JARHEAD: A Film Review -- Don Poss , Sat, November 05 2005

As a rule, I don’t write Movie Reviews. I am not a Film Critic, but I know what I like and don’t like. Tonight I saw the film, "JARHEAD". I remember when we Vietnam Vets came home from the war, and the films rolling out then branded us 'baby killers', 'psychos', 'deranged', and worse. I thought filmmakers were beyond that and had learnt lessons from that war to be applied to wars of today and beyond.

"JARHEAD" is based on Anthony Swofford's (former marine) book about his own Desert Storm tour in Arabia and Kuwait. Swofford writes, “…the book’s not anti-Marine Corps, nor am I.” I wonder if Director Sam Mendes actually read the book before directing it into an anti-Marine anti-war movie?

The movie "JARHEAD" is held together only in the fact that each celluloid frame follows another. No plot of merit comes forth. No redeeming human qualities. No insightfulness as to the meaning of war or human folly. The only consistent theme achieved is the branding of every marine who served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm as certifiably insane-losers, unworthy of loyalty of significant-others, or the gratitude of the nation.

Every marine is portrayed by Mendes as a loser, which makes it okay to imply every Air Force aircraft pictured was a fly-by strafing of marines. Every marine’s girl is a cheating bimbo capable of sending him a videotape of her ‘encounter’ with another man. That portrayal is degrading to every wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend, true and supporting of a warrior at war.

Director Sam Mendes: shame on you for directing this diseased-boil of a disjointed film, so disassociated from reality, and purposefully belittling and slandering the memory of the men and women who fought decisively, with valor, and honor, in Gulf War I.

Like I said, I am not a Film Critic, but, I would sooner kiss Jane Fonda' anti-aircraft-trigger-finger than recommend JARHEAD to anyone.

Don Poss,
Webmaster,
https://www.war-stories.com War-Stories, and
https://www.vspa.com Vietnam Security Police Assn., Inc (USAF)