24th July, 2008 Login • Register
Search This Site
Jarhead (2005) DVD Review
Jarhead (2005) DVD Credits:
Jarhead (2005) Directed by:
Sam Mendes
Jarhead (2005) Written by:
William Broyles
Jarhead (2005) Cast:
Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, Chris Cooper, Dennis Haysbert, Rini Bell
Jarhead (2005) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Jarhead (2005) DVD Release Date:
1st January 2006
Our Rating: Extras Rating:

User Rating:  Log in to rate this DVD
Jarhead (2005) Synopsis:

"Jarhead" (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows "Swoff" (Gyllenhaal), 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.

Jarhead (2005) DVD Review:

War films never seem to disappear completely, but I wouldn’t say that this is because they are always relevant. Many war films are historical or have a statement to be made about the evils of war, but they mostly sell tickets because of the action which is most likely involved. The historical war films such as Gods and Generals tend to be too slow for most audiences. Jarhead is a perfect example of an accurate film which is in turn not always pleasant to watch. Declaring itself the film that defines the Gulf War, Jarhead goes to painful lengths to remain as accurate as possible, even when it hurts the film itself.

Jarhead follows the first hand experiences that a third generation military enlistee, Swoff, has in the Gulf War. Swoff’s experience from basic training to his deployment into the Kuwaiti deserts leaves him and the audience with disdain for the war. The soldiers experience a great deal of waiting, and it seems more likely for them to hurt each other while bored than in any real combat situation. There are spurts of excitement for Swoff as he waits with his sniper rifle for a mission that will make the training worth something. Swoff is under the command of Sergeant Sykes, played by Jamie Foxx, who happens to think that there is no greater job in the world than to be a Marine, and his closest friend (Peter Sarsgaard) wants to be a success despite unfortunate failure. Swoff is caught up in the middle of everyone else’s problems and he begins to doubt his girlfriend’s faithfulness while he is away.

There was a great deal more riding on this film because of who the director is. This was Sam Mendes’s junior film, but he has made us wait years in between films, each one previously perfected visually by cinematographer Conrad L. Hall. Mendes’s sophomore film, Road to Perdition, was sadly Hall’s last film before passing away, and also earned him an Oscar. Jarhead is Mendes’s first film without Hall, and although Roger Deakins does an admirable job with the Kuwait terrain, Hall’s delicate touch is missed.

The script taken from the cynical novel by Anthony Swofford, based on his own experiences in the Gulf War, loses most of the humor in the translation. While Jarhead could have been something of a Catch 22 for this generation, instead it has far too many points to make without having any answers. It raises a number of important issues without forcing the answers down the audience’s throats, but there is also no room for enjoyment with so many issues. It would almost be easier to enjoy the film if the filmmaker actually stated what he thought needed to be done, so audiences would at least have something to agree or disagree with, instead of being forced to witness a seemingly impossible situation. These problems make the film better, but somehow it also makes it less enjoyable and less coherent.

Jarhead is available in both a single disc version, and a two-disc Collector’s Edition, one with a few special features and the other with a ton of special features. The single disc version of the film has a number of deleted scenes, including deleted and extended fantasy sequences. These also have an optional commentary track by Mendes and editor Walter Murch. There is also an unedited version of the news interviews given to the soldiers. Aside from deleted or extended scenes, the single disc also has two commentary tracks. One is just with Sam Mendes, who gives great commentary tracks that seem to balance information with entertainment well. He is never boring and that is better than most commentary tracks. The second commentary track is with screenwriter William Broyles Jr. and the author of the novel, Anthony Swofford. The collector’s edition comes with an extra disc that has two thirty minute documentaries on it. The focus on this disc seems to be more about the war than it is the film.

Our Rating: Extras Rating: User Rating:  Log in to rate this DVD

Jarhead (2005) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

Content Management System provided by P J Thomson - Freelance Web Design - PHP/MySQL Development