JARHEAD is about expectations. It's somewhat ironic then, that when it was released in 2005, this unconventional take on the First Gulf War failed to live up to the hype. Boasting rising star Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead, potential for politically charged subject matter and Sam Mendes in the director’s chair — then on a hot streak after AMERICAN BEAUTY and ROAD TO PERDITION — JARHEAD had all the makings of a critical and commercial hit. But the reception was lukewarm . It just wasn’t what we thought it’d be. Where we’d expected a harrowing account of the senselessness of conflict, we were given a war film without a war. This wasn’t a tale of young men cut down in their prime, it was a story of a generally unlikable motley crew who want nothing more than to ‘kick some Iraqy ass’. But while this refusal to pander to expectations may frustrate some, this fresh take on modern conflict could just make JARDHEAD one of the definitive war films of the 21st century so far.
