Posted on 11/01/2005 11:10:17 AM PST by laney
Part coming-of-age story, part military-training horror show, part bawdy male-bonding romp, and part poetic meditation on the murderous impulses of men at war, director Sam Mendes' Jarhead (opening Nov. 4) doesn't offer much in the way of conventional, audience-pleasing payoffs.
It's about being worn down by fear in a combat zone where the war could start at any minute, but doesn't in fact commence for months after deployment. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a grunt who's molded into an expert sniper, then left with no chance to strut his stuff because the Gulf War is over in a flash. Peter Sarsgaard is his loyal, hard-nosed sniper-scout partner, but it's not a warm-fuzzy, buddy-buddy kind of relationship — no cute clips to push on that score — while Jamie Foxx (pictured with Gyllenhaal), the Oscar-winning star of Ray, takes a peppery supporting turn as a tough-love sergeant.
As journalists take in the film for the first time, Mendes is suddenly realizing that misperception could be an issue. ''I can feel people talking about the movie they expected to see,'' he says. ''They expected a much more specific political commentary about what's going on in Iraq right now. I think they were shocked that it was so comedic, and that it was so specifically about Desert Storm.'' The director, in turn, has been taken aback to see prerelease articles writing off Jarhead's impact sight unseen. ''I've read pieces about why this movie's already in danger of becoming irrelevant,'' he reports, looking incredulous. ''That the problem is, real-life events are going to overtake it. Huh? It's about Operation Desert Storm! How can events overtake it?''
I was wondering what this movie is going to be like....
Enough said.
Didn't like any of them myself.
IMDB shows no producers in common. Same director though.
I heard it was going to be anti-military garbage.
I think Gillenhall (sp) is fresh off of that gay cowboy movie.
I hang out (also) at a forum for former Marines. The general consensus seems to be that this is going to be a slanderous stinker.
The trailers and sound tracks are good.
"part poetic meditation on the murderous impulses of men at war"
hmmm........
"Enough said"
Yep...that says enough!
Sounds like its a movie based on regular folks (as much as Hollywood can stand) and not some Hollywood anti-Bush, anti-war propagandha film. The MSM reviewers wanted the blood of GWB not enemy soldiers and so they are disappointed.
People expected it to be like the original M*A*S*H movie. Oh sure, it took place during the Korean War, but we all knew that it was just a proxy for the war in Vietnam.
I've never read the book but everyone that I know who has read it (about 10 people) have said the book is great. I'll wait to see the movie before I make judgements about it (radical I know, but it just may work).
Jake Gyllenhaal? From "Bubble Boy"? What a talent.
That's what I meant.
American Beauty trashed oridnary Americans, and I'm sure this one will too.
The track played in the trailer is "Jesus Walks" by Kanye West. It's an old track he recorded before the Katrina flap.
Mendes is a formalist who just does whatever is called for. It's not like his 'Road to Perdition' had nothing in common with American Beauty. The problems with AB were all in the (very poor) script.
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