Soldado anónimo

JarHead was one the most riveting war-drama that is bold and yet sympathizing.

Based on former Marine Anthony Swofford's best-selling 2003 book , Jarhead tells about the experiences of Swofford while going through rigorous military training in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

From the director of American Dream , Sam Mendes brings you a very powerful drama about the frustration and anger experienced by an army man away from family , away from home and away from your loved ones. It portrays the picture of pre-experiences of a soldier in the military camp and how he struggles to fight for the country. Direction is incredible but looses the steam later. Wish the second half would have been more impacting. Screenplay is decent. Cinematography is world-class , art direction and dialogues are good. Editing is loose. Jake Gylanhall is superb as Marin Swofford. He is one of most underrated actor. He emotes effectively through his eyes and has given a brave performance. Jamie Foxx and Peter Saarsgaard lends good support.

Overall , high-gripping war drama which is different in terms of story- telling. Good 3/5

The old war movies are so simple. Our heroes are eventually going to meet that adversary and finish the issue. This is a film about the boredom, the alienation, the disconnectedness that takes place in wartime. The men in this film are hung out to dry in the desert. Remember the first gulf war was fought mostly with high tech weapons and bombing runs. Of course, there were ground casualties and close fighting in some places, but this film is more about the tension that develops when those with their fingers on the triggers are made to stand down. I think the most gripping part of the film is when the oil fields are burning a and sludgy rain of oil ash and black particles rain from the sky. These guys suffocate on this. It's like a plague from the Bible. All they can do is trudge through it. There is much more to this film, but the bottom line is what the heck is the enemy and what do we poor soldiers have to do to confront it? The answer in this case is to wait and see.

I have never been in the military, so I can only guess as to home realistic this film is. But one thing that startled me was how close to insanity the various Marines were in this film. One minute, one of them would seem pretty normal and the next they'd be losing their minds. This happened again and again to practically all the soldiers in the film...even the leading man, Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal)!

The story follows Swofford from a brief scene in boot camp to his advanced training to eventual deployment in Kuwait during the Gulf War. All during which, he and his fellow Marines were all just a few steps away from completely losing their minds.

This is not a pleasant film to watch, but I liked that the story was NOT sanitized....it was nasty, ugly, and, most interestingly, focused on how incredibly boring and uneventful the war was for the average grunt. It also focuses on the emotional damage incurred by these men. Quite interesting if not enjoyable.

Gritty story based on the true life experiences of Marine recruit Anthony Swofford, a naïve 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

I am not a professional writer, I am not a director, I am not important. I just enjoy movies. I'm not writing this to convince you of my opinion. I'm not even here to give you a professional review of this movie, or sound educated and witty. I'm here to give a layman's take on the movie and not be concerned with politics or agendas.

1: Cinematography is downright beautiful in this movie. There are some unforgettable shots. Easily a contender for this year's cinematography award.

2: This is not an action war movie. If you want it to be, find another movie. Black Hawk Down might be closer to what you're looking for, although finding an action movie about Desert Storm is kind of hard.

3: This movie will invoke emotions. And just about any person can pick out a lot of evidence to support why they liked it and why they did not. A person can pick out a lot of evidence supporting the military, and at times make it look like a recruiting tool, or it can show anti war, anti-Bush, anti everything. It will make those that like to argue and takes sides, have a wonderful time with it.

4: The acting is good and realistic. It shows the happy carefree side of war, and also the darker undertones, and not-so-under-toned evils of war.

5: The military prepares people to become soldiers, just like a coach prepares people to become athletes. And once you are one, it is hard to switch it off once a person goes back to normal life. Even quote/ unquote "desk jockey's" and those that aren't in the actual combat but provide support roles, are still trained to fight.

6: Media and movies have not helped our perception of war and those involved. They've been putting a spin on things for a while now, and they like to beat a lot of dead horses.

7: This is based on a true story. No matter how "Hollywoodized" a movie can get, it's basic concepts and ideas are still generally intact. And Swoff was actually there. I was not.

8: To me, Jarhead felt like the Full Metal Jacket of this generation. With extreme's of both "anti's" and "pro's" you take it or leave it. Full Metal Jacket is a good movie for taking the approach that it did. Jarhead is no different.

9: Don't hate on anyone trying to do their job, if you see someone in uniform, don't think negatively or positively, unless you know the person. You don't know their story. If you want to find out, just listen. That's all, nothing more. Don't just wait for your next chance to speak.

10: Find a way to see Jarhead, reserve your judgments until afterward, and if you're a jerk, then give all the snotty, ignorant, or mean opinions you want. You won't change anyone's mind, just tick them off.

To finish up, this movie will make you feel something. Let it go. No wonder people's stress levels are high. If you offend easily, lighten up. If all you can do is go around in life and get offended, then I am truly sorry for you. Now, I'm going to grab a beer from the fridge, sit down and watch a movie, to have something to do. Nothing more.