Jarhead a bomb?

[101ABN]

Can't speak for the Marines but I got this review in an email through a 101st group.

"Dear Friends:

Friday afternoon I went to see the new movie Jarhead. Being a Marine (61-65) I figured it was my duty to the corps to see any movie about them. After all, the critics are raving about it saying it is, "the best war movie of the decade! Most see!" That should have been my fist clue.

Allow me to provide a few alternatives to seeing the movie - root canal, trim your fingernails with a band saw, poke large sticks in your eyes, rearrange your sock draw or the cables behind your surround system and computer. Do anything unpleasant you can think of rather than spending 2 hours in a theater watching this trash movie.

Now mind you, I'm not upset because this was not just a bad movie about the Marines, IT WAS A PURELY BAD MOVIE! If all of the profanity, and trash talking filth and homosexual innuendos were removed, the dialogue would have consisted of noting but two full hours of hurrahs. Not even Jamie Fox (Staff Sgt.) was able to make it work, though he tried.

I sat there waiting, expecting, and hoping that it would finally get interesting, but Nooooooo! Two full hours after it started, it finally ended. A collective sigh was heard throughout the theater. There was nothing said or done in the entire movie that reminded me of the Marine Corps I proudly served in for four years.

Stay home rent a DVD of Bambi. At least you can dream about a good venison dinner at you watch it."

Semper Fi! JP

Thought I'd pass it on.

[Merceditas]

I remember seeing the book for sale, read what it was about, and didn't think I'd enjoy reading it. After seeing the trailer for it, I really knew I wasn't going to spend money to go see it.

[Far Rider]

Michael Medved didn't think much of it, either.

[Thomas]

Oh I hate Michael Medved's reviews (My dad loves listening to him though).

I went and saw the movie on Thankgiving night and thought it was a good movie.The problem I can see that most people have is believing that it is a war movie, but if you had read the book you would know that Swofford never saw combat (although he got a CAR for recieving Iraqi arty rounds and being rocketed).

The movie is about Swoffords experiences while waiting for 6 months in the Kuwaiti desert.He deals with the incredible bordem, and the knowledge that his girlfriend is cheating on him.The movie also shows the...pain that Swofford and some of his buddies have about waiting for 6 months to get a kill and, end up never experience war.

There is alot of cussing but from all the books I have read about Marines, they do seem to cuss alot.There is also some nudity in short scenes, where we see Swofford doin it with his girlfriend and a Marines wife splicing a movie of her cheeting on him with his neighbor, and a few ass scenes when the Marines are showering.

All in all the movie was a Black Comedy, but it was more dramatic then Three Kings.Not a bad Drama.

[LorSpi]

admin said:

Can't speak for the Marines but I got this review in an email through a 101st group.

"Dear Friends:

Friday afternoon I went to see the new movie Jarhead. Being a Marine (61-65) I figured it was my duty to the corps to see any movie about them. After all, the critics are raving about it saying it is, "the best war movie of the decade! Most see!" That should have been my fist clue.

Allow me to provide a few alternatives to seeing the movie - root canal, trim your fingernails with a band saw, poke large sticks in your eyes, rearrange your sock draw or the cables behind your surround system and computer. Do anything unpleasant you can think of rather than spending 2 hours in a theater watching this trash movie.

Now mind you, I'm not upset because this was not just a bad movie about the Marines, IT WAS A PURELY BAD MOVIE! If all of the profanity, and trash talking filth and homosexual innuendos were removed, the dialog would have consisted of noting but two full hours of hurrahs. Not even Jamie Fox (Staff Sgt.) was able to make it work, though he tried.

I sat there waiting, expecting, and hoping that it would finally get interesting, but Nooooooo! Two full hours after it started, it finally ended. A collective sigh was heard throughout the theater. There was nothing said or done in the entire movie that reminded me of the Marine Corps I proudly served in for four years.

Stay home rent a DVD of Bambi. At least you can dream about a good venison dinner at you watch it."

Semper Fi! JP

Thought I'd pass it on.

There is some excellent cinematography. But the core of the film undermines the very essence of what the Corps is about. Hollywood cannot make a film without good guys/bad guys - and of course it is Marines who are the bad guys.

The hype is SOP anymore. BTW - do NOT go see the piece of shit they are calling Pride and Prejudice (as if). Clueless is better Jane Austin than this pathetic rendition. And yet, like Jarhead, the ads can't rave enough.

It seems the only thing improving in Hollywood is the cinematography. Too bad no one knows how to write a decent script.

[tits]

farrider said:

Michael Medved didn't think much of it, either.

So I won't waste my money. The best Corps movie from my experience was the first 50 minutes of Full Metal Jacket, but it fell apart with Pvt. Pyle blastin the DI. Not that most of us did not want to though.

[Merceditas]

Found this on Sgt Grit, I see they've been discussing the movie for a while, didn't see the past letters and comments though. I thought this one was informative as well as a credible opinion.

More 'Jarhead'
Again this issue, too many responses to print all. The count is about 7 of 10 against. I think we have exhausted this topic. Semper fi, Sgt Grit

The book "Jarhead" first and foremost is a work of FICTION! The sale of this book to the public under any other category is an exercise in misinformation! Simply put, this book was written by a disturbed individual that has done a great injustice to ALL Marines, and especially to the Scout Sniper Community. In my two decades of service, most of which was as a Scout Sniper, I never saw or heard of such a dysfunctional Platoon...period! There definitely were no Strategic Target and Acquisition (STA), or Scout Sniper Platoons that would have remotely tolerated the author or some of the bogus subject matter in his book. No Marine would get away with the sorted events that are portrayed in the Book "Jarhead" whether they were in a combat zone or not. This book paints a negative image of the United States Marine Corps in a way that will do nothing but harm to that great Organization. Parents may never encourage their young sons and daughters to be part of the Corps and especially endorse a desire to become a Marine Scout Sniper. We, as a community are constantly having to prove that we are not "elitists" or "sh!t birds" and this book will be yet one more hurdle to explain away. The constant act of urinating on himself in times of stress, the complete disregard for SNCO's and Officers, and the overall WRONG sniper information(he states that snipers clean their rifles in pairs so one man can hold the barrel while the other punches the bore from the CROWN???), are just a few of the areas where Mr. Swafford misses the boat and defies his credibility. In defense of the Marines of STA, 2/7, I have to say that I had the privilege of working with and training many of those "REAL" Scout Snipers and I know that they are both embarrassed, betrayed and hurt by this account of their actions in the Gulf War. Mr. Swafford admits that he is not a school trained sniper (8541) but readily talks about his capabilities as being equal to or better than the 8541's in his unit. He admits to wearing a Hog's tooth ( a sniper's bullet and badge of honor) which is a slap in the face to all 8541's. In summary, I would say to all Marines and especially the Scout Sniper Community that they need to be aware of this book and it's misleading contents as it has already had a negative impact on the Corps. This self-admitted atheist has completely fooled the tree-huggers with his anti-war/anti-Marine Corps dribble and we as Marines need to stand up for what is right at every turn. "To defend the country ...foreign and domestic" as I see this book as an anti-American, support mechanism for the forces that would endanger the lives of our family, friends, and fellow military personnel. I concur with Mr. Swafford's Platoon Sergeant's comment from the Gulf War that: " this individual needs professional help!"

Semper Fidelis,
Neil K. Morris
MSgt, USMC (Ret.)
Executive Vice President,
United States Marine Corps, Scout Sniper Association

[juvenal]

Thanks, Merc, for the post from someone who has been there and find the inconsistencies in Swafford's story.

I haven't read the book, and I'm not a Marine, so I can't speak for the spirit that he originally wrote Jarheadin, nor can I say what is authentic about it or the movie.

I have to say, though, that I went into the movie theatre to see this expecting it to be a completely anti-American, anti-military film, which is a safe assumption these days. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

From what I understand about the training that Marines receive, it is intended to physically and psychologically re-program them to be willing and able to kill America's enemies. It's just that simple, and it's a necessary thing. Marine recruits, most of them in their late teens or early twenties, must lose their innocence in order to preserve innocence at home. Do we doubt that, to preserve human life, human lives must sometimes be taken? So we create killers who are eager to take the lives of those that would take the lives of the innocent. Our founding fathers understood this, as we do here, even if the society as a whole no longer understands or wants to face up to the necessity of it.

The thing is, I was surprised to find out that the film doesn't really question the necessity of trained killers or say that it is institutionally a bad thing. But neither does it shy away from the psychological effects that this training coupled with months of boredom might have. And it's important to note that, of the characters in the movie, only Swafford, his corporal and one other Marine really demonstrate any ill effects. The other characters are able to adjust. If anything, the film depicts Swafford's troubled childhood, his unfaithful girlfriend and his own irresponsible actions as equally culpable in the sort of crackup he has around the middle of the movie.

I admit that I've had a pretty soft life. In a selfish way, I prefer to have rowdy, uncouth killers protecting my country, my family and my soft life. It seems as if people wanted this film to depict Marines as priests or professors. They're not, thank God. I suppose one of the greatest testaments to the Marine Corps is that the vast majority of them return to polite society and, more often than not, with their Corps experience bolstering them, become leaders in civilian life.

[Merceditas]

I sure understand the training/conditioning Marines go through allow them to perform their job well, to kill the enemy and to protect their fellow Marines and the innocent.

From what I've been able to comprehend they are at their best (or rather feel fulfilled?) when they're able to perform what they've been trained for too. I suppose a Marine could explain it better though.

Greg told me he heard the Iraqi prisoners saying things like this, "When the Marines were shooting at us, they were smiling!" Pat told me during one of the firefights he was in, he happened to look sideways at his buddies, they all had huge grins on their faces, and the next day, they all still had grins on their faces.

[Thomas]

merceditas said:

Greg told me he heard the Iraqi prisoners saying things like this, "When the Marines were shooting at us, they were smiling!" Pat told me during one of the firefights he was in, he happened to look sideways at his buddies, they all had huge grins on their faces, and the next day, they all still had grins on their faces.

Although Marines may be percieved as just another infantry branch of the Armed Forces, they are feared around the world because of their incredible abilities.During the Persian Gulf War it was believed by the Iraqi forces that U.S. Marines were so Elite and dangerous that in order to become one, you must kill a member of your own family.