Jarhead

[NavComm]

I haven't read the book but I saw the movie last night.

It's not the worst "war movie" I've ever seen. My butt wasn't completely asleep by the end of it, but pretty close.

I left not hating the movie, but thinking if they could have told the story without all the unrealistic scenarios I would have enjoyed it more.

I found it a bit too much Full Metal Jacket at the beginning. The 'this is my rifle' has already been done and yet it played significantly in a few major scenes in this movie.

I also think they took license with just about every horror story you've heard about soldiers in the field (the corpse as a trophy, the training related death, the sexual antics) and put it all in to this one marine's experience.

I give it two thumbs down.

 

[triniman]

Saw it. My thoughts.

*As the good guys drive to camp in Saudi Arabia, one of them comments on how bogus the war is and that it's really about protecting the oil. And he quips about how the US armed Saddam Hussein. Despite this brief scene, the film doesn't come across as being anti-war.

*While this film is based on actual memoirs, there's no plot and you get a sense that you've seen it all before:
-the typically brutal drill sargeant at boot camp
-the harrowing training
-the lowest-common denominator language and interests of the restless marines, awaiting action in the gulf.

*I kept on waiting for the story to unfold with some items of interest. Instead, this film is a collection of observations. Witness the bulletin board in the camp with, plastered with photos of women who have left their soldier men for other men (collectively known as "Jody"), with warnings and insults scrawled on the photos. The scene where they stumble across a highway filled with hundreds of bomb-destroyed, charred vehicles with carbonized bodies, is jarring.  I take it this was the famed "Highway of death."

*Overall, it gave a strong sense of "hurry up and wait" and my sense of what life was like for the troops, but could it have done that without being so dull?  I wonder.  I really can't see this film winning any Oscars.

I would REALLY like to see films based on or inspired by, actual incidents, that would make for great stories. I'd like to see a Gulf War film loaded with ACTION!

 

[GO!!!]

*Overall, it gave a strong sense of "hurry up and wait" and my sense of what life was like for the troops, but could it have done that without being so dull?   I wonder.   I really can't see this film winning any Oscars.

Straight from the horses mouth - this IS a soldier's life - it just does'nt make good TV!!

 

[kcdist]

Precisely,

This movie could just as well been about the Canadian Army. Take any three year period in an infantry battalion (preferably with an operational tour), take three years worth of 'off the wall incidents', attribute them to all the same soldier or to soldiers in his section, add a great soundtrack (not performed by the 1PPCLI drum line), and voila: a true blockbuster movie.

 

[medicineman]

I went and saw it yesterday.  Strayed a bit from the book, but at least wasn't nearly as disjointed.  In and of itself, I thought it was a good movie - I even had a couple of loud (though it turns out, private) laughs.  It seems not everyone has the same dark sense of humour I have... oh well.  One thing someone here mentioned - that basically this guy's war had diddlee squat happen.  That's the whole idea of the story - not every one lucks out (if you can really call it lucky) and gets into a huge firefight on a daily basis in war.  This dude was basically a lump of charcoal because he was trained to do something that someone decided wasn't a necessary evil so they could get their guys beat up and say they were in combat.  Basic premise of the CF - "If it makes sense, we don't do it" - and it's no different in any other military.  One of the many reasons this guy is so bitter and twisted.

MM

 

[PJ D-Dog]

I found it a bit too much Full Metal Jacket at the beginning. The 'this is my rifle' has already been done and yet it played significantly in a few major scenes in this movie.

Yes it has already been done in an other movie but this movie is about one Marine's experience in the Corps and guess what...it's still part of every Marine's experience in the Corps.  Although it may seem to be a Hollywood cliche for modern day Marine Corps movies, the Creed of the United States Marine is very much alive and well in the actual Corps and since this movie is about the Corps, thus it is included.

To support this claim, I'll give an example.  I am a PMI (primary marksmanship instructor) and when we conduct sustainment training for Marines going to the rifle range, we need to teach classes on the shooting book.  This is a little green book in which we record our shots when qualifying on the rifle range.  Every Marine is issued one for each annual qualification on the range.  Inside the front cover is printed "My Rifle" the Creed of the United States Marines by Major General W. H. Rupertus.  When we start the shooting book class, the first thing we do is have a motivator stand up and read the Creed after which the rest of the Marines present respond with a motivated oorah.  This is not a Hollywood cliche, but real life.  It's part of the fabric of the Marine Corps culture.  To say that it's been done in other movies is to dismiss it as an unimportant cultural fact.  It was repeatedly used in the movie because as Marines it is burned into our collective consciousness.

I also think they took license with just about every horror story you've heard about soldiers in the field (the corpse as a trophy, the training related death, the sexual antics) and put it all in to this one marine's experience.

I dissagree.  From both my own experience and speaking with the Marines in my shop who have been to combat in Iraq, these things do happen and are not necessarily isolated incidents.  The Marines in my shop have seen these kinds of things take place in their units while on deployment and in training.

Training related deaths still take place today.  Live fire accidents do take place during training and anyone who says it isn't so is seeing the world through rose colored glasses.  During every quarter, there is one death at both boot camps.  This stuff happens.  If the recruit doesn't drown during swim qual, then he has a heart attack and dies or there is a weapons accident.  As an instructor on the range, I don't wear a loaded 9mm pistol because I think it's cool.  As for training accidents at subsequent fleet training courses, if the Marine fails to obey safety regulations, then he can potentially get hurt.  After saying all of this, it doesn't mean that the Marine Corps does not take every precaution to avoid accidents because we do.  We can't water down the training to the point of making it inneffective.  There are some risk factors in every training evolution and sometimes the risks are higher than others.

Another thing to consider is the fact that these guys are scout snipers.  Scout sniper school is not an easy school to go through and the training is intense and realistic.

Other points in the movie such as the wall of shame, the porn flick of your wife with the neighbour and the constant worry of your girlfriend running off with someone else is also a reality.  As for the sexual antics, that's just part of having a bunch of guys with high testosterone levels blwoing off some steam due to bordom in the desert for months on end. 

One of my best friends came back from Iraq last year and has attested to all of the events portrayed in this movie.  The part that shows the motars coming in and Swofford standing there in amazement watching is also factual.  During training, you don't get barraged by motar fire but when some Marines see it for the first time, they are mesmorized by it and don't always react as they should.  This is stuff that happens.

I give it two thumbs down.

I guess you are giving the whole Marine Corps experience two thumbs down because everything in this movie is the real deal.

 

[fir_na_tine]

I went and saw it yesterday.   Strayed a bit from the book, but at least wasn't nearly as disjointed.   In and of itself, I thought it was a good movie - I even had a couple of loud (though it turns out, private) laughs.   It seems not everyone has the same dark sense of humour I have... oh well.  

I got a few laughs out of it as well, it's a real pity people don't share my dark sense of humour. *shrugs* It wasn't that bad of a movie it was actually close to the book.

 

[jswift872]

I laughed afew times to, by myself, it was awkward, but hey, i enjoyed the movie.

 

[jmackenzie_15]

There were some laughs in that movie for sure...
obviously the people that will appreciate this movie the most will be the infantry types far and wide, as it is about them, and so far all my fellow troops have found it to be quite similar to our own lives in alot of ways.

Let's get everyones opinion on whether or not its realistic, then if they serve in the infantry or not, and see what the results are 

Theres not much more I can say about the movie that I havnt or anyone else hasnt, but again, It was excellent.
PJ D-Dog summed it up quite well.

 

[GO!!!]

I think the main problem that the non-cbt arms viewers of this movie encountered is that it is true to life.

Basic/Infantry training is difficult, instructors are jerks, accidents happen, and for the most part, your deployment will consist of 6 weeks of boredom followed by 6 seconds of terror.

None of these "truisms" make good TV, but they are the truth. Saying something "has been done" is not relevant. This movie was sold as one man's story, and told it. If you want mindless explosions and action, go rent a Shwarzenegger flick. If you want exposure to what really goes on, take PJ D-Dogs word for it, and watch the movie again.

From my own experience, people say "wow, that must be a rush" about military parachuting. I think;

"yeah, I'm sure glad I woke up at 0330 for Chalk assembly, got dressed in a horribly uncomfortable harness and sat with my ruck on my knees and snowshoes in my back for two hours, and a two hour delay, whilst sweating in full winter kit, then suffered through 3 racetracks, jumped, landed on the road, and limped to the DZRV for 0905"

Like most things in the military, it's pretty cool during that 30 seconds of flight, but that 30 seconds required 6 hours of discomfort and misery first. It's not all glamour.

 

[jmackenzie_15]

I think the main problem that the non-cbt arms viewers of this movie encountered is that it is true to life.

Basic/Infantry training is difficult, instructors are jerks, accidents happen, and for the most part, your deployment will consist of 6 weeks of boredom followed by 6 seconds of terror.

None of these "truisms" make good TV, but they are the truth. Saying something "has been done" is not relevant. This movie was sold as one man's story, and told it. If you want mindless explosions and action, go rent a Shwarzenegger flick. If you want exposure to what really goes on, take PJ D-Dogs word for it, and watch the movie again.

From my own experience, people say "wow, that must be a rush" about military parachuting. I think;

"yeah, I'm sure glad I woke up at 0330 for Chalk assembly, got dressed in a horribly uncomfortable harness and sat with my ruck on my knees and snowshoes in my back for two hours, and a two hour delay, whilst sweating in full winter kit, then suffered through 3 racetracks, jumped, landed on the road, and limped to the DZRV for 0905"

Like most things in the military, it's pretty cool during that 30 seconds of flight, but that 30 seconds required 6 hours of discomfort and misery first. It's not all glamour.

Ssssshhhhh!!!!
Go! youre going to scare away potential recruits with talk like that!! Whats going to happen if they find out it isnt 90% action and fun 10% boredom and crazy irritating headache inducing BS , but the other way around!  God help us if people start to find out what really goes on 

I get a kick out of reviewers and people saying how war movies and such arent realistic, when they have never served in the combat arms, or any branch of the military at alll. Where do they get off?

I wish I could tell all those CSI and ER shows theyre doing everything wrong and its totally unrealistic and get away with it. Excuse me while I march downtown to the RCMP station and explain to the nice policemen how they are doing everything wrong, and arent acting according to what I have learned from television and videogames to be the gospel truth  :

On another note, did I mention I really liked the movie and the book ?

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

I enjoyed the movie, and I particularly enjoyed the "Ride of Valkeries."

I cannot speak to its authenticity, but the events certainly had a ring of truth about them.  The behaviour in the desert base camp shows the effect of being cooped up for months without other outlets.  Welfare programs are not a bad thing!  I've read some WW II accounts of soldiers in isolated posts and they also get up to similar antics.

I'm not sure if it had a plot per se, but then again it was a first person account not an action-adventure movie.  There was the theme, however, of the permanent effect of the experience on the man.

I recommend the movie.

Cheers,

2B

 

[NavComm]

To support this claim, I'll give an example.  I am a PMI (primary marksmanship instructor) and when we conduct sustainment training for Marines going to the rifle range, we need to teach classes on the shooting book.  This is a little green book in which we record our shots when qualifying on the rifle range.  Every Marine is issued one for each annual qualification on the range.  Inside the front cover is printed "My Rifle" the Creed of the United States Marines by Major General W. H. Rupertus.  When we start the shooting book class, the first thing we do is have a motivator stand up and read the Creed after which the rest of the Marines present respond with a motivated oorah.  This is not a Hollywood cliche, but real life.  It's part of the fabric of the Marine Corps culture.  To say that it's been done in other movies is to dismiss it as an unimportant cultural fact.  It was repeatedly used in the movie because as Marines it is burned into our collective consciousness.

Yes I understand that, it's still reminded me too much of  'Full Metal Jacket' But you are right.

I dissagree.  From both my own experience and speaking with the Marines in my shop who have been to combat in Iraq, these things do happen and are not necessarily isolated incidents.  The Marines in my shop have seen these kinds of things take place in their units while on deployment and in training.

Training related deaths still take place today.  Live fire accidents do take place during training and anyone who says it isn't so is seeing the world through rose colored glasses.  During every quarter, there is one death at both boot camps.  This stuff happens.  If the recruit doesn't drown during swim qual, then he has a heart attack and dies or there is a weapons accident.  As an instructor on the range, I don't wear a loaded 9mm pistol because I think it's cool.  As for training accidents at subsequent fleet training courses, if the Marine fails to obey safety regulations, then he can potentially get hurt.  After saying all of this, it doesn't mean that the Marine Corps does not take every precaution to avoid accidents because we do.  We can't water down the training to the point of making it inneffective.  There are some risk factors in every training evolution and sometimes the risks are higher than others.

Another thing to consider is the fact that these guys are scout snipers.  Scout sniper school is not an easy school to go through and the training is intense and realistic.

Other points in the movie such as the wall of shame, the porn flick of your wife with the neighbour and the constant worry of your girlfriend running off with someone else is also a reality.  As for the sexual antics, that's just part of having a bunch of guys with high testosterone levels blwoing off some steam due to bordom in the desert for months on end. 

One of my best friends came back from Iraq last year and has attested to all of the events portrayed in this movie.  The part that shows the motars coming in and Swofford standing there in amazement watching is also factual.  During training, you don't get barraged by motar fire but when some Marines see it for the first time, they are mesmorized by it and don't always react as they should.  This is stuff that happens.

I guess you are giving the whole Marine Corps experience two thumbs down because everything in this movie is the real deal.

I'm not giving the whole Marine Corps a two thumbs down. I gave the movie a two thumbs down. Whether or not it portrays real life, I didn't like it. I thought it showed the Marines as emotionally weak and (albeit with exceptions) I don't think they are.

The movie certainly doesn't do anything to promote the marines, or even make them look mildly patriotic or professional. Not that it's Hollywood's job to do that. IMO that movie is going to be fodder for all the lefties who will use it to say: see, look what happened to those guys, they went to Kuwait for 6 months and now they're all f*cked up.

Keep in mind also, being a 46 yr old female, I'm sure I'm not the target audience for this film, so I don't think Sam Mendes will mind if I don't like his movie.

 

[DG-41]

Saw it, liked it, thought it was an unusually honest movie.

As far as the "too much influence from Full Metal Jacket" comments go, independant of the confirmation from the actual Marine that such things Really Do Happen In The Marine Corps, don't forget too that we all live in the media generation. The cliches from war movies (and other types of media) wind up being incorporated into our own lives. Who here hasn't quoted or twisted "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like... victory" or during a retrograde action done a Monty Python "Run Away!"? And don't even get me started on the Holy Hand Grenade jokes on the grenade range.....

DG 

 

[PJ D-Dog]

As far as the "too much influence from Full Metal Jacket" comments go, independant of the confirmation from the actual Marine that such things Really Do Happen In The Marine Corps, don't forget too that we all live in the media generation. The cliches from war movies (and other types of media) wind up being incorporated into our own lives.

It's like the Andy Warhol quote: "does life imitate art or does art imitate life?"   The question that begs to be asked here is:   in this mass media age, where do the lines cross and how do we distinguish the two?   That's super off topic....from my experience from the Full Metal Jacket issue is that it (the movie) imitates life but only the life that is known to exist within the Marine Corps culture.   Unless you have experienced that culture, and there is only really one way to do that, "to be born again hard", then you can only have a logical understand and appreciation of it.   I think this is where some people are falling down on understanding how this film could portray reality without any real exageration.

Who here hasn't quoted or twisted "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like... victory" or during a retrograde action done a Monty Python "Run Away!"? And don't even get me started on the Holy Hand Grenade jokes on the grenade range.....

Although maybe not as popular as the movies, I tend to quote a lot from Python's flying circus series.   I have the book with the complete scripts and I've spent a near lifetime memorizing them.   I guess that's why I'm so dry.

PJ D-Dog

 

[In the light of things]

The movie certainly doesn't do anything to promote the marines, or even make them look mildly patriotic or professional. Not that it's Hollywood's job to do that.

Hollywood's job is to entertain,rarely ever does it do that, but sometimes it does; at the cost of what.  With movies like "Saving Private Ryan" (which by the way IMHO I hate the entire plot, I only watched it because I thought Tom Hanks was a good actor), teens these days think that the US was/is/will be the only country to have a military, and the one-sidedness of these movies is the problem.  Producers should spend more time on the story than making up some stupid crap so they have get steven spielburg to make it look good as a finished product.

 

[dearryan]

STOP!!!.....Take the idea of seeing this movie out of your head....DO IT NOW!....Good....Now place it on the ground....Now slowly step back....Further....Good....Now turn around and RUN!!!

Just saw this piece of crap and I want the last two hours of my life back.

I can't recall seeing a movie without a plot before...well...perhaps My Dinner With Andre. This is, without exception, the worst movie I've seen all year. Not to ruin the plot but....Ha! I'm kidding...there isn't one.

Ever been on a two month ex in Wainright, and one day blends into the next and you can't wait to get home. Now image watching a movie about it.

I won't even comment about the content, however, the Marines that I have worked and trained with would never have put up with the crap thats displayed in the movie. I think it's called Artistic License. Furthermore, I have not been so ticked off with an unrealistic military portrayal in a movie since I saw Defcon 4.

You've been warned. (Although I know the great majority of you will go see it anyway.....just remember this......I told you so!)

next time after reading your post.....I will listen a little better. I want the last 2 hours back!

 

[TN2IC]

I have to say.. it was a good movie. It was worth whatever I paid.... should of tried being a senior....cheaper...

But overall... I enjoyed every moment of the movie. Too bad I had to go pee after drinking one of those bladder buster up sized pops... jesus! I tell you...I can move very quickly from the top row, down. LMAO.

 

[ghazise]

I thought the movie was really good, (I read the book a couple years ago), I liked that Jarhead wasn't a traditional war movie plot, I liked how it did depict a different aspect of the Corps, but mainly it shows that not every moment of war is actually intense combat and the effects of non-war onto men.  And sitting in the middle of the desert for 7 months, with absolutely nothing to do will make you go nuts,  cause the desert sucks, and the ******* sand sucks, 

 

 

[Weiner]

I thought the movie was pretty good and I might even catch it again before it leaves theatres.  I just thought it a little funny that in the movie the airstrikes basically lit up the whole airfield when going for just the tower and two officers, but they just used cannon and a smaller rocket or something (I have no idea on the correct terminology) only taking out a smaller vehicle when they were attacking the large movement of ground troops (the friendly fire incident).  I suppose almost every movie could be picked apart, but that is just what stood out to me. 

I'm just glad to pay the $9 to see a movie that is over 2 hours and at least partially interesting.