Harry trumpets the suck of JARHEAD!

I once read that there’s no such thing as an Anti-War film, because to someone – they could always pervert what they’re seeing, justify it, transform it and basically make it a reason to go to war. Sam Mendes avoids the entire situation altogether by making a film that is essentially at it’s heart about young men that thirst for war, they’re scared of it, but eager for it. They pang for the pink mist of a headshot. They’re ready and at attention to win this war and get home, but at the same time… This isn’t some irresponsible rah-rah work of propaganda to boost the waning recruitment numbers of the U.S. Marine Corps… and at the same time, this isn’t telling folks that this is anything more or less than just one marines story of the first Gulf War.

Don’t know how many of you were really paying attention to Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Me, I was at college. I remember at collectors show selling DESERT STORM chase cards, back when Stormin’ Norman was fetching $25 and Saddam was at $15. I remember watching Wolf Blitzer’s reports from a Hotel Room in Baghdad as green night vision versions of missile command and space invaders filled our screen. It was the first VIDEO GAME war. I remember rushing home after a day of classes and finding Dad glued to the screen with the latest, “You won’t believe what they showed today!” commentary on the war thus far. I remember watching with absolute fascination.

This was the first military campaign after the fall of the Wall, I remember Bush Sr putting together this unified world-wide force to draw a line in the sand, and thinking as I looked at the countries involved and realized… Wow, America is the valiant leader of the Free World. I was hooked. I remember the Patriot Missile arrays – and being stunned as they knocked these evil SCUDs from the night sky… Protecting our troops, our allies and Israel too. It was truly amazing. I remember being pissed at Bush Sr for stopping the war after Kuwait was secured. I was citing WWI, when the U.S. didn’t fully punish Germany, only to see the Nazi Regime rise out of its ashes. Then being humbled by reading how they realized that the cost of occupying a hostile nation was a bad idea, how Bush didn’t want his legacy to be a long drawn out quagmire in the desert, and rather would support change from within and to watch Iraq for signs of further build up. That changed my mind. I remember Dad talking about how the U.S. had learned the lessons of Vietnam.

But mostly out of that war, I remember CNN. It was amazing. A lot of you younger readers… probably can’t imagine what this was like. This was absolutely revolutionary. 24 hour War Coverage was stunning. It wasn’t as slick as you see it today, but it felt real and unchecked. At least to 18 year old eyes. After a decade of rah rah Americana – the invincible United States proved that it was exactly that.

At least, that was the image AS the war raged and was built up to. I didn’t know anyone in the combat zone, or at least I don’t think I did. My best friend Edward was in the Rangers, but he wasn’t in that conflict, later he wound up in the midst of BLACK HAWK DOWN, but he wasn’t in JARHEAD.

This film is absolutely stunning. Is it a great war film, perhaps. Though Wars do not make films great. Heh, sorry, couldn’t resist. The first GULF WAR was less of a “great war” and more of an absolutely perfectly executed and planned series of maneuvers and actions. The U.S. struck so quickly and so intensely that when it was over, I thought… That’s it? I remember thinking about how we had become GORT – just so technologically advanced that we could just eliminate trouble spots by snapping our fingers.

The side of the war that we didn’t really see was the grunt side. The guys walking in the desert. The ones that this Video Game war left in the dirt. JARHEAD is that story.

The story of wanting to kill, being trained to kill, to feast upon the glory of the proud tradition of killing. Watching APOCALYPSE NOW and cheering as the helicopters blast the villagers away. Yes, this was the GLORY of war. Only to have that dream die a little bit everyday in the heat and passage of time waiting for the fighting, and in the eventual Quick strike end to the war. They wanted to kill, just never got the chance.

There is that possibility. That one could volunteer, be transformed into a killing machine, and then holstered for the entire engagement. That’s the story of Anthony Swofford’s book. About how he and his fellow Jarheads went a little crazy every day waiting in the suck to get into the shit… only to never do a goddamn thing.

In a way, you could say this film is a story about Man Against Man and Man against Technology. The story isn’t about killing Iraqis so much as the desire to kill Iraqis. It’s about getting all dressed up with nowhere to go. It’s about being trained to be the best marksman in the world… only to have missiles, napalm and guidance systems be more precise and effective. And it’s about not being happy about that.

SO – if you were looking for massive action, stay away, this is a film about everything else that can happen in a war. They’re not killing civilians, they’re not killing the enemy… hell, they’re not even killing one another. Though that is broached. Here it’s more about distractions, masturbation, worrying about home, training, punishment, bullshit, masturbation, male bonding, masturbation and passing the time. The film really does a great job of showing what it was like when Cars replaced Horses. About the automation of death depriving those that would gladly do it by hand.

Personally, while watching this film, I really did think that this was the best Richard Linklater WAR film ever made. Because it is that hard to define, internalized drama about dealing with nothing happening. As a result – you’re seeing folks come away a bit dissatisfied.

They wanted the blood and guts. They wanted, no matter how peace-loving they claim to be, they wanted to see the “pink mist” too. What they got instead is a beautifully directed, written and shot film filled with fantastic performances.

Jake Gyllenhaal – frankly, this guy can do no wrong so far. From CITY SLICKERS to OCTOBER SKY to DONNIE DARKO to THE GOOD GIRL to MOONLIGHT MILE to THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW to JARHEAD – he’s been stellar. Word is he’s fantastic in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and PROOF – and I’m dying to see what he does in Fincher’s ZODIAC. But here in JARHEAD, he plays so many emotions, does so much with his performance, that I’m absolutely reminded of the young and vital Dustin Hoffman of the late sixties and seventies. At no point in the film do you see the edifice of an actor acting, instead it just reveals itself moment to moment. Jake is completely alive and invisible in this character. He’s troubled, broken, sadistic, insane, manic, depressed, troublesome, proud and just desperately trying to hold on to his sanity. This is an outstanding performance. One of the best of the year.

Peter Sarsgaard – I like this actor, he’s like a more versatile James Spader, and he’s very much playing the type of role that Spader was good in. That wiser friend with seemingly no issues that ultimately has some pretty hefty baggage. He’s just good at making it seem like nothing. His scene with Jake on their “big mission” is absolutely gut-turning. I won’t spoil it, but… it’s just what is actually happening, what he’s so broke up about… what he wants so bad, it is just what sane man should ever want, but then these guys aren’t really sane anymore. Fantastic work.

Jamie Foxx – Strong good work here, but by no means his best turn. Though watching this and perhaps watching STEALTH back to back may enlighten you as to just how much Jamie owes a director and a writer. His charm is absolutely electric in both, but it’s just how Mendes uses him that makes all the difference. There’s a bit of Aldo Ray in this Sgt. Siek character and that is always a good thing.

The rest of the cast is absolutely letter perfect. Playing characters that you like, dislike, pity and root for. They do seem like a bunch of Jarheads.

As the end credits roll, different folks will react in different ways. This isn’t a film to cheer. As our current situation kinda shows, there really wasn’t much accomplished in the first Gulf War of lasting significance. The enemy was merely beaten back. But at the end of the day, we’re back over there, doing essentially the same thing, only this time… it isn’t a video game war. This isn’t a matter of days, but possibly decades. And while the “suck” seemed unbearable, this time the “shit” never seems to end. At the end of the film, Swofford says that every war is different and every war is the same. They all leave scars, how you get them is the only thing that changes.

Weird emotional place for a film to put you in. You can’t scream about the badassness or the coolness. It’s just, well what it is, and if you ever wanted to know, here ya go. The imagery is stunning and brutal at times, but not for the typical war film reasons. Sam Mendes is three for three, way to go!