Jarhead

I went with the lads from my house to see Jarhead last week. You've probably heard all about this movie allready, but for what it is worth, i enjoyed it. I thought the acting and the characters were great, some of the photography was stunning, particuarly in a scene near the end where an airstrike is viewed from the reflection of a window. There are some spectacular set pieces such as the burning oil fields of Kuwait.

It tells of the frustration and boredom of a soilder. "Four days, four hours, one minute. That was my war," the Marine sniper Tony Swofford tells us. "I never shot my rifle." It shows the effect of a tour of duty on the family life of a Marine, the unfaithful girlfriends, the testosterone, all-male environment, the machismo and the psycho. It has some laugh out loud moments, but ends rather unsatisfactorily. But then again, I think that is the point. There was no climax to their war, they, like us, were left feeling a little dissillusioned by it all. Not withstanding this, Sam Mendes skillfully develops his characters and creates an affecting and worthwhile film.