sure.
Stunning cinematography and awesome acting! Gyllenhaal and Foxx are flawless.
It's the first Iraq war and a bunch of Jarheads are on patrol in the desert. Good fun, well directed and acted and nicely lit too.
The story reminds me of Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket." However, the story flows like another long, uneventful day in the office. Where's the beef man?
Critic Reviews
Jarhead is often a film about boredom, but it's never boring; full of unexpected touches and detailed character turns.full review
The invigorating thing about Jarhead is it makes us encounter the truth in its undigested form.full review
As hard as the actors work, Jarhead feels false right down to its seductive visuals.full review
Gyllenhaal is the heart and soul of a darkly funny and ferociously intense movie that sets its sights on soldiers under the gun of doing nothing.full review
I dare anyone to watch this bold exercise in postponed gratification and not come away with a new, disturbed sense of the genre.full review
Jarhead feels detached, and the internal turmoil of its protagonist (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) lacks urgency -- even with first-person narration to fill in some of the gaps.full review
Jarhead is a movie that walks up to some of the most urgent and painful issues of our present circumstance, clears its throat loudly and says nothing.
It is not often that a movie catches exactly what it was like to be this person in this place at this time, but Jarhead does.full review
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