-
Related
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this adaptation of Anthony Swofford's memoir about his experiences as a sniper in the first Gulf War.
Jarhead is a hard movie to get a grip on - it contains some striking images, fine performances and plenty of moments of high tension and off-beat humour, but it's hard to say whether or not it achieved its intended thematic goals, as it's not entirely clear what they were.
If the film was simply meant to detail one man's experience in a modern warfare scenario, then it's a job well done. But if it's striving for some sort of grander message, which it often appears to be, then it's a little muddled.
Anthony Swofford's story begins like many we've seen before - young fresh faced American leaves behind sweetheart for gruelling boot camp experience before heading off to the battlefield - in this case Kuwait. From this point it diverges from the traditional war movie plot as Swofford and his fellow soldiers (played most notably by Peter Saarsgard and Lucas Black) spend a lot of time...waiting. And we the audience are waiting along with them.
There is an essential problem with portraying boredom on screen - how do you make it interesting for the audience? Jarhead makes some headway on this issue in a number of ways, but it primarily proves to be an anchor around the neck of the narrative.
This period of waiting does heighten the drama once our boys see combat, but it's difficult to say whether or not it was worth it. And although it works in within the reality of the film, it's hard to relate to what appears to be Swofford's principal dilemma - his frustration at not being able to kill anyone.
However, the last third of the film makes up a lot for what's come before as Swofford's platoon (led by a commanding Jamie Foxx) treks across some astonishing landscapes and confronts the peculiarities of war in the 90s.
Jarhead is much a post-war movie war movie. The opening blatantly references Full Metal Jacket, and one scene has the characters getting all revved up watching Apocalypse Now. This media-savvy angle, combined with a mild M*A*S*H-ish absurdist/cynical streak can at times dilute the gravity of the situation our characters are in, but by the end of the film, there is no questioning the horrors of war.
The cast are all in top form: Gyllenhaal gives his most physically commanding performance to date, but is nicely grounded by his youthful face and demeanour. Sarsgaard injects what could be described as an underwritten character with much gravitas and Foxx is reliably shouty. But Lucas Black, whom you may remember as the little boy in Swing Blade, is the most fun as a motor mouth soldier who never stops blabbering on about conspiracies and the like.
Much attention has paid to the look of the film, you could perhaps argue at the expense of the story, but it truly is a visual feast. Contrasting with previous filmic portrayals, the desert scenes are muted, not vibrant. There is a wondrous scene set where the only light comes from flaming oil rigs - it is the undeniable high point of the film and feels totally original.
But as skilfully directed as Jarhead is (by Oscar winner Sam Mendes - American Beauty, Road To Perdition), there is an overriding sense throughout much of the film that familiar ground is being covered.
The end result is that it comes across as more of a slickly produced study in tone and character than a bold war movie with anything new or interesting to say. But that's all right.
Recommended.
Dominic Corry
Jarhead opens in cinemas on February 9th.
