Jarhead

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The first Gulf War was over fast. Damn fast. I know, because my deployment orders to Saudi Arabia were canceled due to the hasty victory. There was no more need for additional Mechanized Infantry. So, I stayed on home soil. Instead of Saudi Arabia, I was blessed with the sand dunes of Fort Benning, Georgia. The first Gulf War is sometimes called the "100-Hour War," as that is about how long Operation Desert Sabre lasted. The American buildup for the war was called Operation Desert Shield. Its period of time was from August 7th, until Desert Storm began on January 17th of 1991. The air war continued and the ground assault, Operation Desert Sabre, began on February 24th. A cease-fire was signed on February 27th. The ground war lasted just 100 hours.

"Jarhead" is about the long and boring build up to Operation Desert Sabre and the quick and surprising end of the conflict for a platoon of Marine snipers. Based upon the book by Marine Anthony Swofford (portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal in the film), "Jarhead" is a true recollection of the events of the first Gulf War from the vantage point of the real-life men featured in the film and typical events and stories in the life of a marine scout sniper. Marine life is difficult. Training to be a Marine is difficult. War is hell. The waiting and training to go to war can be even more demanding and dangerous than war itself. "Jarhead" takes a good look at the trials and tribulations of a Marine and the effects of the long wait to take a walk in the sand.

I was able to emphasize with much of this film. Having went through Army basic in preparation for a long drawn-out conflict in Iraq, the training was demanding and the psychological uncertainty of not knowing my eventual role in the conflict was just as difficult. CS gas became a routine taste in my mouth. Learning to hydrate constantly in 100 degree plus weather brought about a dislike for the taste of water. I wanted to get my training over with and board that plane for a long trip to the sandbox. Many of the terms and sayings in the film brought back warm reminders of my day as a soldier. If there are any two ´groups´ in the military that are most alike, it is the Infantry and the Marines. We both have a "Jody" that steals our girlfriends while we are away. We both have cum receptacles for a mouth and we both have our weapon. There are many others like it, but our weapon is ours.

Screenwriter William Broyles Jr. infuses some of his experiences in the Vietnam War into the memoirs of Anthony Swofford in the film "Jarhead." The film traces key moments in the military career of Anthony "Swoff" Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) from his original training up until a victory party in the Gulf War. Swofford is reluctant at first when he joins the Marine Corps and is unsure of whether or not he made the correct decision in joining the Marines. After leaving Basic, Swofford joins the scout snipers led by Staff Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Fox). He forms a scout sniper team with Troy (Peter Sarsgaard). Swofford quickly finds his place behind the scope of the sniper rifle.

During a screening of "Apocalypse Now," Swoff, Troy and the rest of their unit learn they are to be leaving for Saudi Arabia. They are eager and ready to go to war, but they are not ready for the tedious and repetitive tasks that await them for much of their stay in the desert as they must prepare and train for the eventual armed conflict. Swoff slowly starts to unwind in the heat of the desert and Troy must come to terms with his own problem regarding the Corps. They do whatever they can to make their existence in the sand less dull, but the heat and neverending sand are unrelenting.

Finally, the day comes and they are to go to war against the regime of Saddam Hussein and his Republican Guard. It is under a barrage of artillery that Swofford see his first combat action and hit task is mundane enough – fetch a battery for the radio. They then go on patrol and quickly realize that war can be harsh. An A-10 Warthog fires upon them in a friendly fire incident and the night skies rain oil from the countless burning wells they come upon. Swoff is able to draw his gun once and put a target in his crosshairs. However, they are called off and after returning to camp, realize that the war is over and after all of the long and hard training, Swoff was never able to fire his gun.

Sam Mendes gets my seal of approval for much of the film. Mendes had very little knowledge of the military and went to great deals to guarantee authenticity. He tries to not take sides in this film and does not make either a pro-war or anti-war movie. Mendes focuses on the hardships of preparation for a war and the tasks that surround a soldier as they prepare. A lot of my life in the Army was ´hurry up and wait.´ Much of it was far from exciting. There were times of great hardship and times of great boredom. Mendes captures this well. The very little amount of time Mendes focuses his cameras on combat is nicely done. The frightening A-10 attack, the mortar attack and the air assault on the tower feature some fine special effects. The Gulf War lasted only one hundred hours on the ground, but the Marines and Infantry spent a much longer amount of time during Operation Desert Shield. Mendes makes an effective story about the effects of that wait and the short conflict that followed.

Video:
"Jarhead" is featured in 2.35:1 widescreen. The film, which takes the same stylistic approach as films like "Three Kings" and "Black Hawk Down" showcases a good looking picture, but suffers from the high-contrasted look that is becoming typical for war movies. Through most of the film, the colors are slightly washed out and dull. A few scenes stand out, such as the Christmas Party and a scene with blazing oil fires in the background. There isn´t much color in a typical Marine Corps outfit, so the stylized choice made by Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins fits the military hues and tedious period detailed in the film. Black levels are fine, as are shadow detail. The film is very clean and features absolutely no defects.

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