Jarhead (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows "Swoff" (Gyllenhaal), a third-generation enlistee, from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, sporting a sniper's rifle and a hundred-pound ruck on his back through Middle East deserts with no cover from intolerable heat or from Iraqi soldiers, always potentially just over the next horizon. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see for a cause they don't fully fathom.
Foxx portrays Sergeant Sykes, a Marine lifer who heads up Swofford's scout/sniper platoon, while Sarsgaard is Swoff's friend and mentor, Troy, a die-hard member of STA-their elite Marine Unit. An irreverent and true account of a war that was antiseptically packaged a decade ago, Jarhead is laced with dark wit, honest inquisition and episodes that are at once surreal and poignant, tragic and absurd.
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February 8, 2006: Sarsgaard's Tragedy:
Peter Sarsgaard doesn't get enough love. Except maybe from his wife, family, friends, ninety percent of Hollywood as he's one of the most respected actors in the
business, and a healthy number of fans. Other than that, though, the guy's practically...
December 28, 2005: Review: Jarhead:
" Despite
closing in under two hours, the film doesn’t really provide you
with much meat, but it entertained me throughout..."
JoBlo
reviews "Jarhead"...
November 21, 2005: 4 cool new posters:
Four pretty cool posters have hit the
Net of late, including two international looks at American movies,
the first of which is a kickass l'il one-sheet for JARHEAD, followed
by yet another cool-looking...
November 4, 2005: INT: Jake Gyllenhaal:
Artsy
actor Jake Gyllenhaal takes a big step with the new movie JARHEAD .
Gyllenhaal stars as Anthony Swofford (author of the book JARHEAD), a
young marine descending into insanity during his time in Desert Storm.
This is an important...
November 3, 2005: INT: Jamie Foxx:
After his Oscar winning performance as the title character in RAY, actor
Jamie Foxx tries his hand at a supporting role as a drill sergeant in Sam
Mendes’ latest masterpiece, JARHEAD . Foxx plays a character who’s
excited to be at war...
November 2, 2005: INT: Peter Sarsgaard:
Actor Peter Sarsgaard has a pretty varied resume, from artsy independent
films like GARDEN STATE to your most commercial thrillers like FLIGHTPLAN.
His most recent film, JARHEAD , a war movie about Desert Storm, gives him a chance to...
October 31, 2005: INT: Sam Mendes:
Sam Mendes has once again succeeded in creating an emotional masterpiece with
JARHEAD , a war film based on the book of the same name. JARHEAD is indeed a war film with a style unlike Mendes’ previous works (AMERICAN BEAUTY and ROAD TO PERDITION)....
October 26, 2005: Jarhead site online:
The official site for Sam Mendes' upcoming war drama JARHEAD is online and it
is quite the interactive treat. I didn't really take a look at everything but I did notice that when you click on Jake Gyllenhaal's face on the home page, it changes...
October 21, 2005: Jarhead (not Jughead!):
I'd heard the buzz on JARHEAD
for a few months, but I didn't want to believe that shit, since
anything that seems to follow AMERICAN BEAUTY director Sam Mendes
"automatically" seems to have...
October 5, 2005: Jarhead pics:
One of the more promising-looking films of the fall season is Sam Mendes' JARHEAD . It stars
Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper in the true story of Anthony 'Swoff' Swofford's experiences in the Marines in the Middle East around...
September 13, 2005: Brokeback website:
In case you hadn't heard, Ang Lee's upcoming BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN recently debuted at the Venice Film Festival and won the top prize. It's not too surprising
considering it's excellent trailer and the generally good buzz it's been receiving. What...
August 12, 2005: Check out the suck here!:
From the director of AMERICAN BEAUTY
comes... JARHEAD ?
Yeah, I don't get it all that much either, but you know what...it
works!! I've been hearing Oscar buzz about this film since forever,...
August 9, 2005: Jarhead teaser poster:
The tagline you see below for Sam Mendes' upcoming war drama JARHEAD must be a military
thing because it's completely lame. The teaser poster (which BlackFilm have gotten their hands on) it's attached to, however, is better. It's not significantly better,...
July 14, 2005: Cooper takes Road Back:
Chris Cooper is an actor who's probably on every director's wishlist or dream cast and whose attachment to a movie instantly lends it credibility, which is probably why, like Bill Macy or Tom Wilkinson, he seems to be in every single movie coming out of...
May 12, 2005: Foxx has Dreamgirl:
Jamie Foxx and Usher have joined Beyonce in the musical DREAMGIRLS for director Bill Condon (KINSEY). In the film, Foxx will play a manager who leads a
female singing group The Dreamettes to become stars as The Dreams. Usher will play the choreographer of...
December 6, 2004: Sarsgaard is a Jarhead:
Peter Sarsgaard, currently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his performance in KINSEY, has joined the cast of Sam Mendes' JARHEAD. Sarsgaard will join Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx in the adaptation of Anthony Swofford's Gulf War memoir. Foxx will...
April 26, 2004: Mendes gets Head:
Academy Award winning director Sam Mendes (AMERICAN BEAUTY) has decided on his next project. Mendes will direct an adaptation of the Anthony Swafford war memoir JARHEAD. The book chronicles one Marine's experiences during the Gulf War. The script was written...
