JARHEAD
dir: Sam Mendes
"The Marine must learn to kill. He may wear a tattoo, or display his medals, or tell lies in bars. But he is not a true marine until he has seen combat." - Swoff
Brief Synopsis
A young sniper in the marines spends time in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, waiting for something to happen...
Why It's Here
Sam Mendes' underrated war biography is indeed slow, without much action, and a persistent character study. The film is intended to be slow-paced and a study of boredom. However, "Jarhead" exposes many frightening truths about American culture and the shocking effects of what can only be described as brainwashing.
The film follows a group of Marines as they wait for Operation Desert Storm. Being a ground unit they only ever experience jets flying over them, heading to the fight that they will only ever miss by a few hours. The marines stumble upon recent battlefields with nothing but corpses left behind. Despite their lack of action, the shocking sights the men see clearly takes it's toll on them. As made clear by their training, including watching epic pro-American war films, the marines heads are drilled a message that their only satisfaction should be to annihilate their enemy. When the action passes them by, the men slowly grow uneasy and dangerous with a thirst for blood.
Audiences reacted with confusion to Mendes' film upon initial release, perhaps it was the marketing, or the dull landscapes travelled in the film, but people were generally disappointed by the lack of action. This reaction shows that the film was able to out-stretch past the confines of what was on the screen and make a statement about the people who went to see it. With their disappointment, the film allowed us to realize who brainwashed not only the marines are, but the general public as well. The North American desire to see war violence as popcorn entertainment spells out the type of pro-war propoganda current governments have been spewing out.
"Jarhead" owes a considerable amount of credit to "Full Metal Jacket", which is in a way, the big brother to this film. A similar story, structure, and charaacters in a different time, showing that times have not changed much, and we have not learned from the past. "Jarhead" is daring and brave in an age when most filmmakers are too afraid to take risks like these and release an anti-war film in an age of war in America. Sam Mendes proves he is as bold as he is talented.
The film follows a group of Marines as they wait for Operation Desert Storm. Being a ground unit they only ever experience jets flying over them, heading to the fight that they will only ever miss by a few hours. The marines stumble upon recent battlefields with nothing but corpses left behind. Despite their lack of action, the shocking sights the men see clearly takes it's toll on them. As made clear by their training, including watching epic pro-American war films, the marines heads are drilled a message that their only satisfaction should be to annihilate their enemy. When the action passes them by, the men slowly grow uneasy and dangerous with a thirst for blood.
Audiences reacted with confusion to Mendes' film upon initial release, perhaps it was the marketing, or the dull landscapes travelled in the film, but people were generally disappointed by the lack of action. This reaction shows that the film was able to out-stretch past the confines of what was on the screen and make a statement about the people who went to see it. With their disappointment, the film allowed us to realize who brainwashed not only the marines are, but the general public as well. The North American desire to see war violence as popcorn entertainment spells out the type of pro-war propoganda current governments have been spewing out.
"Jarhead" owes a considerable amount of credit to "Full Metal Jacket", which is in a way, the big brother to this film. A similar story, structure, and charaacters in a different time, showing that times have not changed much, and we have not learned from the past. "Jarhead" is daring and brave in an age when most filmmakers are too afraid to take risks like these and release an anti-war film in an age of war in America. Sam Mendes proves he is as bold as he is talented.