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Jarhead
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Lucas
Black, Dennis Haysbert
Rated R
Welcome to the suck. Or, to put it another way,
welcome to the best military drama since “Black Hawk Down.” I can’t think of
another 2005 film that gives the jolting vibe that “Jarhead” carries in every
scene, and the credit must go to the actors and to director Sam Mendes
(“American Beauty,” “Road to Perdition.”)
Jake Gyllenhaal plays real-life Gulf War
soldier Anthony Swofford, who enlists in the Marines to defend his country in
Iraq. After long periods of brutal training, he and his fellow comrades are sent
to Iraq. Anthony and his platoon, which includes Troy (Peter Sarsgaard, once
again giving a performance that the Academy Awards will probably ignore), pass
the time by playing football, watching videos, and partying – all in the
anticipation for the eventual combat.
But what eventual combat? Anthony soon begins
to go stir-crazy. All he wants is to participate in a war and use his weapons,
but the Iraqi Desert is surprisingly boring and lonely. As the platoon
continually waits for action, the more anxious and nearly psychotic they become.
Balancing everybody out is Sergeant Sykes
(Jamie Foxx with another great role), who seems to love his time in the Marine
core more than anyone. The final 30 minutes of “Jarhead” are some of the most
breathtaking scenes put on film lately, with oil rigs exploding and soldiers
wandering through the gloomy dark.
Of course, since the war scenes are minimal (in
fact, none really happen), the film will probably not work with everyone. But
that is what I love about “Jarhead” – it is simply not the same as everything
else trashing cinemas today. The same can be said for “The Weather Man,” which
has failed at the box office because it isn’t conventional and opts for a rather
grim ending (depending on how you look at the film.) But as long as movies like
this are in theaters, they can battle the garbage, such as “Doom” and “Saw 2.”
Oh yes, and this is Jake Gyllenhaal’s time to
shine. He was also great in “Proof,” and is getting advance raves for “Brokeback
Mountain,” a sure bet for a Best Picture nominee.
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