'Jarhead'

Hell is war

"Welcome to the suck": It's on Jarhead's poster, and is the film's most oft-repeated line, but it's not meant to be a fun-time catchphrase. "The suck" refers not just to Operation Desert Storm (or the long, boring days of Operation Desert Shield that preceded it), but also to the Middle Eastern desert (hot, dreary, and sand choked) and military service itself, as seen through the wide eyes of a young marine named Swoff (Jake Gyllenhaal). Based on Anthony Swofford's acclaimed memoir, and directed with artful composure by American Beauty's Sam Mendes – who can make even a burning oil well look poetic – Jarhead is an incredibly timely, well-acted film that crystallizes the unglamorous, and even pointless, mechanics of modern warfare into two searing hours. Though some of the members of Swoff's unit occasionally slip into caricature (notably the racist redneck, as well as the rebel who keeps piping in with this-is-not-a-pro-war-film reminders about how America "gave Saddam all his fuckin' weapons"), even the occasional mixed-message moment (rifles are fetishized, while Scud missiles are not) makes sense in Jarhead's milieu of conflicts both personal and political, both of which still resonate today. "We never have to come back to this shit hole ever again!" exclaims one solider when Desert Storm abruptly ends. If only. (Cheryl Eddy)