Post Twenty: Jarhead

Saw Jarhead a couple of weekends ago. Pretty good movie. Owes A LOT to Full Metal Jacket, though.

It was an interesting take on Desert Storm. Basically, a shitload of Marines are sent to the desert where they cool their heels for six months and go stir-crazy waiting on 1) war and 2) the inevitable letters (or video!) from the wife or girlfriend telling them that it's over. Then, when war does begin, they don't get to do anything. The war is over in 100 hours, and ends as a result of the incessant bombing. More or less a psychological profile of these Marines who have trained endlessly for nothing.

The movie's not really anti-war, although I imagine there are those who would paint it that way. Takes a few cheap shots via the whole blood for oil fallacy. But overall, comes down to the idea that the Marines thought they knew what they were getting into when they enlisted, only to have their reasons for being Marines yanked out from under them by modern warfare.