Two Words, One Answer.
Always active!
 Jarhead $9.99 I remember reading a number of years ago in George Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia" that war was a period of intense boredom interspersed with brief intervals of absolute terror. Such a view would apply to the movie, "Jarhead". Here, we see the military life of Anthony Swofford unfold. As a somewhat reluctant recruit to the US marines, Swofford (as played by Jake Gyllenhall) manages to be selected as a specialist sniper. The training period is harsh but does succeed in spitting out trained soldiers at the end. If these men have one common feature it is that they all wish to go to war. And George Bush Senior obliges by declaring war on Iraq for its invasion of Kuwait. The troops can hardly wait. But wait they must. After landing in Saudi Arabia as a stepping stone to Kuwait, further training continues. Hopes of war are high amongst the young man. However, they are destined to train and wait, train and wait. They are itching to see action but always seem to play a secondary role to the modern war machine that relies upon precision bombs and aerial attack. The infantry sees little action. In fact, none of the men in Swofford's platoon gets to fire a shot in anger. "Jarhead" is not a typical war movie. There is no direct clash between good guys and bad guys. The viewer is given a far more ambiguous view of war where politics plays a greater role. As a result, this film differs from the usual Hollywood fare where good triumphs over evil and no questions are left unanswered. It is this apparent ambiguity that gives "Jarhead" real credibility. It would have been so easy to fall back upon a formulaic production. I can strongly recommend this film. The story is one that needs to be told. The acting is first rate and the scenes of destruction in the wake of Saddam's burning of the Kuwaiti oilfields are absolutely mesmerising. If only Hollywood could adopt the "Jarhead" approach to other films. |
|
