"Jarhead" (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows Anthony Swoff, a third-generation enlistee, from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, sporting a sniper's rifle and a hundred-pound ruck on his back through Middle East deserts with no cover from intolerable heat or from Iraqi soldiers, always potentially just over the next horizon. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see for a cause they don't fully fathom.

The best line in the film and the one that sums up the entire film as well as the book it is based on is “Welcome to the suck.” The movie is simple, the plot is straight forward, while its purpose may be varied the movie is a glimpse in the life of a soldier during any war not just Desert Storm. It’s not the day of the soldier, it’s an entire nine month campaign, its an entire life forever changed by taking an oath to defend god and country and basically like the movie said and says it sucks. War isn’t glorious, it isn’t glamorous, it’s a job and possibly one of the worst jobs you could ever have. What makes the story powerful is it is written by someone who experienced it first hand from the thrills, to the laughs and to the terror of what it means to be a Marine a jarhead. The movie doesn’t gloss over the bad parts, it doesn’t focus on the good parts of life as a marine it is just a glimpse into the life of a jarhead, good or bad. The movie is powerful, it is moving and while there is little or no action the movie keeps you drawn to the screen. The movie makes you care for the characters, it makes you feel for their plight, it is witty, it is smart and it is a damn good movie.

Jake Gyllenhaal kind of ruined his credibility as an actor early on with silly inane roles like bubble boy but for the most part he seems to be a fine actor. This is the first movie I have seen him shine in or be asked to do little more than walk on the screen and be Jake. He has to become Swoff, he has to become passionate and lively and he seems to fit the role very well. And while I couldn’t entirely get some of his earlier roles out of my head he still was able to make me seem as a marine as a jarhead and that is what is most important. While Jake shined, Jamie Foxx was a little bit of a disappointment for me; he never seems to be the tough Staff Sergeant he is supposed to be playing, he never drives the movie and he never really becomes a jarhead. But despite Foxx’s somewhat lackluster performance the rest of the cast is believable and give you the wide range of characters you would expect. Jake doesn’t carry the movie on his own, the ensemble does as they all add their dynamic to the film and like any Marine platoon it’s the platoon that makes any or all of the characters. Swoth is affected by those around him not just the events he must endure and the cast makes you believe that. Witty and drama packed the movie delivers a different kind of movie for a different kind of soldier.

Although the movie is about the first Iraqi invasion, the movie looks closely at all wars and the sacrifices that soldiers must make when asked to go to war. This is a very important topic with the current Iraqi invasion as I think very few people know, including myself what it is like to go to war and what out country is asking of these brave men. The movie doesn’t look at war with rose-colored glasses although during Desert Storm the entire country supported the effort, as it was look upon as what we were doing was just and right. War is hell, and making our soldiers endure this hell for little pay because they had no better options or because they wanted to serve their country is wrong. The politicians make the decision for war, Bush is sending thousands of brave and noble Americans to die and I doubt he knows what it is like to be on the front lines. If you don’t walk away with a greater appreciation for what our soldiers are doing for us then you probably will never have the gratitude for them that they deserve.
4 stars out of 5