Jarhead

Not a huge fan of war films, I was not really looking forward to this week's review, and ended up settling on the first recommended film that I could watch instantly on Netflix: Jarhead. 
I am truly shocked by how much I loved this movie. A film based on Marine Anthony Swafford, Jarhead focuses mainly on the life of a soldier dispatched on the Saudi-Kuwait border. Like I mentioned, I'm not a fan of war films but this served as a new perspective for me as it was not  necessarily violent nor gore-y, but insightful in that it showed what the average life of a Marine was like. While it certainly demonstrated that life in the Marines is far from easy, the film also left me feeling refreshed because of the reminiscent tone as the movie came to a close. While the war may have consisted of excessive hydration sessions, anxious phone calls home to his girlfriend, and even mental breakdowns for Swafford, Jarhead proves that war is not ALL about shooting as many people as one can. This is proven primarily through the incredible acting done by Gyllenhaal as Swafford and Sarsgaard as Troy who has an extremely riveting scene in which he breaks down into tears after not being allowed to take his first shot. However, the film also provided much comic relief which helped to balance out the scenes that were more serious.
While this movie may not be for everyone because of its nontraditional war movie style in that it is not extremely bloody or focused on death, I loved it and would highly recommend it to someone who is looking for a movie that not only makes you think but also makes you chuckle. It will take you on an emotional roller coaster but you'll come off loving what you saw. 5/5