In a film of crossed signals where one was not always sure where one’s sympathies are meant to lie, ‘Jarhead’ initially follows the path of Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Full Metal Jacket’ and depicts the training of young marines, designed to fill empty vessels (‘jarheads’) with bloodlust. Events are seen through the eyes of Anthony Swofford, author of the book from which the film was adapted. The recruits are then shipped to Kuwait in the first days of the first Gulf War and despite witnessing the aftermath of violent airborne attacks and enduring harsh desert conditions they are deprived of the opportunity to use their rifles. The film documents the results of the ensuing mental strain, especially on Swofford and the already unstable group leader

The film avoids categorisation as either as ‘pro’ or ‘anti’ war. The marines watching ‘Apocalypse Now', yelling and stomping in gleeful anticipation at the famous 'Ride of the Valkyrie' helicopter scene, suggests they welcome the opportunity for bloodshed, whilst the connection between violence and sex is underlined in the ‘pep talks’ delivered by a commander in chief, who judges the sincerity of the responses by how sexually charged they make him feel.

The script, which includes the marine-corps jargon as a culture-shock indicator, entertains, despite the sometimes heavy-handed use of voiceover in commentary by the main character. Sam Mendes’s skilled direction alternates violent in-group squabbles with the boredom of waiting. Cinematography is excellent, both in the scenes played against a background of burning oil-wells and the eerily silent meeting with a camel troupe in which suspense is increased by the clever use of distance and distortions. The vox-pop episode where the young men offer patriotic sentiments to a TV interviewer introduces a humorous note. Apart from the too-pretty good looks of the main actor, Jake Gyllenhaal, the casting was sound, especially that of Jake’s rifle partner, Troy, played by Peter Sarsgaard. Minor roles, like that of the scary sergeant who genuinely liked his job, were given an unusual twist. There lingers a suspicion that Jake Gyllenhaal took the role in case anyone should suspect he was a 'faggot', following his role in 'Brokeback Mountain', a minor distraction in a film whose message was decidedly ambiguous.