Jarhead (2005)

The 2005 war movie, based on a true story about the First Gulf War, is incredibly unique to others in its genre yet this may not be such a great thing. Unlike most war movies, this film takes the perspective of only one man and his first-hand experience in the war. It begins like every standard war movie yet as the movie progresses, the viewer begins to wonder where does this story lead to? We find at the very end that it leads to nothing, all of Swofford's toil and sweat were for nothing and in his words, "I never shot my rifle". In this movie's eyes, war is boring as hell and utterly pointless.

Jake Gyllenhaal's acting outshines all of his fellow cast members in this movie yet even he isn't able to add flavor to this movie. He plays Swofford superbly with moments that are truly exceptional. One that comes to mind is a scene where Swofford has a mental breakdown an attacks his one his squadmates. The scene is riveting with a deranged look in Gyllenhaal's eyes as he points the gun wildly. During this scene, Gyllenhaal had one of his front teeth get knocked out but insisted that the scene continue. Yet it is only his performance that truly stands out as the rest of the cast doesn't do much to highlight themselves.

The cinematography is impressive as it creates a sense of existential dread in the viewer's mind. In the first act of the movie, the majority of the color palette consists of both beiges and whites yet by the time the second act the film is almost entirely black with heavy contrasts of color. The movie also uses handheld cameras to create a gritty feeling.

The movie's theme is stated very early in the movie as Swofford speaks to a squadmate about the video game Metroid. They discuss what happens once the game is complete with a squadmate replying, "You know what happens when you get there? Nothing, you just start all over again". This foreshadows what is to come in the coming war. Yet this theme overtakes the plot to the point where there are no climax whats so ever. Once we reach what we expect to be the climax, the movie says no and takes it from us. Right before Swofford can even pull the trigger, an outranking soldier demands he uses an airstrike instead. Perhaps the point the feeling of pointlessness is on purpose yet it is tiresome to watch.

The plot is too muddled and simple and the viewer is not rewarded for watching the movie. Instead, the viewer wonders what the whole point was and put simply nothing. The movie feels like criticism against the military yet feels almost false as the plot progression leads to nowhere but an unsatisfying ending. There was no point that creates a feeling of pointlessness in the entirety of the film. I give this movie a 5 out of 10 for decent acting from the protagonist and impressive cinematography but falters with a weak plot that meanders far too much.

-GL

5 / 10

(Above) My favourite shot:

(Below) Four runners-up: