A line had formed outside our small Cinema 6 two hours before the first showing.
All jarheads.
Though it's not something I've discussed in depth here at Epinions, there is little else I hold more pride in than being a Marine brat and now girlfriend. Needless to say, Jarhead was instantly put on our must-see list.
My boyfriend, a corporal in the Marine Corps, and I spent an hour in line simply waiting to get in. We were joined inside by his buddies and waited another hour for the movie to begin.
I'm not much of a movie reviewer. I don't see movies often in the theater and I'm not much into the "behind the scenes" of a film. What I do know is that the movie is based on the book Jarhead that hit the New York Times' best sellers list about ten years ago. The movie is based on the memoirs of Anthony Swofford (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), a Marine scout sniper who served in Desert Storm.
It is not an action movie. It is a hilariously and soberingly accurate portrayal of Marines and their culture that you have to live with to understand. Yes, they are that vulgar. They are that frank and straightforward about sex. They are that blunt and they can definitely be that tactless. And yet somehow they draw one of the most clear and defined lines between right and wrong that you will ever find in any group of men.
Knowing of Gyllenhaal's past work I was curious as to how he could pass off playing a Marine. In movies like The Day After Tommorrow he comes off so prissy and preppy and everything a Marine is not, that I seriously questioned his ability to do this. But he did it, and he did it well. But even more true to life than Jake's portrayal of a Marine was Jamie Foxx and his character, SSgt Siek. My dad retired a staff sergeant, I know more than my fair share of staff sergeants, and Foxx became the quintessential staff sergeant as far as I am concerned.
And the men who played the officers did it pretty well too. ;) If you know anything about the military and the differentiation between enlisted and officer ranks, you'll know exactly what I mean.
Peter Sarsgaard played an important role. Cpl Troy. Among the rowdy, crazy, loud "Marines" you'll find in this movie, Sarsgaard did his part in showing the audience a not-so-stereotypical Marine that does in fact exist. He's quiet natured and calm, the voice of reason when the others go too far. All he wanted was to put his training to good use, to do his job and do it well.
No one played an unrealistic role.
Some of my favorite scenes involve Swofford's time in boot camp (“I got lost on my way to college, SIR!” Everyone in the theater got quite the kick outta that line), Troy being branded, SSgt Siek talking about his love for his job, Swofford describing how Marines fight boredom in the desert, the boys trying to embarrass their SSgt in front of reporters and then paying for it later, and of course anything that required an almost entirely-nude Jake Gyllenhaal. But don’t tell my boyfriend.
The scene in which the Marines are all watching a movie was ironic considering the demographic of the theater we were sitting in. There was also a peculiar quietness during the scene in which they were all gathered around a TV set watching the news and you could hear "President Bush sends in more troops..."
The one thing I did notice is how brief the post-war portion of the movie is. I’ve heard some say it is an attempt to mirror the abrupt ending of Desert Storm, and that very well could be the case, but I almost wanted more explanation of what each guy did after all was said and done. The audience got somewhat of an idea, but it wasn’t very clear.
I'm glad this wasn't turned into a love story. It does very briefly touch on his relationship and what unravels between them from pre-boot camp to post-war, but it doesn't focus too heavily on it.
In fact, there isn't too much or too little of anything in the film. But if you're expecting to find a war movie full of bloody battles and lots of props blowing up, you'll walk away dissappointed. If you can't find any other value in what you're viewing, I personally find that sad.
Overall I would highly, highly recommend this movie, but I s'pose I'm a tad biased.
By the way, my dad served in Desert Storm. I was four years old.
Set during the Gulf War, the episodic tale follows Anthony "Swoff" Swofford, a third-generation enlistee, from his sobering stint in boot camp to acti...More at HotMovieSale.com
Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhaal star in this critically acclaimed, brilliantly unconventional war story from Oscar-winning directo...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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