Jarhead
By Cynthia Fuchs,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Intelligent and bleak; for mature audiences only.
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Jarhead
Community Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Great Movie
Good for adults
What's the Story?
JARHEAD follows 20-year-old Tony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he joins the Marines. In training camp, he becomes a sniper before he and his spotter, Troy (Peter Sarsgaard), are sent, along with Staff Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Foxx), to the Saudi desert to train some more. While they wait around, they get bored and increasingly depressed with nothing to do. They act out and create their own disruptions, if only to maintain some semblance of meaning to their careers and lives.
Is It Any Good?
This adaptation of a memoir is a smart and beautifully shot -- if bleak -- war movie with very little conventional "war" in it. Jarhead focuses on the ways that authorities rationalize war "scenarios" and train troops to carry out orders that are, on their face, irrational and costly. The movie depicts the Gulf War as an endless series of traumas that will continue to afflict Swofford and his fellows long after they're home. The problem with war, according to Jarhead, is precisely that it's endless.
In the horrific "Highway of Death" scene, Swofford is shown sitting near the dead men, so that each appears in foreground and background, as if they are conversing. The effect is more harrowing than any battle sequence, underlining Jarhead's anguished point: War is not heroic or rousing. It is only devastating.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Jarhead depicts war and the reasons for it. How do men posture for one another in order to prove their "masculine" identities? Is this healthy? Why, or why not?
How does Tony's experience in the Saudi desert not meet his expectations of glory or camaraderie?
How is Tony, as a precise, ground-based sniper, shown to be outmoded by overwhelming air-war technologies? Is technology replacing his job? Are there other instances you can think of where careers are being phased out due to technological advances?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 4, 2005
- On DVD or streaming: March 7, 2006
- Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal , Jamie Foxx , Peter Sarsgaard
- Director: Sam Mendes
- Inclusion Information: Black actors
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: History
- Run time: 123 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: pervasive language, some violent images and strong sexual content
- Last updated: June 11, 2023
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