Ashley Carter
Published: November 23, 2005
“Jarhead”, starring Jake Gyllenhal who plays Anthony Swofferd, a legacy Marine enlistee, and Jamie Foxx as his Sgt. Sikes follows Swofferd all the way through basic boot camp into active duty in the Iraqi desert. Gyllenhal trains as a sniper in the police action known as Desert Storm.
This film realistically portrays how the Marines during this time period dealt with the situation at hand. Marines were sent fresh from boot camp, where most frequently they discover that their homes will never be the same way they leave them, to the scorching deserts of Iraq. Here they wait to fight for a cause that is unclear to them, they watch for enemies that they’re not sure are really their enemies, and none of them expected the ways war would change them.
I have not seen such an insider look at what war really entails since “Full Metal Jacket.” It explored not only the life the boys lived in the face of danger, but also showed the relaxed side of the off duty Marine; including the outrageous consequences for their misconduct.
Jake Gyllenhal has already proven himself as a capable actor in the Hollywood scene. Jarhead just reiterates his talents to take on such dramatically different roles. This guy has come a long way since “Bubble Boy!” Gyllenhal even incorporated the long, far off stare that most veterans take on in the line of duty. All of the main actors and extras created such a believable ambiance that I really felt that they were in that Iraqi desert just waiting to get their chance to relieve their itchy trigger fingers.
I thought this was an excellent movie for war buffs as well as for everyone else. I surely wasn’t expecting so much from the movie when I entered the theatre, but was amazed at the extraordinary lengths the movie went to in order to get the point across. The only thing that bothered me about it was that the film was rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for pervasive language, strong sexual content, and some violent images. I would have liked to trade some of the comic relief for more violence, but overall the movie is still a must see.