Jarhead (November 3/05)

Jarhead marks director Sam Mendes' followup to Road to Perdition, the 2002 gangster drama that remains one of the best examples of the genre. Prior to that, the filmmaker tackled suburbia in American Beauty - which, of course, went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Now, with Jarhead, Mendes offers up his take on the wartime drama and emerges with a film that - while not quite as mesmerizing as his previous efforts - is an effective, haunting new spin on a well-worn genre.

The film follows third-generation military recruit Anthony "Swoff" Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) through the rigors of basic training and his eventual deployment into the Middle East as part of Operation Desert Shield. There, Swoff and fellow enlistee Troy (Peter Sarsgaard) are assigned to sniper detail under the gruff Sgt. Siek (Jamie Foxx). Following their training, though, the men find themselves at loose ends due to the war's perpetually delayed start date.

The majority of Jarhead follows the various recruits as they bide their time waiting for something to happen, usually by either engaging in some sort of homoerotic bonding activity or following a ruthless training schedule. Screenwriter William Broyles Jr effectively captures the restlessness and boredom of non-active military life, emphasizing the day-to-day routine of these men. Likewise, Mendes doesn't shy away from the episodic nature of Broyles Jr's script - something that quickly proves to be both a good thing and a bad thing.

In terms of the former, Jarhead is clearly unlike any war movie ever made; since the men never actually participate in any battles (there are a couple of near misses but that's about the extent of it), the film is surely going to disappoint viewers looking for another Platoon or Black Hawk Down. Stripped down to its bare essentials, the movie is basically a coming-of-age story revolving around Swoff's transformation from a boy to a man (the character's naïveté at the film's outset is counterbalanced by the grizzled figure he becomes towards the end).

Of course, it'd be almost impossible to buy such a dramatic change were it not for Gyllenhaal's absolutely astounding performance. Though he's always been a reliable actor, Gyllenhaal cements his status as one of the most talented young performers around. That he's able to hold his own opposite powerhouses such as Sarsgaard and Foxx certainly speaks to his talent, and clearly marks his arrival as a bonafide movie star. And although Sarsgaard effectively steals every single one of his scenes, Gyllenhaal manages to retain the viewer's focus throughout.

Despite Jarhead's many positive attributes, though, the film never quite becomes becomes the electrifying piece of work one might've hoped. The viewer never quite makes an emotional connection with any of these characters, a problem that - when compounded with the plotless nature of the storyline - results in an distinct feeling of unevenness. While the movie is certainly never boring, there's no denying that some sequences are far more intriguing than others.

But through it all, Mendes' unique and thoroughly captivating sense of style ensures that the movie remains compelling from start to finish. And though Jarhead isn't really about anything (in the traditional sense, at least), one imagines that's precisely the point.