thomasjay-52277
One of the better war films you'll ever see this movie explores the mind of a soldier more than the setting and action (which do have emphasis payed upon them) and for those reasons is exceptional. Playing on the likes of 'Full Metal Jacket' which has come before and being truly unique there's more of a focus on what's not happening and how the characters pass time which is truly unique. The ending is heartbreaking and also satisfying in equal measure, a great surprise I highly recommend you watch
Lele
*** spoilers alert***War is totally useless, and is boring, too.
As a pacifist, antimilitarist, conscientious objector in 1976 I loved this movie much more than Full Metal Jacket (spoofed during the first minutes).
Boredom, heat, blinding light, friendly fire (23% of US casualties during the First Iraqi war), heavy jokes between brothers in Arms, civil casualties, oil well burning ("Earth is crying"), war finished without a shot.This movie delivers a very clever portrait of the absurdity of (all) war.
Beautiful photography, very fine acting (loved Foxx, as usual), etc so why the less than 6/10 Metacritic score?IMO the critics were heavily biased in 2005 because of the SECOND Gulf War.
US invaded Iraq just a two years before this movie was released and people didn't want to see how useless can be going to a war that nobody (but G.W.Bush and friends) wanted.Iraqi casualties were 100,000-150,000 if we count only violent deaths. Over one million if we count also embargo aftermath.
With Great Power Comes Great responsiblities... and a very huge amount of money. Very huge. Americans dead on September 11 are widely revenged.
US won. Game Over.
beavanjb
I finally watched this movie on Blu-Ray last night. I love war/military type films so I figured it should be enjoyable considering all the good reviews. I don't know if the Full Metal Jacket clone first 30-minutes turned me off the to the rest of the film or just the generic story and acting? I like Jamie Fox in The Kingdom, which is a much better film. Jake Gyllenhaal was brilliant in Zodiac and End of Watch. I don't know if I've seen a film that spent so much of it's dialog on cursing as this movie does. As the story progresses you really feel the movie start to drag a bit and wonder if anything is actually going to ever happen. In the end this Marine unit misses the war and there is no fighting or shooting at all. Then to wrap up the movie is a retarded party seen with everyone drinking around bonfires and shooting their guns in the end. The only real saving grace of this film is Lucas Black's character and Peter Sarsgaard to some extent. There are so many much better war/military films then this, including the above mentioned The Kingdom and Green Zone if you like Middle East zones. I must also say that if this is how Marines typically act and are organized, they certainly aren't the well oiled machine I thought they were supposed to be.
AbhiMathews
Jarhead moved me on a personal level since it displays the life of a boy whom enlisted unaware of his future duties, of the wars being fought, and of the consequences it had on all those around them. From the wandering horse to innocent bystanders, everyone is affected (unfortunately for the worst, usually) and Jarhead shows the significant role each person plays despite the overwhelming circumstances. From the branding to chants, tradition and solidarity is still alive, but what does it stand for? Whether it's people running away from problems, trying to find meaning, living out their dreams or just simply trying to pay bills, every Jarhead has a story that's unique to themselves. Even after their deployment finishes, life never quite returns to its original normalcy. I particularly enjoyed the camera crew scenes and breakdown of daily routines since it details how average soldiers really are. No one is truly fighting with each others; only secular groups (instigated by those in higher power) and "appointed" officials that yield the masses. These people's attitudes are not intrinsic to the person, but rather the situation.Although the plot wasn't phenomenal nor the peripheral cast great, the overall movie was solid. From beginning to end, we see how the innocent boy we start with is now forever a Jarhead.
AD
