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Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, Brian Geraghty, Jacob Vargas ... see more see more... , Laz Alonso , Evan Jones , Chris Cooper , Dennis Haysbert , Jamie Foxx , Scott Macdonald , Ming Lo , Kevin Foster , Damion Poitier , Riad Galayini , Craig Coyne , Rini Bell , Dendrie Allyn Taylor , James Morrison , Arman Zajic , Brianne Davis , Brian Casey , Ernest Ozuna , Tyler Sedustine , Jocko Sims , Jonathon R. Mize , Joel Prato , Kristin Richardson , Iván Fenyö , Peter Gail , Jaimie Martz , Kareem J. Grimes , Donna Kimball , Marty Papazian , Mark Davis , John Krasinski , Christian Reeve , Mike Akrawi , Toufiq Tulsiram , Jubin K. , Hari Bali , Kurt Larson , Ammar Daraiesh , Al Faris , V.J. Foster , Matthew Atherton

A young man gets a crash course in the madness of war in this fact-based drama from director Sam Mendes. Anthony "Swoff" Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) decides to join the Marines, just like his father an... read more read more...d his father before him, and signs on just in time to be sent to Iraq to fight in the Gulf War in 1991. After experiencing the rigors of boot camp, Swofford and his pal Troy (Peter Sarsgaard) are trained to be snipers, and under the leadership of Sgt. Sykes (Jamie Foxx) and Lt. Col. Kazinski (Chris Cooper), the two land in the middle of a desert where they're up against an enemy they can't always see under a blazing sun with hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. Swofford, Troy, and their fellow soldiers rely on the wits, their sense of humor, and their friendship of their brothers in arms to deal with a situation that doesn't much resemble what they saw on television at home. Jarhead was based on the memoirs of the real-life Anthony Swofford, who did serve as a sniper in the 1991 Gulf War; the title comes from military slang for a Marine enlistee. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

68% liked it

367,467 ratings

Critics

61% liked it

195 critics

R, 2 hr. 2 min.

Directed by: Sam Mendes

Release Date: November 4, 2005

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DVD Release Date: March 7, 2006

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Stats: 19,464 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (19,464)

  • brooklynspo
    April 17, 2007
    brooklynspo
    Entirely predictable first-person account of a marine's experiences around Desert Storm. Ambivalent and unengaging.
  • fb100001048934982
    July 16, 2012
    fb100001048934982
    Upon first viewing, 'Jarhead' is no more than a portrait of the psychological challenges of a boring war. Yet, after the credits role, this film settles into your stomach and mind and doesn't leave. Sam Mendes creates a beautifully terrifying atmosphere with amazing cinematograph... read morey and a strong cast of actors, with Gyllenhaal, Foxx, and Sarsgaard showing true talent. This film is not a trigger-happy gun show, but instead a poignant portrayal of soldiers battling themselves instead of the enemy. It's refreshing to see a great filmmaker give a unique turn on the modern 'war' genre.
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    February 18, 2012
    LoughnerWasLucid
    i almost gor drafted last year so this is like a horror movie
  • emilkakko
    January 7, 2012
    emilkakko
    One of the best films about people in war. This film is not about the fight, it is about the persons who go through physical and psychological hell, while all they has to do is sit and wait when the shit hits the fan. Director Sam Mendes again shows his wonderful visual eye here.... read more Some shots are among the most beautiful in history of cinema. Behold that burning oil sequence and the shot of horse covered in oil. Acting is top notch like in every film by Mendes. Biggest credit goes easily to Jamie Foxx who plays his role extremely well. This is another great film in filmography of Mendes.
  • aquateen2
    November 2, 2011
    aquateen2
    Jarhead is more than a movie. It is an entertaining truthful first person look at the reality of the war and that the biggest enemy they were fighting was boredom.
  • ScoopOnline
    September 28, 2011
    ScoopOnline
    I ussually avoid Anti War Movies. They iritate me mostly but this was something different.
  • DreamExtractor
    April 27, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Jarhead was a geniusly made film and is tied with The Hurt Locker and Black Hawk Down as the greatest Iraq war film ever. Jake Gylenhal is a great actor, and here is proof of his genius. The plot is great, it shows the life of a man from boot camp to the war and ultimately goin... read moreg home, and the horrors along the way. The music in the movie was a work of genius, Ill give credit to the composer. Jarhead is a genius movie, no doubt about it.
  • garyX
    March 16, 2011
    garyX
    A new kind of war film for a new kind of war, Sam Mendes' adaptation of Anthony Swofford's account of his experiences in Iraq can however stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the best of them. Gyllenhaal's progression from raw recruit through to the sheer tedium of waiting for... read more his war to happen is in turns funny, fascinating and shocking and Mendes provides some truly striking imagery. The well observed and intelligent script gives the viewer a real sense of "being there", and the uniqueness of the Iraq war in that it was so ubiquitous in the media means that these "behind the scenes" observations give real insight into the conflict, essentially filling in the blanks for those of us who experienced the war blow by blow on TV. Some of the characters were a little sketchy, but the triumvirate of Gyllenhaal, Foxx and Sarsgaard are brilliantly rendered and acted. The clever use of contemporary music also compliments the action (or lack of it) perfectly, and it is full of knowing references to war movies and their role in popular culture, counterpointing the drudgery of it's reality for these soldiers. ("That was Vietnam, asshole! We don't even have our own ***ing music!") A great study of fighting men coming to terms with their own impotence in a conflict that was taken out of their hands by technology.
  • crunchbunch
    January 17, 2011
    crunchbunch
    Jarhead is surprisingly addictive viewing with us following Swoff (Jake Gyllenhaal) into the Gulf War or more accurately, before the Gulf War as the soldiers try to cope with their boredom and prepare for battle.

    Jughead is a war film trying not to be about war, instead we see ... read morethe soldiers dealing with the psychological effects of having nothing to do and their desperation to 'get some'. Gyllenhaal is fantastic as the self loathing Swoffard while Jamie Foxx puts in a strong performance as the Staff Sergeant.

    While I doubt this is a 100% accurate to real life events, I think it was a decent attempt at portraying war without the shine.

    "Look, I am twenty years old and I was dumb enough to sign a contract. I can hear their fucking bombs already. I can hear their bombs and I'm fucking scared, yeah. "
  • hunterjt13
    November 3, 2010
    hunterjt13
    This is a poor man's Full Metal Jacket. Though the idea of concentrating on the time before war, the waiting, the impatience, and the resulting human degradation is an interesting perspective, the film becomes a militaristic Animal House, and the point gets lost in... read more the crazy faux-joviality. Also, we don't know enough about Swoff before he entered the Marines to understand the degree of his character's change. Finally, the characters' central, stated goal is to kill someone - to get that one confirmed kill. But whereas FMJ's Joker is being satirical, these men are seriously obsessed with the prospect, and this goal makes it almost impossible to sympathize. Yes, I understand that distaste for these characters is part of the film's point, but they're not even "interesting-bad." They're just one-dimensionally blood-thirsty.
    All this notwithstanding, Peter Sarsgaard turns in another astounding, convincing performance. The best friend from Garden State is always interesting to watch.

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Critic Reviews

Ben Walters
February 9, 2006
Ben Walters, Time Out

The film's strong suit is vagueness, presenting combat as a semi-surreal state of ignorant expectation and dislocated experience: these warriors loll in the desert awaiting action or trying to make se... Full Review

Ken Tucker
December 9, 2005
Ken Tucker, New York Magazine

Jarhead is utterly predictable (boys endure tough training; boys encounter another culture and are baffled), studded with first-rate performances. Full Review

Richard Roeper
November 7, 2005
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

This is a very strong film with really good performances. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
November 4, 2005
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

What's so good about the movie is Gyllenhaal's refusal to show off; he doesn't seem jealous of the camera's attention when it goes to others and is content, for long stretches, to serve simply as a pr... Full Review

Mike Clark
November 4, 2005
Mike Clark, USA Today

Director Sam Mendes' third screen outing pretty well nails Swofford's tone, which was mordant without being disrespectful, and, in fact, is begrudgingly reverent of the Corps. Full Review

Peter Howell
November 4, 2005
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Jarhead makes its points less obviously than most war films, and with more brains than blood. Full Review

Richard Schickel
November 4, 2005
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

The best war movies -- and this one, despite its being overlong and repetitive, is among them -- hold that men fight (or in this case, are ready to fight) not for causes, but to survive and to help th... Full Review

Moira MacDonald
November 4, 2005
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Jarhead is often a film about boredom, but it's never boring; full of unexpected touches and detailed character turns. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
November 4, 2005
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The invigorating thing about Jarhead is it makes us encounter the truth in its undigested form. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
November 4, 2005
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

As hard as the actors work, Jarhead feels false right down to its seductive visuals. Full Review

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    • Detective Inspector Fitch: Jesus, Joseph and doggy-style Mary!
    • Chris Kruger: Okay, yeah, sure, fine. I'll take the fucking pills and a year later my asshole will turn inside out and start talking to me!
    • Staff Sergeant Sykes: I love my job.
    • Staff Sergeant Sykes: [to the dead marine] I told you to keep your fucking head down! If you'd listened to me, you'd still be fucking alive right now, stupid fuck!
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Jarhead Trivia

  • Which movie is Jude Law NOT in?  Answer »
  • He played with rockets, Talked to Psychotic Bunnie's and became a Jarhead  Answer »
  • Actor who stars in Donnie Darko, Jarhead and The Day After Tomorrow?  Answer »
  • In which movie did Jake Gyllenhaal star in as a soldier in the Gulf War?  Answer »
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