Jarhead DVD Review:

Signing up to join the US Marine Corp was a family tradition for Anthony Swofford (Gyllenhaal) but he didn’t really think that way. Through basic training he excelled however, making it into the renowned Marine sniper unit, the STA. When Iraq invades Kuwait, his unit is the first sent to the Middle-East but as tension mounts and the troop build up continues, he and his squad start to get a little bit bored and frustrated over the lack of action.

Oscar winning director Sam Mendes gives another outsider’s view of something that is quintessentially American, the United States Marine Corp.

Based on the autobiographical novel by Anthony Swofford, Mendes and his cast and crew take you back to the first Gulf War in 1989 and reveal what the troops had to endure during Operations Desert Shield and Storm. Swofford’s Marine STA sniper unit were one of the first waves of troop deployment to the region but it would be over one hundred and fifty days before they even saw any form of combat.

The film basically deals with the waiting of the ground troops to see any kind of action during the conflict. As the Allied air forces bombarded Saddam’s army and Iraq’s defences, the troop build up continued and their mass grew from five thousand to five hundred thousand strong. As this continued for over four months, the first troops shipped out to Saudi Arabia had little to do except wait. Boredom set in as preparations, drills and training became routine and complete lack of any activity drained every last drop of enthusiasm from the waiting soldiers. When the war actually came, they found they had little to do and were more in danger from friendly fire than anything the Iraqis could throw at them.

Bringing this story to life are some exceptional performances from a great ensemble. At the forefront is the performance of lead actor Jake Gyllenhaal. The actor proves again that he is one of the best up and coming performers of his generation. Never, ever giving a bad performance in anything he plays, he is totally captivating as Anthony Swofford or ‘Swoff’ as his squad knows him. Appearing in every single scene, the actor commands you attention throughout and draws you into the story and the characters situation. Also on his best form is the equally brilliant Peter Sarsgaard, proving again that he is an actor at the top of his game. As Troy, Swoff’s best friend and spotter, he creates a character that is desperate to make his mark on the war and make a difference for his country. Jamie Foxx continues to impress as Staff Sgt. Sykes, the man in command of the Marine STAs and a man totally committed to the core. Add to this good support from Lucas Black and Brian Geraghty as well as some fine performances by Chris Cooper and Dennis Haysbert in smaller commanding roles, you have an excellent ensemble.

‘Jarhead’ is a war movie without any war in it. This is about the changes in modern combat and the glorification of serving your country against the realism of actually been there. The film has a lot to say about the first Gulf War and the other confrontations that have followed it, all from a soldier’s point of view. It also proves again that Sam Mendes is one of the finest directors working in Hollywood today and every movie he brings us is one to remember.

Star Rating = * * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 1

Feature Commentary with director Sam Mendes
The Oscar winning director provides an interesting and informative commentary track for ‘Jarhead’. This clearly skilled and extremely intelligent filmmaker is on top form as he talks passionately about his film. He reveals the changes from the book to screen and the sense of importance he felt in bringing the story to the silver screen. Single person commentary track are not always the best but the skill and knowledge of Mendes makes this a riveting listen for film aficionados.

Feature Commentary with screenwriter William Broyles Jr. and author Anthony Swofford
The writers and ex-servicemen offer a fascinating insight into the film and what it was actually like serving during the Gulf War. The two of them reminisce about their time in the armed forces and how this showed in both the writing of the book and the screenplay. The pair are extremely chatty making this a fun and informative commentary track.

Deleted Scenes (19.15 mins)
Eleven deleted or alternative scenes with optional commentary from director Sam Mendes and editor Walter Murch, that show you an alternative opening sequence, stomach flu, reservations about been a sniper, sniper training, arriving in the Middle East, finding a white scorpion, meeting the locals, going for a run, defining the marine, spying for information, waiting for combat and more from the oil fields.

Swoff Fantasy scenes (6.20 mins)
Watch Jake Gyllenhaal’s Swoff have fantasies about the Drill Sergeant, a TV interview, cleaning the latrine and sniping with optional commentary from director Sam Mendes and editor Walter Murch.

Full News Interviews (16.44 mins)
Watch the full, unedited version of the press interviews with the platoon as they get asked about the war, the Kuwaiti people, been in Iraq, what they miss most about home, why they joined the marines, people back home and if they are scared. With optional commentary from director Sam Mendes and editor Walter Murch

Jarhead Diaries (Collector’s Edition Exclusive) (30.53 mins)
Director Sam Mendes introduces a special featurette that features the actors themselves having their own camera to record diaries during the making of ‘Jarhead’. With contributions from executive producer Sam Mercer, producers Lucy Fisher and Douglas Wick, technical advisor Major James Dever and stars Jake Gyllanhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, Evan Jones, Jacob Vargas, Brian Geraghty, Jamie Martz and Kareem Grimes, this excellent featurette takes a different approach to your usual making of… From the rehearsals, through the actor’s boot camp and onto production, the cast and crew talk about bringing the book to the silver screen and the amount of preparation that went into the making of the movie.

Disc 2 (Collector’s Edition)

Semper Fi (36.09 mins)
Director Sam Mendes introduces a featurette that acknowledges the service men and women who are still serving or have served in Iraq. Narrated by Anthony Swofford, the author of ‘Jarhead’, we hear from ex-marines Angel Serrano, Robert Vlasaty and Alex Ryabov who served in Iraq during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and Tom Vick who served during the first Gulf War in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In honest and frank interviews, the ex-soldiers talk about the difficulties of returning to civilian life after been trained to be a killing machine. We also hear about the effect of posttraumatic stress disorder on each of them, as they find it extremely difficult to leave the service and war behind them. This featurette offers a fascinating insight into what it is like for the troops of each conflict and how it has affected them.

Background (31.10 mins)
Director Sam Mendes introduces a featurette that reveals the important contribution that the extras made in the movie. Extras casting director Deedee Rickets-Watts, technical advisors Tom Minder and James Dever and weapons coordinator Robert ‘Rock’ Galotti are joined by the extras from the movie to talk about the role they had to play in the movie. With mixture of ex-marines and civilians we see how they were equipped and trained for their parts in the 50 plus day shoot. With over 1500 extras working on the film, we see what a mammoth task this was and the friendships that were created on set. This is another excellent featurette that shows a side to filmmaking that you never usually see.

OVERALL

The collector’s edition package for the DVD release of ‘Jarhead’ is exceptionally good. The featurettes are a complete breath of fresh air, offering something different from the usual behind the scenes and backslapping that accompanies DVD releases. Add to this some excellent commentary tracks and the director and editor offering their insights into the deleted and extended scene and you have an excellent example of how a DVD package should be put together.



Jamie Kelwick

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.



Ryan Izay