The Collegian

Issue date: 11/9/05 Section: Opinion

Peter Sarsgaard (left), and Jake Gyllenhaal, with their crosshairs on the noobs, ready to gun them down in the desert. [Click to enlarge]

"Jarhead," which opened in theaters on Nov. 4, is a war movie unlike others that I have ever seen. Now is the time when a movie like this is appealing to many Americans who are seeking insight into the military because of the fact we are reaching close to the 2,000-casualty count in the current Iraqi conflict.

"Jarhead" is the story of Anthony "Swoff" Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal), a third generation marine who wants to follow in the footsteps of his father, whom he greatly admires. It is based on the best-selling book, "Jarhead," by the real life Anthony Swofford who served in the first Gulf War.

It tells the story from a soldier's perspective, which is unlike many of the popular war stories. He willingly leaves behind the prospect of college and his girlfriend to pursue the life of a marine.

Swoff and his fellow marines have no idea why they are pursuing this life, but they are led by Staff Sgt. Sykes (Jamie Foxx) who knows exactly why he serves: because he loves his job. These men soon realize that it is worse waiting for war than actually fighting in one.

These men are in 112-degree weather in the desert, waiting for something to happen. They hope to use the training they endured and actually earn the title of scout-sniper they trained for.

"Jarhead" goes on to describe the severe boredom the marines face. The men sleep, train, read letters, and basically do nothing that matters in their mind. They spend their days talking about what their girlfriends and wives are doing without them. They just try do get through the days.

Once the war actually begins, the men expect it to be as Sgt. Sykes told them, close to 70,000 casualties in the first few days. As we all know, that did not happen, the Iraqi's surrendered. The war was over, and Tony never shot his rifle. The marines never used all their training and the anticipation is over.

Gyllenhaal did a wonderful job playing Swoff, and quickly made me forget he was not the actual character. Foxx played a smaller role than I expected, but his performance definitely leaves an impact in the movie.

This war story opens the viewer's eyes to a perspective of war that is not often looked at. I enjoyed the camera angles and cinematography, thanks to cinematographer Roger Deakins, who uses a hand held camera to capture the angles.

This movie was unlike anything I ever expected it to be like. While it is quite raw, the viewpoint it gives made me think twice. Because of the state our country is in right now, the appeal for this movie is expected.

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