Jarhead

This film is nothing special, to be honest, and I could name loads of war films that are better than this. The views are amazing though, one example is when they are walking through the oil fields and there is smoke everywhere and it is dark even though it is the middle of the day.

Overall, Jake Gyllenhaell is a brilliant actor but this film is not really worth seeing unless you love war and the army, etc., and I think Full Metal Jacket is the same sort of film but much better.

Jarhead is a riveting film! I watched it with my wife and she was shocked. Reality does that to some people though.

I saw Jarhead a few weeks back, and it was one of the worst films I have ever really seen; even Narnia was better. The film was so short, and it was basically about the army who went to the desert, set camp, had a little party, had a jog, the war ended, they shot their guns in the air, and then they went home - THE END. There was a little humour in it, but not much at all. It truly sucked!

I saw the Jarhead film last night, and it was fantastic. It was not what I expected it to be though, but still good. Now and again you could see influences from films like Full metal Jacket with the "This is my rifle", but overall it is a good film.

Jarhead is the story of former Marine Anthony Swofford and his comrades as they train and then eventually travel to the Gulf to defend their country. This movie is certainly not an action packed wartime battle, but it is the story of the troops who train up and psyche themselves up for bloodshed, only to be left with emptiness and boredom as they wait in vain for some action. This movie is really a character study of how these young guys cope with that situation.

The film is based upon the wartime memoirs of Swofford, who is brought to life on the silver screen by Jake Gyllenhaal. This film begins with Swoff's induction to the force and his training, this half of the film is where we get to see most of the films humour, often thanks to Staff Seargent Sykes - the scene stealing Jamie Foxx - as he reprimands and humiliates his troops in order to prepare them for the war.

There is a lot of comedy in this film, much of it very blokey - if your easily offended then it may not be for you. It is the humour of the troops banter and comraderie which helps makes the film as good as it is.

We also get to see how the troops cope in the intense and confined conditions of living in such close proximaty and with all that testosterone flying around, it's no surprise when proceedings descend into chaos with fights and sexual gags a plenty.

The film is a great look at what life is like for the servicemen and women who risk their lives and I would thoroughly recommend it. It is a difficult film to review due to the lack of actual 'action' but there are still some particular tense moments which help to keep you on the edge of your seat.

The film isn't too political as it stays on the fence regarding the morality of going to war. This film is worth watching just for the laughs factor of which there are many - often provided by the senior officers such as Sgt Sykes as well as nice cameo roles for Dennis Heysbert and Chris Cooper who give it to the troops with both barrells.

All in all I really enjoyed it and I would urge you to check it out.