“Jarhead”Universal PicturesDirected by Sam MendesScreenplay by William Broyles Jr.Based on the book by Anthony Swofford
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx, Lucas Black, Brian Geraghty, Evan Jones and Chris Cooper
Rated R/123 minutesOpens Nov. 4, 2005Two-and-a-half out of four stars
For a movie so concerned with testosterone and masculinity, “Jarhead” sure doesn’t have any balls.
Based on the nonfiction bestseller of the same name, “Jarhead” is a first-person account of the Gulf War as seen through the eyes of Marine Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal).
It has been billed as a “different kind of war movie,” and indeed it is — instead of warfare, we see the Marines, or “jarheads,” waiting desperately for combat in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert, where they have been commissioned to protect the oil wells.
But, like the soldiers who sit anxiously in the desert day after day as the Army flies overhead and fights the war in the air, “Jarhead” never gets off the ground.
Director Sam Mendes hit the jackpot with his first two directorial efforts, the Oscar-winning “American Beauty” and the beautiful period piece “Road to Perdition.”
Despite being considered one of the early Oscar favorites, this is Mendes’ first misfire.
Curiously, it never finds its purpose. He and screenwriter William Broyles Jr. try very hard not to make a political statement, be it pro-war or anti-war, which is fine. We don’t necessarily need a polemic here. But what we’re left with is a movie that doesn’t say anything, or do anything, or make any kind of point. It merely sits there, plodding along in watchable mediocrity, while never deciding what it wants to be about.
“Jarhead” tries to be an examination of the restlessness and disillusionment military soldiers experience during times of war. Indeed, there are individual scenes that express such a viewpoint, but the film never expands any further.
The acting is first-rate, as expected. Chris Cooper’s talents are wasted (he’s on screen for a grand total of about 90 seconds), but the likes of Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx and Lucas Black (the quarterback from “Friday Night Lights”) all pull their weight.
Foxx, as Staff Sgt. Siek, is especially effective, and the most interesting character is Kuhn (Black), a redneck from the Deep South who, unexpectedly, complains about the soldiers’ lack of civil rights.
However, despite clearly visible talent on screen, the film is not emotionally engaging. There’s very little reason to care. In fact, the only thing that stands out is Roger Deakins’ phenomenal cinematography.
Not surprisingly, there are echoes of Vietnam films like “Full Metal Jacket,” especially during the opening scenes at boot camp. But references to “Jacket,” “Apocalypse Now” and “The Deer Hunter” only serve to remind us how much better those films are than this one — not to mention the far-superior Gulf War drama, “Three Kings.”
From a nice opening scene to its perfunctory denouement, “Jarhead” is nicely executed from a technical standpoint but never quite finds its footing as a narrative.
So what are we left with? An interesting snapshot, to be sure, but a pointless one.