It's easy to mistake "Jarhead" for a war movie. Sure, it's about Marines during Operation: Desert Shield and Operation: Desert Storm, but half of the movie is watching a bunch of bored guys sit around and wait for some excitement. That's not a complain, 'cause I enjoyed "Jarhead" a whole lot, but those of you hoping for nonstop explosions, blood 'n' guts, and bullets whizzing through the battlefield will be sorely disappointed.
"Jarhead" was directed by Sam Mendez, who also directed "American Beauty." I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that the man who directed "American Beauty" brings us a war movie that shows very little war footage. I'll go so far as to say that "American Beauty" has more violence and the same body count (I could be wrong, but if memory serves, I'm right). Sam Mendez also directed "Road to Perdition," where Tom Hanks plays a hitman, so this isn't the first time Mendez throws something unusual into the mix.
Speaking of Tom Hanks, this movie was written by William Broyles Jr., who has written several movies that Tom Hanks has starred in. He wrote "Cast Away," and he helped write "Apollo 13" and "The Polar Express." He's also writen movies that Tom Hanks wasn't in, as he helped write "Entrapment," Tim Burton's remake of "Planet of the Apes," and "Unfaithful." He did a great job with "Jarhead," especially when you consider that it could have been a rather dull movie in the hands of a lesser writer. The dialogue is entertaining and realistic, and there's enough going on to keep things interesting. He had help, though, since the movie is based on the autobiographical book by Anthony Swofford.
In the movie, Anthony Swofford (referred to as "Swoff") is played by Jake Gyllenhaal ("The Day After Tomorrow," "The Good Girl," "Donnie Darko"), and I had low expectations of Gyllenhaal, since he always seems to play the same character. The one-two punch of this movie and "Brokeback Mountain" has changed all that, though. He's proven that he's much more versatile than I thought he was, and he's a very good actor. He's joined by Oscar-winners Jamie Foxx ("Ray") and Chris Cooper (who was also in "American Beauty"), as well as all-around creepy guy Peter Sarsgaard ("Flightplan," "Garden State," "The Center of the World," "Boys Don't Cry"), and they're all excellent.
"Jarhead" isn't "Full Metal Jacket," but it's not supposed to be. It's a different kind of war movie, and I enjoyed every minute of it. "Jarhead" is entertaining, interesting, funny, and at times, unsettling. Sam Mendez has only directed three films so far, and I've enjoyed them all immensely. When I reviewed "American Beauty," I gave it a nine out of 10. I gave the same score to "Road to Perdition." With "Jarhead," the tradition continues.
Scale of 1-10: 9