After treating us to the dramas of contemporary family life with \"American Beauty\", and a homage to the 1930s gangster flicks with \"Road to Perdition\", Sam Mendes resumes his role as film director with his latest smash \"Jarhead\". At face value, what appears to be quite a departure from his previous two films, \"Jarhead\" has all the ingredients for a classic American war movie. In fact, for the first 45 minutes, one would be forgiven for thinking Mendes has rehashed the formula that has made the likes of \"Full Metal Jacket\" and Platoon so successful. Everything from long tracking shots of the Sergeant shouting abuse to his Privates, to the brutal shots of the training camps in the build up to war makes \"Jarhead\" feel exactly like its predecessors.However, while the style of \"Jarhead\" certainly mirrors its peers, its content is greatly different. For starters, \"Jarhead\" is set during the first Iraq war and once the soldiers arrive in desert surroundings it's obvious that the film will be very different to its Vietnam counterparts. Surprisingly, Jarhead offers very little in warfare and while there are a few exciting action scenes, the film really focuses on the psychology of the marines and how they deal with being away from home. Jake Gyllenhaal, as Private Swoff, is commendable as a young marine facing the harsh reality of the frontline and his separation from his girlfriend. However Jamie Fox once again steals the show as Staff Sgt. Sykes, adding both comic and heartfelt elements to his performance. \"Jarhead\" enters a genre that has been filled with some of the great Hollywood movies. But while this film comes highly recommended, it should be noted that Mendes underplays the action to create a more interpersonal piece of drama than the other highly charged films of the same ilk.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","fnc":"googleTrackerHelper.doTrackPage( '\/'Jarhead-film_options~19000'\/Reviews\/ViewAll\/1' );"}