Review of Jarhead (2005) by Stevenf — 30 May 2013

Jarhead pulls back all the things we might just think we know about war, and tells a tale of the most dangerous aspect of any soldiers adventure...themselves. Many questions are asked and often answered as Jake Gyllenhaal's Anthony "Swoff" Swofford is welcomed in unique fashion to "the suck", the Marines in 1989 on the brink of war.

Jarhead is very different from any war film you will see, because it isn't really a war film, its a character-driven tale of personal growth, life decisions and an insightful journey through the eyes of those walking endlessly through the desert, waiting for something to happen. Its full of colourful characters, sparkling wit and plenty of bored soldiers talking crudely and finding endless time to wait for war.

Swoff is a sniper, and he never truly understands what made him sign up for the Marines, he narrates his way through different aspects of his life leading up to that one moment that he can remember and bring away with him from his day in the Gulf.

We are introduced to various members of Swoff's sniper team, including Troy (Peter Sarsgard) who is a confident yet quiet character, contrary to Staff Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Foxx), a sharp-tongued, hilarious yet focused and determined veteran, putting these men through their paces.

The true tsle and plot of the film is not the wider scope of war or political agenda, but a selection of characters and how they adjust to life away from home, the prospect of being in danger and the personal motivation that drives these people to react to things the way they do, and how they handle not just being a soldier, but simply living and how their own personalities pass over onto the battlefield.

Jarhead is an expertly character oriented film, sure there is some excellent set-pieces, but this is very much a dramatic telling, a journal if you will, of one persons journey, so don't expect an all out action extravaganza. But the way the narration goes, the film does sometimes seem to embellish the prospect of becoming a soldier of any kind, and the amount of humour can sometimes lead it to almost appear too comical for its dramatic context.

But that aside, the performances are excellent and varied to the point of unique qualities. Sykes loves what he does, and truly shows it, Troy also loves it but prevents himself from pursuing it, and Swoff just can't quite work out what he wants, perfectly put across by Gyllenhaal.

A true art of a film, not trying too fool the viewer, but giving them a point of view.