Jarhead Film Review
December 17th 2006 21:00
Category: No Category
A grim yet poetic ode to the gaps and silences around which people create identities for themselves under considerable stress, this movie is a dynamic adaptation of real life ex-marine Anthony Swofford’s novel of the same name. Tony is drawn towards towards a tertiary education, but, due to a mixture of indecision and his family's proud influence he opts to join the army, where his subversive wit is either ridiculed or unnoticed by the people around him. The emotional demands of his training and duty in Operation Desert Storm (of the first Gulf war) see him developing an existentialist identity crisis and at times on the verge of a psychological breakdown. He somehow manages to keep his wit/ticisms about him, but not without picking up some scars that have nothing to do with physical combat.
Beginning with a forgettable tribute to the unforgettable nature of war, the first scene of Jarhead is nevertheless all about what Lyotard would refer to as 'the incredulity of metanarratives' - finding himself problematically caught up in the perfunctory boom of his instructor's routine, Anthony's eyes flicker around in search of animation, and his acute (ly suppressed) sense of audacious rebellion is left to the viewer to develop at their own pace. “I am not gay, sir!” Jake Gyllenhaal cries in a somewhat amusing moment which made me think of Jack Twist leaning uncomfortably against his vehicle to express his anxiety over possibly evading the army in Brokeback Mountain. Back to whatever 'reality' the film was aiming for, the sadistic drill had been recreated in a new scene, but just as I was ready to tune out the voice-over glided by and provided me with the kind of deadpan euphemism that made the first four fifths of Fight Club a lot more viewer-friendly without the euphoric incredulity of retroactive continuity. It was shortly after meeting drill instructor Fitch that I realized that joining the Marine Corps might have been a bad decision, drawls a Sacramento-ed up Jake, and with it the possibility that this narrative flaunts the ineffectiveness of applying yourself intellectually in a community obsessed with rules, regulations and conformity for conformity's sake, albeit in a detached, "it happened" kind of way. (I was picking my distractions from a self-help narrative carefully at this point, and already this film was the kind of 'problematic' I was planning to enjoy theorising... one I could approach with both reserve and enthusiasm... and I must say I haven't even begun yet.)
If Jake seems a little shaky in lending his voice to this bubble-gum-pop nihilist transfusion, his performance is terrific as the cynical NorCal idealist whose inner turmoil runs so deep that he almost loses himself in it, and I regard it as his best work. The next sequence feels like it might have been the beginning of the film in a slightly different version, introducing the main character by way of a montage of formative 'growing up' experiences which seem both generic and improvisational as they fly by.
The soundtrack now kicks in, supplementing further VO, and alerting the viewer to the depth of the irony with three full scenes under the tutelage of ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy.' Anthony goes about the business of reconfiguring his NLP to match the crude terminology of his new world but is blissfully unable to do much with 'jarhead' as he endures an unfriendly reception worker and walks into this new living quarters: “Jarhead: Noun, slang for marine. Origin: from the resemblance to a jar, of the regulation high and tight haircut. The marine’s head therefore by implication also a jar – an empty vessel.” The music continues to play as and he is welcomed by his new room-mates with a cruel prank.
One of the themes here is how tightly wound and blood-thirsty the platoon becomes after months with little else to do but maintain a constant state of suspicious alertness, and Tony’s alienation from himself gets worse as more and more time passes and he is betrayed by his girlfriend’s infidelity. The use of musical transitions and interludes in Jarhead deserves special mention, especially the cheerful use of C&C Factory’s ‘Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)’ when a football game turns into simulated group sex, and Public Enemy’s ‘Fight the Power’ to the marines pumping the sky full of bullets, trying their best to release the tension they’ve been carrying all along – their only experience of combat is brief and in the form of friendly fire. Diegetically speaking, the marines sing loudly along to the morally and strategically dubious Apocalypse Now scene in which fighter pilots blow up a small village in preparation for war, and when the sounds of The Doors’ "Break on Through” make themselves audible to the irritated troops, Swoff complains about what he sees as Vietnam war reference... “Can't we get our own music?” Add dark, pulsating beats with sorrowful middle eastern undertones to the mix and you have a gorgeous and inventive ensemble of sound.
It’s the less obvious aspects of the movie’s musical qualities that are more frequently on display, however. Jamie Foxx, an established hip hop artist, transforms his drills into stern postmodern raps (“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for I am the baddest ************ in the valley!”); Jake, who narrowly missed out on getting Ewan McGregor’s role in Moulin Rouge, raps and whistles to Naughty By Nature, and humorously imitates a bugle on Sykes' orders; Peter Sarsgaard and most of the platoon gruffly sustain different kinds of melodic resonance, despite the incessant profanity.
Then there’s the haunting visual lyricism of Sam Mendes’ desert landscape, which is just mesmerizing, whether reflecting the glare of the sun and glistening out of focus, powdered with black dust from post-explosion debris (in some of the film’s most strangely aesthetically appealing shots, Jake weaves a path of white boot impressions to an immolated corpse), or eerily illuminated by sunset orange... In fact, as a K-ROQ radio host pointed out, every frame of this film looks like a photograph, thanks to the work of cinematography guru Roger Deakins. Much praise should also be lavished upon Walter Murch, a three-time Oscar-winning editor, who offers some fascinating insights into his work on the film at NPR.
While I haven’t seen some of the films critics compared this movie to (like Full Metal Jacket) I appreciated the vibrant tributes to Waiting For Godot and David Fincher's Fight Club. I was surprised to find myself entertained and intellectually stimulated by Jarhead - while I usually detest war films and feel the best thing you can do about unpleasant phenomena is relegate them to mere fodder for a more creative experience, I found myself hooked on the quick succession of gorgeously paced, carefully manufactured postmodern sequences, and fortunately the disturbing imagery was kept to a minimum, favouring an exploration of the emotional territory that goes with placing yourself in a volatile environment.
This movie has its problems – many of the characters don’t receive optimum character development (Peter Sarsaard’s Troy is one of these, and girlfriend Christina is sadly lacking in personality), and it's been criticized for making its anti-war stance too politically correct (“**** politics- we’re here,” Troy announces). While Swofford's detachment made for very witty plot progression, we don't get a glimpse into his personal life as much as we could have, and thus the emotional impact of the film is not what it could've been. I also didn't enjoy the implications that being jaded about painful experiences is okay, or that it's possible to be 'stuck' in a groove ("We are still in the desert," Swoff says as he gazes hauntedly out of the window of his suburban home). Check it out anyway- it was my favourite 2005 movie-going experience, and the DVD offers some remarkable extras (Sam Mendes shares how he generated a performance from one of the platoon members by filming him without his knowledge as he was waiting for the scene to begin).
Some trivia:
Peter Sarsgaard (Boys Don't Cry, Kinsey) took on the role partially to spend more time with his future brother-in-law, Jake - Peter and Maggie are now parents to a girl called Ramona, and are planning to get married sometime in the near future. Jake and Peter are now working on another movie, Rendition... Maggie cheerfully complains that she gets paid a lot less than either of them. You can watch a funny, insightful video of the two discussing the film here. Maggie and Peter are going to star in a short film directed by Andrew Zuckerman, called "High Falls" - they will be playing "a man and his pregnant wife whose confessions to a best friend put their relationship in jeopardy." Maggie starred as Jake's older sister in the indie cult hit Donnie Darko.
Chris Cooper, who makes a hilarious appearance as a Lieutenant who uses unconventional tactics to get the troops revved up, played Jake's father in the biopic October Sky. (He was also in Adaptation, with Maggie. [But then the Gyllenhaals have worked with and/or are on friendly terms with a wide range of public people, including the Clintons.])
Sam Mendes' next project is a documentary on singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright.
Screencaps and family pic from I<3JakeMedia
Beginning with a forgettable tribute to the unforgettable nature of war, the first scene of Jarhead is nevertheless all about what Lyotard would refer to as 'the incredulity of metanarratives' - finding himself problematically caught up in the perfunctory boom of his instructor's routine, Anthony's eyes flicker around in search of animation, and his acute (ly suppressed) sense of audacious rebellion is left to the viewer to develop at their own pace. “I am not gay, sir!” Jake Gyllenhaal cries in a somewhat amusing moment which made me think of Jack Twist leaning uncomfortably against his vehicle to express his anxiety over possibly evading the army in Brokeback Mountain. Back to whatever 'reality' the film was aiming for, the sadistic drill had been recreated in a new scene, but just as I was ready to tune out the voice-over glided by and provided me with the kind of deadpan euphemism that made the first four fifths of Fight Club a lot more viewer-friendly without the euphoric incredulity of retroactive continuity. It was shortly after meeting drill instructor Fitch that I realized that joining the Marine Corps might have been a bad decision, drawls a Sacramento-ed up Jake, and with it the possibility that this narrative flaunts the ineffectiveness of applying yourself intellectually in a community obsessed with rules, regulations and conformity for conformity's sake, albeit in a detached, "it happened" kind of way. (I was picking my distractions from a self-help narrative carefully at this point, and already this film was the kind of 'problematic' I was planning to enjoy theorising... one I could approach with both reserve and enthusiasm... and I must say I haven't even begun yet.)
If Jake seems a little shaky in lending his voice to this bubble-gum-pop nihilist transfusion, his performance is terrific as the cynical NorCal idealist whose inner turmoil runs so deep that he almost loses himself in it, and I regard it as his best work. The next sequence feels like it might have been the beginning of the film in a slightly different version, introducing the main character by way of a montage of formative 'growing up' experiences which seem both generic and improvisational as they fly by.
Tony staring into nothing, immobilised despite himself
The soundtrack now kicks in, supplementing further VO, and alerting the viewer to the depth of the irony with three full scenes under the tutelage of ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy.' Anthony goes about the business of reconfiguring his NLP to match the crude terminology of his new world but is blissfully unable to do much with 'jarhead' as he endures an unfriendly reception worker and walks into this new living quarters: “Jarhead: Noun, slang for marine. Origin: from the resemblance to a jar, of the regulation high and tight haircut. The marine’s head therefore by implication also a jar – an empty vessel.” The music continues to play as and he is welcomed by his new room-mates with a cruel prank.
One of the themes here is how tightly wound and blood-thirsty the platoon becomes after months with little else to do but maintain a constant state of suspicious alertness, and Tony’s alienation from himself gets worse as more and more time passes and he is betrayed by his girlfriend’s infidelity. The use of musical transitions and interludes in Jarhead deserves special mention, especially the cheerful use of C&C Factory’s ‘Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)’ when a football game turns into simulated group sex, and Public Enemy’s ‘Fight the Power’ to the marines pumping the sky full of bullets, trying their best to release the tension they’ve been carrying all along – their only experience of combat is brief and in the form of friendly fire. Diegetically speaking, the marines sing loudly along to the morally and strategically dubious Apocalypse Now scene in which fighter pilots blow up a small village in preparation for war, and when the sounds of The Doors’ "Break on Through” make themselves audible to the irritated troops, Swoff complains about what he sees as Vietnam war reference... “Can't we get our own music?” Add dark, pulsating beats with sorrowful middle eastern undertones to the mix and you have a gorgeous and inventive ensemble of sound.
It’s the less obvious aspects of the movie’s musical qualities that are more frequently on display, however. Jamie Foxx, an established hip hop artist, transforms his drills into stern postmodern raps (“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for I am the baddest ************ in the valley!”); Jake, who narrowly missed out on getting Ewan McGregor’s role in Moulin Rouge, raps and whistles to Naughty By Nature, and humorously imitates a bugle on Sykes' orders; Peter Sarsgaard and most of the platoon gruffly sustain different kinds of melodic resonance, despite the incessant profanity.
Then there’s the haunting visual lyricism of Sam Mendes’ desert landscape, which is just mesmerizing, whether reflecting the glare of the sun and glistening out of focus, powdered with black dust from post-explosion debris (in some of the film’s most strangely aesthetically appealing shots, Jake weaves a path of white boot impressions to an immolated corpse), or eerily illuminated by sunset orange... In fact, as a K-ROQ radio host pointed out, every frame of this film looks like a photograph, thanks to the work of cinematography guru Roger Deakins. Much praise should also be lavished upon Walter Murch, a three-time Oscar-winning editor, who offers some fascinating insights into his work on the film at NPR.
While I haven’t seen some of the films critics compared this movie to (like Full Metal Jacket) I appreciated the vibrant tributes to Waiting For Godot and David Fincher's Fight Club. I was surprised to find myself entertained and intellectually stimulated by Jarhead - while I usually detest war films and feel the best thing you can do about unpleasant phenomena is relegate them to mere fodder for a more creative experience, I found myself hooked on the quick succession of gorgeously paced, carefully manufactured postmodern sequences, and fortunately the disturbing imagery was kept to a minimum, favouring an exploration of the emotional territory that goes with placing yourself in a volatile environment.
This movie has its problems – many of the characters don’t receive optimum character development (Peter Sarsaard’s Troy is one of these, and girlfriend Christina is sadly lacking in personality), and it's been criticized for making its anti-war stance too politically correct (“**** politics- we’re here,” Troy announces). While Swofford's detachment made for very witty plot progression, we don't get a glimpse into his personal life as much as we could have, and thus the emotional impact of the film is not what it could've been. I also didn't enjoy the implications that being jaded about painful experiences is okay, or that it's possible to be 'stuck' in a groove ("We are still in the desert," Swoff says as he gazes hauntedly out of the window of his suburban home). Check it out anyway- it was my favourite 2005 movie-going experience, and the DVD offers some remarkable extras (Sam Mendes shares how he generated a performance from one of the platoon members by filming him without his knowledge as he was waiting for the scene to begin).
Director Sam Mendes
Some trivia:
Peter Sarsgaard (Boys Don't Cry, Kinsey) took on the role partially to spend more time with his future brother-in-law, Jake - Peter and Maggie are now parents to a girl called Ramona, and are planning to get married sometime in the near future. Jake and Peter are now working on another movie, Rendition... Maggie cheerfully complains that she gets paid a lot less than either of them. You can watch a funny, insightful video of the two discussing the film here. Maggie and Peter are going to star in a short film directed by Andrew Zuckerman, called "High Falls" - they will be playing "a man and his pregnant wife whose confessions to a best friend put their relationship in jeopardy." Maggie starred as Jake's older sister in the indie cult hit Donnie Darko.
Peter, Maggie, Stephen Gyllenhaal, Naomi Foner & Jake
Chris Cooper, who makes a hilarious appearance as a Lieutenant who uses unconventional tactics to get the troops revved up, played Jake's father in the biopic October Sky. (He was also in Adaptation, with Maggie. [But then the Gyllenhaals have worked with and/or are on friendly terms with a wide range of public people, including the Clintons.])
Sam Mendes' next project is a documentary on singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright.
Screencaps and family pic from I<3JakeMedia
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Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
Have you seen Fight Club? It's a must-see film if you're into nihilism... in fact I'd recommend seeing it before Jarhead so you can appreciate the latter's influences more.
I'm going to do a series of posts on David Fincher sometime soon as there seriously isn't enough stuff on him on the web!
As for postmodernism, check this out (and let me know if it was helpful)!
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
he was cast for Moulin Rouge? Really?
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
Jake, Heath Ledger and Ewan McGregor were the final three... I think he and Heath were both probably too young, but according to JG they 'bonded out of jealousy'.
Comment by LaurenD
The oil-covered riderless horse in the fiery landscape... the symbolism of that moment, was wrenching.
LaurenD
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Visually stunning, the cinematography in this film is a starring character.
The script rings true and most improtantly entertains and Chris Coopper, Josh Lucas and Jake all put in great performances.
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
Perhaps slightly postmodern in its "intertextuality" -- eg, references to Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now, heavy reliance on Full Metal Jacket (same scenes; same dialogue, etc)...
Incidentally, re the Apocalypse Now helicopter scene, is it intercut with another war movie?
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
I also thought the presence of the horse informed the scope of the human suffering very effectively...
the cinematography in this film is a starring character.
I'd love to read your review of it!
The script rings true and most importantly entertains and Chris Cooper, Josh Lucas and Jake all put in great performances.
There is a Lucas Black on the IMDb cast list, is this who you were referring to? I loved his unintentionally postmodern *winking to Adrian* performance, and he was good when he was more aware of the camera too, lol.
Chris Cooper is such a gifted actor, and this is another movie in which he has only a brief amount of time to work with yet becomes one of the most memorable characters. As for Jake, he reinvented his "moody, sensitive love interest" image very nicely, and his output/acclaim ratio, which is already impressive, can only grow from here.
I dunno if Jarhead is nihilist at all, nor if it's postmodernist at all.
Perhaps slightly postmodern in its "intertextuality"
I thought Swofford's VO was meant to bring in the nihilist undertones of Edward Norton's narration, but I think Jake wasn't comfortable with the head-space required (he singled out the VO as the most challenging part of his shoot).
I see Anthony as a postmodern protagonist - he tells his officers what they want to hear and adjusts his behaviour according to what is required for him to be seen as part of the culture, but continues to question everyone around him. A good example of this is when he allows his silent scrutiny to be interpreted as identification with Sykes' fanatical commitment to war zones.
Other postmodern techniques I can think of right now:
The movie moves along to the tune of disillusionment from people and institutions, one of its central themes is hysteria-inducing boredom, and subverts the typical expectations of a "war film".
The soundtrack, which features Kanye West despite the movie being a period piece, and the combination of different styles of music (instrumental, reggae, hip hop and pop).
Dialogue which could only be based on qualities of the actors in the scene (e.g. Fowler's "squishy face" and Swofford's "baby blues").
Did you know that the scene where Swoff apologises to Fergus was Sam Mendes' commentary on a real-life conflict that the actors had? Jake mentioned that Jarhead was the beginning of a new acting style for him, in that he was interested in being alive to everything he was experiencing in his life and working it into his performance. Unfortunately, this also included getting so worked up in the scene where he threatens Fergus that he hurt the poor guy.
Heavy reliance on Full Metal Jacket
A lot of reviewers said something to this effect...
re the Apocalypse Now helicopter scene, is it intercut with another war movie?
According to IMDb the only clips are from Apocalypse Now.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by pegasus
Poker Addict
I'll put this movie on my 'must see' list.