Movie review: Jarhead

Vikram's polite remark on the amount of movies I watch has prompted me to start publishing short reviews on movies I think are worth going to.

Let' start off with 'Jarhead' a.k.a. military slang for a US Marine, derived from the shape of the hat the Marines once wore (courtesy dictionary.com).

First off, this isn't your typical war movie with gory depictions of people being torn to shreds. Nor does it have heroic acts of courage. Rather it's a portrayal of one man's emotions as he goes through military training and then through the rigors of war. As with any war themed flick, this has more than its fair share of expletives. So if you can't handle an f*** in every sentence, this one isn't for you. The movie reminded me of another military picture, 'Full Metal Jacket' directed by Stanley Kubrick in the late 80's.

Set in the First Gulf War, the movie goes back and forth between reality and the lead actor's emotions (although sometimes you cannot help but feel sympathetic towards him, there are other times when you think he's nuts!).

After you watch the movie, you realize that there is nothing about politics mentioned. Might this be because the director Sam Mendes is an Englishman and couldn't care less about political affiliations and trying to spread worthless propoganda through the big screen? After all, don't most of us go to see a movie to get away from reality, especially from politicians, I know I do.

All in all, this one's definitely Oscar worthy and is one of the few good movies to come out this year.