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Jarhead is the newest directorial feature from much-admired UK-born director Sam Mendes (a man who has helmed a number of outstandingly successful movies including American Beauty and Road to Perdition): this is an absorbing film regarding the dramas of war. Mendes' intricately made film is set in the harsh deserts of Kuwait scarcely preceding the first Gulf War.
Based on memoirs of a soldier who developed his own memories of the experience, Jarhead is centred on young Anthony "Swoff" Swofford (Gyllenhaal) who has recently joined the Sniper Corps in the United States Marines. In the vein of Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, this film looks in-depth at the physically and mentally arduous boot camp training undertaken by the soldiers prior to being deployed to defend their country. Before being sent to the desert, the film delves into the personal life of Swofford; his relationship with his girlfriend, private habits, etc. The rest of the movie is concerned with the soldiers dealing with the boredom they endure in the middle of the scorching hot desert. Swoff befriends another sniper named Alan Troy (Sarsgaard) and his Staff Sergeant Sykes (Foxx).
Being told from the perspective of Swofford alone, the film chronicles several pivotal points in the war and always keeps the viewer up to date with the current situation: this includes the present number of soldiers in the country, and how long the protagonists have endured in the desert.
Mendes also has a prime focus on the aspects of war that are so rarely seen: the sheer boredom, the genuine camaraderie between the men, the list of things to do when bored, training incidents, wild parties, friendly fire incidents and disciplinary action.
If people approach this film with anticipations of a combat-driven, violent production you will be drastically disappointed. Instead of combat, the focus of Jarhead is to convey the frustrations of war from the perspective of a soldier deprived of the action and large-scale battles that so many other war movies have portrayed. In a sense it's a refreshing alteration on the conventional formula. In spite of being refreshing and original, the lack of action takes its toll on the film value. It contains all the elements of a great war movie: absorbing drama, realistic characters, a large arsenal, massive build up...but the build up is for absolutely nothing. I can appreciate the fact that Mendes focused on the drama and the experiences of one man who was frustrated because he never killed somebody; however in this case it's more that the source material let the movie down. After seeing the film, I felt somewhat unsatisfied because all the lead-up was for nothing but a wild party and a sudden ending. Like most of Sam Mendes' work he has us so captivated in his world that the ending is incredibly shocking and unforeseeable.
Due to Jarhead being a dialogue driven war drama, the actors are required to do a good job. In this case, both Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard are outstanding. Their portrayals are utterly flawless. They don't just play their characters, they actually become their characters. A quality that's rare in most contemporary movies.
Jarhead has been filmed beautifully. Especially towards the precious little combat that occurs towards the end I was enthralled by its gorgeous landscape and naturalistic colour palette.
All in all, Jarhead is a war film that certainly has room for improvement. Despite its shortcomings and minor flaws this film is still a great piece of entertainment. It's a bold move to make a war movie sans the combat and I believe that Sam Mendes masterfully handled the material.
7/10
