Jarhead (2005)

My Review

“Jarhead” is war drama following a young man through Marine Corps basic training at Camp Pendleton, sniper training, and desert warfare in the Gulf War. Director Sam Mendes (“American Beauty” 1999) put together an engrossing military drama giving an overview of life in the Marines, including the day-by-day and moment-to-moment situations they must deal with. The excellent screenplay by William Broyles Jr. was adapted from the 2003 memoir “Jarhead” by Anthony Swofford, who is the central character in the film.

The cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford, Scott MacDonald as the drill instructor, Jamie Foxx as the staff sergeant, Chris Cooper as the lieutenant colonel, as well as Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, Brian Geraghty, Dennis Haysbert, John Krasinski, Laz Alonso, and Jacob Vargas. The watchable “Jarhead” was a box office disappointment for Red Wagon Entertainment, Neal Street Productions, and Universal Pictures.

The filming locations were in Arizona, New Mexico, and California. This movie was followed by direct-to-video sequels with stories unrelated to the original film – “Jarhead 2: Field of Fire” (2014), “Jarhead 3: The Siege” (2016), and “Jarhead: Law of Return” (2019).