Darrell's weblog

So, I went to see Jarhead at the theater. I had read some bad reviews about it (as well as some good ones) and the negative reviews all seemed to focus on the lack of combat in the movie. Those people must not have realized that this movie is based on actual events (unlike that pile of crap Three Kings). Anyway, while there were the usual Hollywood over-dramatizations and BS expected in any movie, the point of the movie was to document the experiences of a Gulf War veteran. As a Gulf War veteran myself, I found the movie to be surprisingly on-target. I’ll admit that it moved along slowly, but then again, so did the war. I was surprised on numerous occasions how my own Gulf War experience mirrored that of Anthony Swofford, portrayed in this movie by Jake Gyllenhaal. (Okay, I wasn’t a Marine Scout/Sniper, I was an Army helicopter mechanic, but the basics are eerily similar…I even remember signing the waiver before taking those nerve agent pills.)

My suggestion: If you’re interested in an honest story about one Marine’s Gulf War experience, then this is a good movie to go see. If you’re looking for a movie full of action and combat, then this is not the movie for you.