Jarhead:
(2005)
Universal Studios Home Entertainment

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In 1988, introspective California teen Anthony Swofford enlisted in the Marine Corps and was sent to Operation Desert Storm. He reflected on his experiences in the 2003 bestseller Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles. In this brilliant, comic, testosterone-fueled movie adaptation, American Beauty director Sam Mendes tells Swofford's story of a unit of rowdy, horny boys on the front line of American democracy. "Swoff" (Jake Gyllenhaal) endures the institutionalized hazing and extreme discipline of boot camp without complaint, makes the cut as an elite sniper scout, then finds himself stationed in Saudi Arabia where Staff Sgt. Sykes (Jamie Foxx) designates the Marines "the righteous hammer of God" against Saddam Hussein. The unit spends a relatively idle six months in the 120-degree heat of the desert, training, drinking water, drinking booze, busting balls, cleaning latrines and masturbating a lot. Eventually, someone wonders out loud, "Are we ever going to get to kill anyone?"

Unlike most of his fellow soldiers (among them Peter Sarsgaard and Lucas Black) this isn't a career for Swoff, rather another chapter in his life. Best described as an indifferent patriot, Swoff soaks everything in without judgment. He's unwilling to recite government-provided canned quotes to embedded reporters, but he's more than happy to serve his country by squeezing the trigger on enemy officers. When the boys finally see action, Hussein has set fire to the oil wells of Kuwait, and black rain bleeds from the sky, coating the earth black. As they trudge through the sand, the soldiers leave ghastly white footprints behind them, best encapsulating the beautiful hell of this movie. This unorthodox war movie -- personal rather than political -- would be an ideal addition to a double feature with Three Kings.

This one-disc version of the DVD comes with a few extras, mainly deleted scenes. The 15 deleted scenes compiled here -- among them Swoff's funny internal fantasies a la Zach Braff on Scrubs -- reveal an entirely different movie (comedic, partisan) and we're glad they're absent from the final cut. Director Mendes, in his commentary, refers to the DVD video diaries, which are actually absent on this version of the DVD. For more immersive bonuses, including real-life Marines featurettes, you should consider the two-disc collector's edition.

by Rob. Walton