Jarhead (2005)

Entertainment Weekly ^ | Nov 1st, 2005

[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?''

[laney]

Sounds like a Born on the 4th of July Movie???

[YoungCurmudgeon]

What about "The Day after Tomorrow", or whatever that awful global warming movie was called, which also starred this Jake G-whatever actor guy.

[andrew2527]

Two of the worst in the last ten years? That might be a little extreme.

Good Burger, Soul Plane, etc. ...

[Borges]

The thing is TDAT didn't pretend to be anything other then a piece of popcorn junk. American Beauty thought it was Art.

[CivilWarguy]

A quick check on "open secrets" website of major political contributions shows that, in the 2002-2004 election cycle, Jarhead writer William Broyles gave $2500 to the far Left "American Coming Together" (ACT) and at least $4,000 to Democrats. Produer Douglas Wick gave $9,000 to Democrats and $1500 to Liberal Republicans such as Arlen Specter. Producer Lucy Fisher gave some $30,000 to Democrats. Star Jake Gyllenhaal didn't give any large sums, but hard-left sister Maggie gave $1,000 to John Kerry and father Stephen (a producer) gave $2,000 to Democrats.

I guess we can guess this movie's political slant.

[Buck W.]

Oh--sounds like Born on the Fourth of July

[KC_Conspirator]

From the producer of "American Beauty"? The one where the normal is called wicked and the wicked called normal? With Jake Gyllenhaal, a showbiz kid whose sisters trashed America just months ago?

[A.P.M.]

I don't think it's going to be that much of a comparison. I read the book (written by Anthony Swafford--a US Marine) and I thought it was great.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

From the producer of "American Beauty"? The one where the normal is called wicked and the wicked called normal? With Jake Gyllenhaal, a showbiz kid whose sisters trashed America just months ago?

That's the one, but it had the same director, not producer. I was mistaken.

I'm still sure it bashes Bush and the military, so I am going to pass.

[robowombat]

Each to his own. I personally thought it was a horrible combination of satire, adaptation of 'Heart of Darkness, and message laden action flick. A true Frakensteins's monster of a film that worked at no level. But what i was referring to was the endless production cycle AN went through and the money pit it became for the studio bankrolling it.

[HostileTerritory]

Is Kirk Cameron in it?

[Borges]

The set pieces certainly worked. I thought it had enough 'take your breath away' sequences that made up for the terrible Brando performance and muddled philosophizing. No one would ever dream to make something so ambitious today. Malick sort of did with The Thin Red Line and was completely ignored by audiences

[latina4dubya]

The trailers and sound tracks are good.

yes--i rarely go see movies, but the previews i saw (and the music i heard) made me want to see this one...

[tumblindice]

I'm looking fwd to 'State of Fear', the movie.
Martin Sheen's character, 'President What'shisname' is eaten alive by cannibals.
Series.

[Quilla]

Welcome to Free Republic. Here's one of the less flattering reviews of the book from Amazon.com:

 War as he knew it., October 28, 2005

Reviewer:

B.Ivers "GySgt Ivers" (Ft Collins CO.) - See all my reviews

I roomed with Tony for a year or so. I was not with him in STA plt during the Gulf war, I was there with G 2/7 2nd Plt. I hooked up with STA 2/7 after the war. Tony is a nice enough guy and even then he had ambitions of becoming a teacher. Tony had fun off duty,he loved playing sports, drinking and finding girls to chase. The war as he knew it is represented as he saw it, or remembers it.

My failing memory does not serve me well here. I do know that the war itself was an intense 3-4 days that has since faded to nothing in the light of the current conflict. I read this book in Iraq in 2003. I remembered a lot about Tony. This book is about him and his view of what happened during his time in the Corp. I agree with many other reviewers that a lot is hyped and some stuff was fabricated. I can say that a lot of what he talks about happened but not perhaps as he remembered it.

Tony was not a school trained sniper. He spent very little time with a line company before testing and making STA platoon. The discipline problems in the platoon, when I got there in late 91 were serious. There was a lot of scavenging in the 1st Gulf war and it was rumored, and talked about in the battalion, regards STA stealing engines from the army for our battalion's broken vehicles, in the 6 month wait in Saudi Arabia before the war.

We did have issues with morale in 2/7 during the Gulf War as over 80% of the battalion had just got out of boot camp, it was a real problem. But for every issue in that Battalion there were answers in the NCO leadership and people stepping up to the plate to get the job done. The whining in the book is excessive, and Tony had a tendency then, to do that.

The book is less about combat than it is about a young man trying to find himself, and this included the embellishments with it. To put this thing in perspective the gulf war was nothing compared to the 24/7 combat operations that are going on in Iraq and Afganistan now. For every Swafford there is a lot more squared away Marines who really believe in what they are doing, who are bleeding and dying for each other and their country.

The book is a confirmation to all liberals of their world view of the Marine Corp and our countries mission as being floored. It is a sad work for any Marine who is and remains faithful to God Country and Corp.

I do not deny Tony's right to pen the book. Marines and others are dying to give him that right. He says he has earned it, and he has earned the right to say anything he wants. With that comes the slings and arrows of protest from others who disagree.
The definitive book on the Gulf War awaits its author. This is not it. It was war as he knew it, not as it is, or was. Tony made it where he wanted to be, a professor and writer. He is making money from this thing, with the war going on, a continuation of the 3 day war he never got to fire a round in.

I did not like the book and I can't recommend it. Tony has issues, the book is his liberal agenda. (Bold added for emphasis.)

[rattrap]

I think the problem with The Thin Red Line was that most audiences thought it was going to be Saving Private Ryan in the PTO but they got something entirely different than a summer popcorn flick. I liked TTRL.

[laney]

No that is War of the World War 111

[Borges]

Is Kirk Cameron in it?

He was left behind!

[No Blue States]

Rotten tomatoes has 6 reviews. 3 for 3 against or 50%.

Not a good start. Ill pass.

Hollywood just wastes my time with the crap they put out now.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jarhead/