Welcome to the suck? Hardly!
By Carole Park
Issue date: 11/17/05 Section: Film & Music
War films often seem two dimensional in the sense that they can go two ways: sympathise with those involved in the war, whether it be the soldiers or civilians, or glamorize war. Jarhead is a film that leaves out biases.
Jarhead straight up depicts what Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Swoff, sees and experiences. Although there are voice overs of Swoff's narration throughout the film, his voice is not biased. The viewer is left to see the movie as they want to take it. It's neither anti-war or pro-war, it does not antagonise the enemy, nor does it depict the soldiers the film follows as heroes. The film tends to focus on the human behaviour and mental reactions that soldiers may have trying to process the sudden change of being dumped in a desert to fight a war.
The film follows Swoff, a Marine sniper, who gets sent to the 1989 Gulf War under Sergeant Sykes' (Jamie Foxx) watch. The idea of war that many people are accustomed to is broken down in this film. There really isn't much fighting and engaging in battle as other war films may rely on. Jarhead devotes most of its screen time to the training and the idleness that happens when not on mission. It depicts more of what the reality of war is in terms of relationships both with those alongside at war and those who are left at home. The cliches and sympathy that many films try to draw out are disheveled in this film to the reality of the way things may actually be.
Human emotion and the reaction of the human psyche is shown. Whether it be how deprived of sex these soldiers are to how they can mentally break down from boredom. Gyllenhaal is able to convey human emotion from one extreme to the other quite effectively in the film. Troy, played by Peter Sarsgaard, is Swoff's spotter and their friendship in the film is well depicted and not overly exaggerated or forced to the point where everyone seems to be buddy-buddy. Rather than relying on stereotypes and caricatures, Foxx was able to bring great depth to his character without making it feel cheesy.
The cinematography of the film was able to find beauty in unlikely settings. The long shots used at various moments throughout the film created images that could have been photographs found in Life magazine. Scenes featuring the burning oil fields were disgusting yet captured moments of beauty within.
The film effectively injects humour while maintaining true to the discourse of the film.
Overall, director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) effectively tells and directs a war movie that is well casted. Jarhead distinctively stands apart fom other films of the war movie genre.
Jarhead straight up depicts what Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Swoff, sees and experiences. Although there are voice overs of Swoff's narration throughout the film, his voice is not biased. The viewer is left to see the movie as they want to take it. It's neither anti-war or pro-war, it does not antagonise the enemy, nor does it depict the soldiers the film follows as heroes. The film tends to focus on the human behaviour and mental reactions that soldiers may have trying to process the sudden change of being dumped in a desert to fight a war.
The film follows Swoff, a Marine sniper, who gets sent to the 1989 Gulf War under Sergeant Sykes' (Jamie Foxx) watch. The idea of war that many people are accustomed to is broken down in this film. There really isn't much fighting and engaging in battle as other war films may rely on. Jarhead devotes most of its screen time to the training and the idleness that happens when not on mission. It depicts more of what the reality of war is in terms of relationships both with those alongside at war and those who are left at home. The cliches and sympathy that many films try to draw out are disheveled in this film to the reality of the way things may actually be.
Human emotion and the reaction of the human psyche is shown. Whether it be how deprived of sex these soldiers are to how they can mentally break down from boredom. Gyllenhaal is able to convey human emotion from one extreme to the other quite effectively in the film. Troy, played by Peter Sarsgaard, is Swoff's spotter and their friendship in the film is well depicted and not overly exaggerated or forced to the point where everyone seems to be buddy-buddy. Rather than relying on stereotypes and caricatures, Foxx was able to bring great depth to his character without making it feel cheesy.
The cinematography of the film was able to find beauty in unlikely settings. The long shots used at various moments throughout the film created images that could have been photographs found in Life magazine. Scenes featuring the burning oil fields were disgusting yet captured moments of beauty within.
The film effectively injects humour while maintaining true to the discourse of the film.
Overall, director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) effectively tells and directs a war movie that is well casted. Jarhead distinctively stands apart fom other films of the war movie genre.
