Jarhead (2005)
Average Rating: 6.3/10
Reviews Counted: 195
Fresh: 119 | Rotten: 76
This first person account of the first Gulf War scores with its performances and cinematography but lacks an emotional thrust.
Average Rating: 6/10
Critic Reviews: 44
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 20
This first person account of the first Gulf War scores with its performances and cinematography but lacks an emotional thrust.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 367,467
My Rating
Movie Info
A young man gets a crash course in the madness of war in this fact-based drama from director Sam Mendes. Anthony "Swoff" Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) decides to join the Marines, just like his father and his father before him, and signs on just in time to be sent to Iraq to fight in the Gulf War in 1991. After experiencing the rigors of boot camp, Swofford and his pal Troy (Peter Sarsgaard) are trained to be snipers, and under the leadership of Sgt. Sykes (Jamie Foxx) and Lt. Col. Kazinski (Chris
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Cast
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Jake Gyllenhaal
Anthony "Swoff" Swoffor... -
Peter Sarsgaard
Allen Troy -
Lucas Black
Chris Kruger -
Brian Geraghty
Fergus O'Donnell -
Jacob Vargas
Cortez -
Laz Alonso
Escobar -
Evan Jones
Fowler -
Chris Cooper
Lieutenant Colonel Kazi... -
Dennis Haysbert
Major Lincoln -
Jamie Foxx
Staff Sergeant Sykes -
Scott Macdonald
Detective Inspector Fit... -
Ming Lo
Bored Gunny -
Kevin Foster
Branded Marine -
Damion Poitier
Poitier -
Riad Galayini
Nurse -
Craig Coyne
Young Mr. Swofford -
Rini Bell
Swoff's Sister -
Dendrie Allyn Taylor
Mrs. Swofford -
James Morrison
Mr. Swofford -
Arman Zajic
Boy Swoff -
Brianne Davis
Kristina -
Brian Casey
Paintball Marine -
Ernest Ozuna
Sergeant Major -
Tyler Sedustine
Harris -
Jocko Sims
Julius -
Jonathon R. Mize
STA Graudate -
Joel Prato
STA Graudate -
Kristin Richardson
Stewardess -
Iván Fenyö
Pinko -
Peter Gail
Doc John -
Jaimie Martz
Foster -
Kareem J. Grimes
Welty -
Donna Kimball
Reporter -
Marty Papazian
Dettman -
Mark Davis
Dettman's Neighbor -
John Krasinski
Corporal Harrigan -
Christian Reeve
Bedouin -
Mike Akrawi
Bedouin -
Toufiq Tulsiram
Bedouin -
Jubin K.
Bedouin -
Hari Bali
Bedouin -
Kurt Larson
Arguing Corporal -
Ammar Daraiesh
Iraqi Officer -
Al Faris
Iraqi Officer -
V.J. Foster
Vietnam Vet -
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All Critics (197) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (126) | Rotten (77) | DVD (36)
The film's strong suit is vagueness, presenting combat as a semi-surreal state of ignorant expectation and dislocated experience: these warriors loll in the desert awaiting action or trying to make sense of its consequences.
Top CriticJarhead is utterly predictable (boys endure tough training; boys encounter another culture and are baffled), studded with first-rate performances.
This is a very strong film with really good performances.
What's so good about the movie is Gyllenhaal's refusal to show off; he doesn't seem jealous of the camera's attention when it goes to others and is content, for long stretches, to serve simply as a prism though which other young men can be observed.
Director Sam Mendes' third screen outing pretty well nails Swofford's tone, which was mordant without being disrespectful, and, in fact, is begrudgingly reverent of the Corps.
Jarhead makes its points less obviously than most war films, and with more brains than blood.
Slick military faux-criticism
For some it's an anti-war message, for others it's just a non-biased portrait of a man who never went to war despite being in the military during war time.
Intelligent and bleak; for mature audiences only.
Sporadically entertaining, and ultimately pointless -- although that seems to be its agenda right from the start.
As a depressive riff on Generation X's first war...it's exceptionally well-crafted.
As usual, when the US makes war against the rest of the world, it's the artist who steps up to the plate to expose the lies and senseless tragedy, not the faint of heart or soul politicians and media.
What little statement the film makes revolves around the absurdity of these men, trained to shoot with ultimate precision, and never given the chance to fire off a round.
As time passes, waiting for orders becomes like waiting for Godot, an absurdist tragicomedy of frustration, madness and masculinity gone awry.
A series of disjointed, shocking, and often unintentionally-humorous vignettes designed to celebrate boy-boy camaraderie while fomenting anti-Arab sentiments in the name of God, mom, and Apple Pie.
The principal extra on that disc is a pair of full-length audio commentaries.
The first 20 minutes of have masterpiece written all over them, unfortunately, that fire peters out quite constantly until the film comes to a near flat lining ending.
As usual, when the US makes war against the rest of the world, it's the artist who steps up to the plate to expose the lies and senseless tragedy, not the faint of heart or soul politicians and media.
full review in Greek
Jarhead is simultaneously audaciously original and so mired in the clichés it knowingly acknowledges, sends up and honours that it has little new to say.
Audience Reviews for Jarhead
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
-
- Detective Inspector Fitch: Jesus, Joseph and doggy-style Mary!
- Chris Kruger: Okay, yeah, sure, fine. I'll take the fucking pills and a year later my asshole will turn inside out and start talking to me!
-
- Staff Sergeant Sykes: I love my job.
-
- Staff Sergeant Sykes: [to the dead marine] I told you to keep your fucking head down! If you'd listened to me, you'd still be fucking alive right now, stupid fuck!
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Foreign Titles
- Jarhead - la fin de l'innocence (FR)
