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Based on the book by Anthony Swofford, Jarhead tells the story of the Marines living in the desert in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Swofford, who follows in his father’s military footsteps and joins the Marines. The story follows Swofford through boot camp, through his training as a sniper, and into the Middle East, where he and his fellow troops—led by Staff Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Foxx)—camp out in the desert and wait for the Iraqis to appear.
With Jarhead, you don’t get the edge-of-your-seat, blood-and-guts, fast-paced action that you might expect from a movie about Marines—because that’s not what these Desert Storm troops experienced. Instead, they were bored and lonely and scared. They spent months in the desert…waiting. They spent their days drinking water and doing drills and drinking more water. But, mostly, they waited. They waited for the moment when all their training would finally pay off—when they’d come face-to-face with the enemy, whether they were really ready or not.
There’s not much to say about the film’s story—because there isn’t really a solid plotline, with a beginning and an end and an in-between action. There’s really not much action. But, instead of action, you get characters. Swofford struggles to hold on to his sanity while he’s stuck in the desert as his girlfriend back home—the one person in the world who truly loved him—is obviously moving on. His partner, Troy (Peter Sarsgaard), struggles with the thought of being discharged once he returns home—when all he wants is to be a Marine. Others sit there helplessly, halfway around the world, as their children are born—and as their wives seek revenge—nervously anticipating the moment they’ll be called to action.
Jarhead is unlike any war movie I’ve seen. It’s funny. It’s sad. It’s filled with tension. And, most of all, it’s poignant. It doesn’t preach about politics, nor does it tell you how you’re supposed to feel. Instead, it gives you an honest look at what it was like to be there, in the desert. It’s crude and slow-moving and even depressing—but it’s real.
It may not be a movie that you’d watch to take your mind off the stressful realities of everyday life. It may not be fun or exciting. It is, however, moving. And I guarantee that watching Jarhead will give you a new appreciation for the men and women who signed up to defend their country.
