Jarhead (2005)

A psychological study of operations desert shield and desert storm during the gulf war; through the eyes of a U.S marine sniper who struggles to cope with the possibility his girlfriend may be cheating on him back home.

Director:

Sam Mendes

Writers:

William Broyles Jr. (screenplay) (as William D. Broyles Jr.), Anthony Swofford (book)

Stars:

Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Lucas Black

6 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Anthony Swofford
Scott MacDonald	...	D.I. Fitch
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Alan Troy
Jamie Foxx	...	Staff Sgt. Sykes
Ming Lo	...	Bored Gunny
Lucas Black	...	Chris Kruger
Kevin Foster	...	Branded Marine
Brian Geraghty	...	Fergus O'Donnell
Damion Poitier	...	Poitier
Riad Galayini	...	Nurse
Craig Coyne	...	Young Mr. Swofford
Katherine Randolph	...	Young Mrs. Swofford
Rini Bell	...	Swoff's Sister
Dendrie Taylor	...	Mrs. Swofford
James Morrison	...	Mr. Swofford

Storyline

Anthony "Swoff" Swofford, a Camus-reading kid from Sacramento, enlists in the Marines in the late 1980s. He malingers during boot camp, but makes it through as a sniper, paired with the usually-reliable Troy. The Gulf War breaks out, and his unit goes to Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield. After 175 days of boredom, adrenaline, heat, worry about his girlfriend finding someone else, losing it and nearly killing a mate, demotion, latrine cleaning, faulty gas masks, and desert football, Desert Storm begins. In less than five days, it's over, but not before Swoff sees burned bodies, flaming oil derricks, an oil-drenched horse, and maybe a chance at killing. Where does all the testosterone go?

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Plot Keywords:

gulf war | firearm | soldier | american abroad | u.s. soldier | 

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Taglines:

Welcome To The Suck

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, some violent images and strong sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Universal [United States]

Country:

USA UK Germany

Language:

English Spanish Arabic Latin

Release Date:

4 November 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Soldado anónimo

Filming Locations:

Osborne Park, Imperial Sand Dunes, Brawley, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$72,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,726,210, 6 November 2005

Gross USA:

$62,658,220

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$96,889,998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Red Wagon Entertainment, Neal Street Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scorpions used in the scorpion fight scene were CGI, but the one Laz Alonso's character holds for a brief moment is real.

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Goofs

When Fergus is cooking sausages on the gas stove the fire spreads to the surrounding area in the back of the truck. As we see Fergus try to put it out the fire the stove clearly falls over. The scene then cuts away and then returns and the stove is once again upright.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Anthony 'Swoff' Swofford: A story: A man fires a rifle for many years, and he goes to war. And afterward he turns the rifle in at the armory, and he believes he's finished with the rifle. But no matter what else he might do with his hands, love a woman, build a house, change his son's diaper; his hands remember the rifle.

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Crazy Credits

The title of the movie is the only opening credit at the beginning of the movie.

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Alternate Versions

Military theatrical versions of the film remove some footage, including the scene where a soldier dies during training.

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Connections

Referenced in Lives of Quiet Desperation: The Making of Revolutionary Road (2009)

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Soundtracks

Soldier's Things
Written by Tom Waits
Performed by Tom Waits
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

a worthy effort but seems to be lacking

Gritty story based on the true life experiences of Marine recruit Anthony Swofford, a naive teenager who gets more than he bargained for beginning in basic training, then a long and hellish nightmare of combat after he's shipped off to Kuwait during Operation Desert Shield. Well-crafted, strongly acted, and extremely political the film certainly holds your interest, but the script is unfocused, the subject matter never truly compelling, and the momentum slows more and more as it goes along. Gyllenhaal is respectable as the reluctant Marine who finds himself in over his head, while Foxx is a powerhouse as his gung-ho sergeant. Starts off strongly, but gradually becomes conventional and loses its way. **½