Based on a Gulf War memoir by ex-Marine sniper Anthony Swofford,
played by Jake Gyllenhaal, Jarhead reflects that it in that it feels more like a
collection of memories than a single story. The beginning’s a lot like those
training scenes you’ve seen in any number of war films, from Full Metal
Jacket to An Officer and a Gentleman. Jamie Foxx plays the tough staff
sergeant. Peter Sarsgaard is Swofford’s rifle partner, as gung-ho as
Swofford is wary, though his character could have used more fleshing
out. The film’s end is, but for a very brief epilogue, the war’s end. In the
Gulf War, the pre-war—the buildup of troops and then the waiting—lasted much
longer than the combat, and Jarhead reflects that. Although I
really can’t say, it seems like an accurate portrayal of Swofford’s experience,
and the life of a solider generally. However, accurately portraying boredom is
not always compelling drama. Without a strong narrative thread, Jarhead is
a film where your interest will wax and wane with each scene. There’s not much
politics, but one of the more powerful sequences is a reminder of the stiff
toll of the war (or war in general) on civilians. If the film has a central
idea, it’s that the military is about engendering the will to aggression, and
that different men find different ways to draw off that aggression as they
await actual combat. For me, the underrated Three Kings remains the
definitive Gulf War movie.
circulated via email
11/10/05 and posted 10/9/13
No comments:
Post a Comment