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So I managed to see the advance screening for this last week, and I have to say I'm quite impressed. It's a film that doesn't take any sides, instead choosing to observe and record one man's experiences as he goes from patriotic Marine into a bit more of somewhat disillusionned veteran who's not sure of what the point of the war is anymore.
With Jake Gyllenhall in the lead, he manages to capture quite well the wide-eyed naivet? that's needed in order to capture the spirit of the book. Going into boot camp, he's eager to become another honored veteran in his family, and basking somewhat in the status of being part of an elite sniper team that is fed ideals of honor, action and heroism.
But when they are dispatched to Iraq for the first Gulf War of 1991, it's nothing like he expected - war in this day and age seems to be about waiting and patience. With his fellow squadmates bursting with testosterone from every orafice, they begin to jab at each other mentally, and eventally tensions with each other start to rise, while their Sergeant (played by Jamie Foxx in another excellent performance) comes up with new and unusuall punishments to keep them in line (including having all of the squad play football, fully decked out in chemical warfare gear, in 112 degree f heat in the middle of the desert). But when the fighting breaks out, it's absolute chaos and harrowing to be in the middle of. This is not the John Wayne perception of warfare, nor is it the romanticised notions of war that Platoon, Blackhawk Down or other war films had in some respects either.
Jarhead manages to follow in some footsteps however, evoking nuances of Apocalypse Now, Three Kings and other similarly minded war films have treaded on before. But Jarhead manages to separate itself from those films, managing to establish itself in a very unique, more neutral point of view than other war films have really taken on. It chooses to study some of the disillusionment of the purpose of the war and some of the ideas that we have fed to us from a Hollywood war is glory ideal.
This is one hell of a good film. Go see it.
With Jake Gyllenhall in the lead, he manages to capture quite well the wide-eyed naivet? that's needed in order to capture the spirit of the book. Going into boot camp, he's eager to become another honored veteran in his family, and basking somewhat in the status of being part of an elite sniper team that is fed ideals of honor, action and heroism.
But when they are dispatched to Iraq for the first Gulf War of 1991, it's nothing like he expected - war in this day and age seems to be about waiting and patience. With his fellow squadmates bursting with testosterone from every orafice, they begin to jab at each other mentally, and eventally tensions with each other start to rise, while their Sergeant (played by Jamie Foxx in another excellent performance) comes up with new and unusuall punishments to keep them in line (including having all of the squad play football, fully decked out in chemical warfare gear, in 112 degree f heat in the middle of the desert). But when the fighting breaks out, it's absolute chaos and harrowing to be in the middle of. This is not the John Wayne perception of warfare, nor is it the romanticised notions of war that Platoon, Blackhawk Down or other war films had in some respects either.
Jarhead manages to follow in some footsteps however, evoking nuances of Apocalypse Now, Three Kings and other similarly minded war films have treaded on before. But Jarhead manages to separate itself from those films, managing to establish itself in a very unique, more neutral point of view than other war films have really taken on. It chooses to study some of the disillusionment of the purpose of the war and some of the ideas that we have fed to us from a Hollywood war is glory ideal.
This is one hell of a good film. Go see it.
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