Jarhead
Universal Pictures | Release Date: November 4, 2005
7.1
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Generally favorable reviews based on 285 Ratings
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Mixed:
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Negative:
35
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3
CooterPatooterFeb 21, 2012
A film that keeps you thinking the big payoff is just around the corner... then nothing happens. Perhaps this is an intentional analogy of the main character's military life or perhaps the film is just stilted and boring. I felt completelyA film that keeps you thinking the big payoff is just around the corner... then nothing happens. Perhaps this is an intentional analogy of the main character's military life or perhaps the film is just stilted and boring. I felt completely disconnected from the characters and their attempts to convey the emotions of overseas deployment elicited nothing more than a shoulder shrug.… Expand
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9
andrewdtriggSep 29, 2022
A powerful examination of the futility of war and what it can do to the humans involved. Fascinating, beautiful and profound.
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5
SpangleDec 17, 2013
An interesting premise as this one focuses more on the daily activities of the soldiers than battles. Thus, one would assume that there would be solid character development, yet this movie seems to think giving hometowns and showing whereAn interesting premise as this one focuses more on the daily activities of the soldiers than battles. Thus, one would assume that there would be solid character development, yet this movie seems to think giving hometowns and showing where everyone wound up counts as character development. Ultimately, "Jarhead" winds up feeling like Platoon without the intrigue. Without characteristically great performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx, there wouldn't be much reason to tune into this one.… Expand
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8
Compi24Jun 5, 2015
Though decidedly bloated and slightly uneventful, Sam Mendes' "Jarhead" benefits from a fantastic set of performances and some unsurprisingly immaculate imagery from Roger Deakins.
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9
VictoryDec 14, 2012
One of my favorite movies but not for everyone. I was expecting a war film such as the classic Saving Private Ryan or even We Were Soldiers but this film is not like that at all. This film focuses on the psyche of a soldier. It focuses on theOne of my favorite movies but not for everyone. I was expecting a war film such as the classic Saving Private Ryan or even We Were Soldiers but this film is not like that at all. This film focuses on the psyche of a soldier. It focuses on the relationships and all the rubbish they have to go through for an ultimately disappointing and unfulfilled life. Watch this expecting a classic war film, hate it. Watch this expecting something else and you might just enjoy it. Easily in my top 10.… Expand
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9
MovieGuysAug 13, 2014
Say what you want about this movie, but I liked Jarhead. Yes, it doesn't live up to its full potential of being the psycho-analysis of Desert Storm Marines that it wanted to be, but it kept me entertained. It has good acting, aSay what you want about this movie, but I liked Jarhead. Yes, it doesn't live up to its full potential of being the psycho-analysis of Desert Storm Marines that it wanted to be, but it kept me entertained. It has good acting, a stronger-than-I-expected-script, and lots of funny moments to bring levity to the situation at hand; that's all I wanted.… Expand
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9
bladeagentFeb 24, 2014
This is a very powerful film with violent action scenes are amazing performances. Director Sam Mendes is definitely one of the best filmmakers currently working in the movies today. His films are always powerful and leave the viewer thinking.
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6
JipJun 22, 2014
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Jarhead feels relatively innovative as it invites us to consider a different and original perspective of war. The story is based on Anthony Swoff's memories of the Gulf war. Swoff is played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who's psychological well-being is challenged by a war which is portrayed as slow, boring and out of reach. This is because Swoff and his unit are mainly not directly involve in the actual combat.

Unsurprisingly Jarhead is not the ordinary 'fast-paced-action-war-movie' which one might expect. Yet, this is what distinguish Jarhead from the ordinary war movie. However, the story eventually becomes rather slow and the characters aren't developing as well as I thought.… Expand
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8
MovieManiac83Apr 25, 2015
"Every war is different. Every war is the same." So says the voiceover narration in the closing moments of Sam Mendes' Jarhead. I might add: Every war movie is different. Every war movie is the same. This is Mendes' Gulf War answer to"Every war is different. Every war is the same." So says the voiceover narration in the closing moments of Sam Mendes' Jarhead. I might add: Every war movie is different. Every war movie is the same. This is Mendes' Gulf War answer to Apocalypse Now - he announces as much by connecting the two in an early scene showing marines whipped into a frenzy while watching the helicopter attack sequence from Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film. Jarhead is about how the experience of being in the military fundamentally changes an individual. In this case, the focus isn't about the madness of slaughter in the jungle, but the madness of inaction in the desert.

For those who don't remember the Gulf War (or who weren't old enough to watch in unfold in real time on television), here's a brief recap. The conflict started in August 1990, when Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait, igniting worldwide protests. As diplomatic negotiations stagnated, United Nations troops (primarily from the United States) massed in Saudi Arabia. By mid-January 1991, more than 500,000 U.S. men and women were in the Middle East, and "Operation Desert Shield" became "Operation Desert Storm." More than a month of brutal pounding from the air decimated the Iraqi forces. The ground war, launched on February 23, lasted only four days (or, to be precise: four days, four hours, one minute). A ceasefire was called on February 27, and Iraq accepted terms on March 3.

Jarhead shows these events not from the perspective of a civilian, war correspondent, or diplomat, but from that of a jarhead (jargon for marine) sniper who was supposed to be on the front line of the ground conflict - except there was no front line. The air attack so devastated the Iraqi army that no one was left to wage an effective battle. So when the marines went in, they were left with mop-up duty. Many of these men, despite being trained as killing machines, left without firing a shot. (As one puts it: "Are we ever going to get to kill anyone?") Based on the memoirs of Anthony Swofford, Jarhead takes viewers into the barracks and tents of a group of marines who view the conflict as a phantom war - a tease that never offers release.

Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) invests a great deal of energy into developing the battleground as an alien environment. Using the sands of Mexico as a stand-in, Jarhead shows how different desert warfare is from conventional conflict. We see men training while wearing bulky anti-contamination suits in 100+ degree heat. Water must be downed in such quantities that vomiting sometimes occurs. Finding ways to blow off steam leads to risky behavior, the punishment for which can be the dreaded latrine duty. (If you thought it was bad in Platoon, wait until you see it here…) The Kuwaiti desert comes alive in this film, forming its own supporting character. There are some wonderful twilight and nighttime shots that appear almost to have taken place on a different planet. Cinematographer Roger Deakins uses handheld cameras effectively (but not to motion sickness inducing excess). And, to strengthen the connection to Apocalypse Now, Mendes has employed Walter Murch, who edited the earlier film.

It's unsurprising that Jarhead attains an impressive level of verisimilitude. Although The USMC did not officially participate in the filming, Mendes hired an army of ex-marine advisors who kept things real and avoided caricatures. This is not a strongly political or anti-war film (certainly compared to pictures like Apocalypse Now or Platoon). It's about the characters and how they react to their circumstances. They see things within the microcosm of their tents. What "it all means," whether the attack is justified, and whether the troops should have pushed all the way to Baghdad are questions for other movies with other agendas.

Like many war movies, Jarhead comes complete with a voiceover narrative. Despite my general disapproval of this as a cinematic device (it's too often used as a crutch), it succeeds for the most part. This is, after all, a memoir, and there are times when it's helpful to provide viewers with information in a short-hand manner that would be cumbersome to present in a traditional way. Apparently, Mendes worked long and hard on the voiceovers - they are not distractions and they do not pull the viewer "out of the moment."

Jarhead is compelling in the way it presents a new facet of a genre that some would argue was mined out long ago. Yet, as much as the film contains the familiar elements of war movies, the thrust is different.Portraying these personality transformations is where Jarhead excels, and the reason why this isn't just another of the growing number of dramas about the Gulf War.… Expand
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6
MovieMasterEddyApr 9, 2016
Part absurdist drama, part personal observational commentary and part hormonal explosion, Sam Mendes' third feature has numerous arresting moments but never achieves a confident, consistent or sufficiently audacious tone.

As a HollywoodPart absurdist drama, part personal observational commentary and part hormonal explosion, Sam Mendes' third feature has numerous arresting moments but never achieves a confident, consistent or sufficiently audacious tone.

As a Hollywood take on the United States’ initial offensive against the dictator commonly referred to here as Saddam Insane, “Jarhead” doesn’t come close to the first one, David O. Russell’s “Three Kings.” Nor does it self-importantly try to offer even covert commentary on what’s going on in Iraq today. Rather, Vietnam vet screenwriter William Broyles Jr. has used Anthony Swofford’s bestselling 2003 tome to create a bemused study of what it was like to be a soldier primed for action in a war in which ground troops were rendered almost irrelevant by air power.

From the outset, Vietnam and movies assert themselves as the primary touchstones for “Jarhead.” You have to look carefully to make sure the opening shot isn’t drawn directly from “Full Metal Jacket,” what with a barracks-full of dogfaces being berated by a vein-busting drill instructor who looks like R. Lee Ermey’s country cousin. But it’s 1989, and the man/boys are being prepped for war on the sizzling sands of the Middle East.

After 20 minutes of basic training, a beautifully rendered fleet of TWA 747s transports the tale to Saudi Arabia, where the men are exhorted to “kick some Iraqi ass” by a gung-ho officer (Chris Cooper). Throughout, global politics and the motives behind the troop buildup lie far in the background, as the film strives to portray a state of being rather than a reason for action.

Once the stage shifts to the promised battleground, “Jarhead” becomes a vaguely existential story of being all dressed up with nowhere to go, about men awaiting chemical warfare and an alleged million-man army while playing football in the sand sporting gas masks, surreptitiously pleasuring themselves and giving each other grief about unfaithful girlfriends and wives.

On a scene-by-scene basis, Mendes and Broyles provide a steady serving of gritty goods, from the lovely monologue by Jamie Foxx, playing a staff sergeant, to haunting shots of the men examining the charred remains of Iraqi soldiers and burning oil wells lighting up the night sky that prompt Swoff to observe that “the Earth is bleeding,” and for some will bring to mind Werner Herzog’s mesmerizing impressionistic docu “Lessons of Darkness.”

After “American Beauty” and “Road to Perdition,” Mendes looks more than ever a veritable chameleon among directors as he stages the action here — and nonaction — with vigor and smarts. But his very caginess helps prevent the film from busting out — with irreverence, outrageousness, penetrating insight, anything — in a way that would give it a full-fledged personality of its own. It’s almost as if the filmmakers were hiding behind a mask of strongly cultivated intelligence that keeps them from genuinely expressing their emotions and gut instincts.

Gyllenhaal is alert and physically very present in a good performance that centers the film, and Foxx is strong in his important secondary role. Otherwise, however, thesping is more ordinary than one has come to expect from a Mendes film.

Ruggedly made pic looks buff and stripped down. Roger Deakins’ lensing is at one with the bleached-out appearance of the sand-colored costumes and settings (pic was shot entirely in North America, in the California and Mexican deserts). Visual effects are seamless, while Thomas Newman’s score is abetted by some musical selections that consciously ape those used in some Vietnam-era dramas.… Expand
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4
jonslowDec 11, 2018
What's the point of this movie ? I watch till the end I still don't know anything spectacular.
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8
AWESOM-0May 12, 2020
This is a very good movie. I'm sure many soldiers had a different experience but I do know some who had experiences very similar to this in the gulf. Love the cast and the performances are top notch.
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5
ProfAmateurDec 30, 2020
Ein weiterer oberflächiger Standardkriegsfilm ohne etwas Neues. Einzig der Schluss hat etwas Tiefgündigkeit und die Besetzung ist okay.
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10
silentmovietypeJul 17, 2020
First, I’m a Soldier; not a Marine. Second, I enlisted in 2009; not 1989. So for me, as an Army Soldier who enlisted in 2009 (and am still serving), to be able to relate to this movie is amazing. For all of you “I hope real Marines aren’tFirst, I’m a Soldier; not a Marine. Second, I enlisted in 2009; not 1989. So for me, as an Army Soldier who enlisted in 2009 (and am still serving), to be able to relate to this movie is amazing. For all of you “I hope real Marines aren’t that disgusting, horny, and crazy” people out there; guess what, they (we) are. Though I say that, we consider it purely a way to pass the time and keep our sanity; as Jake Gyllenhaal offered clearly in his spill about passing time during the movie. Even amidst all of the modern Army programs such as SHARP and EO, jokes are still administered amongst comrades who have identified themselves as not being bound by an insecure mind state that considers things taboo. There is no taboo in the Army, nor the Marines according to my Marine friends. Anything can be talked about and it’s a fabulous indication of just how resilient and thick-skinned we are. I make gay jokes with my gay comrades, I make racial jokes with my white/Mexican/Asian/etc. comrades, and I make gender jokes with my female comrades; those who make it known that they’re okay with it that is. If I have even the slightest suspicion that someone is uncomfortable about it then I ask them if they are, and if they say yes then I (we) stop. So that’s that part. Another, I’ve served on four deployments (three combat and one operational). I’ve had deployments where I’ve seen firefights, explosions, rockets, mortars, IEDs, death, etc; and I’ve had deployments where I didn’t see anything that would even amount to a firecracker. That’s the way it goes. Of course civilians expect to see guns blazing and a band of honorable brothers/sisters, but welcome to a glimpse of military reality. Soldiers will always have some sort of understanding for civilian life because they were once civilians. It’s well known that civilians don’t understand military life and that’s all that needs to be said about that. I’ll end after my next few statements which will include my actual evaluation of the movie. The drill sergeant in the beginning of the movie was so convincing and made me think of my BCT days at Fort Benning, the speech from that battalion commander when they landed in theater was the kind of speech you hope for and oftentimes get from high-ranking officers who have just the right amount of I-don’t-give-a-f$%k, the introduction of SSG Sykes “LOL” is all I’ll say, the jargon amongst comrades was on point, the sense of losing your mind and track of time was supremely conveyed, and the sense of brotherhood that is built through enduring such a thing was spot on.… Expand
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8
AmadouIraklidisOct 28, 2022
A great movie. Thoroughly entertaining and a unique depiction of the military that comes across as far more realistic than any other military movie I've ever seen.

The movie does seem to have two distinct halves, with the first being veryA great movie. Thoroughly entertaining and a unique depiction of the military that comes across as far more realistic than any other military movie I've ever seen.

The movie does seem to have two distinct halves, with the first being very funny, entertaining, and enthralling, while the second was more sluggish and seemed aimed at portraying war in a more sobering light. The transition didn't work that well, and with some changes the second half would have been much better and helepd the film overall.

Nonetheless, it's still a great, fun movie, and a great viewing experience. It has great rewatch value, and it's an exciting, relatable, down to earth movie.… Expand
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