Jarhead ****

Jarhead is sort of like a total immersion into the life of a Marine. After watching the film I was left wondering what it was actually about...and strangely enough, I think that is the point of the film. It questions what it was all for through one marine's disillusioned journey. Jake Gyllenhaal gives another strong performance and I'd be surprised if his name isn't on the short list come Oscar time. There were also very strong performances from Oscar winner Jaime Foxx, and often overlooked but always inspired Peter Sarsgaard. If you're not much for lewd language or vulgarity, you probably won't appreciate this film - it is after all about men, about soldiers.

Having grown up in a military family on a variety of bases around the world (although never actually serving myself), I found the film to be very authentic. Saarsgard plays sort of the anti-hero, the man with the seedy past gone straight, while Gyllenhaal is more of the tortured youth who loses his innocence. This movie is full of waiting and waiting and waiting some more. This isn't your typical "war" movie with tons of action scenes. This is a film that examines the personal side of being a soldier, it examines the people who wear the uniform.

What I found most surprising about this film is the sardonic humor in it, it's really quite funny. From a shot of Gyllenhaal scrubbing the floors at boot camp and a voice over saying "I think I made a mistake," to him telling his drill sergeant he was there because he "got lost on the way to college," it's just a smartly written film--based on a great book. Few films actually manage to pull off the comedy and heavy dramatic moments without either becoming schmaltzy or not fully investing in it. Jarhead manages to pull off both as these soldiers are broken down by fear, waiting, betrayal and frustration. There are so many great scenes in this movie. Peter Sarsgaard delivers a very complex performance and hopefully his name will be mentioned up there with Gyllenhaal's come award time.