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Szórakoztató és a maga módján nagyon klassz beszámoló a háborúról a borzongás és a háborús jelenetek nélkül? Igen! Sam Mendes a helyzet magaslatán áll, eredeti módon teremti meg a sivatag sűrű atmoszféráját, és szentimentalizmus és érzelmi kilengések nélkül dokumentálja a tengerészgyalogosok depresszióját, akik amerikai-fiú álmaik beteljesülése helyett csak nagy veszteséget kaptak. Egy figyelemre méltóan menő film a nem menő dolgokról. (2006.01.14)

I’m thrilled. A slightly different, but no less interesting view of military conflict, which goes the way of depicting the feelings and frustrations that must be experienced by guys trained in elite units only to cover the backs of their colleagues deployed directly in the heat of war. We see their eagerness to fight in the scene where they chant and scream with enthusiasm during a screening of the bombing of a Vietnamese village in Coppola's Apocalypse Now, just as I felt first-hand the frustration of one of the characters at not being able to take part in "it". The impressive scene when, with desperation in his eyes, he begs his superior to shoot at least one soldier, has more power and meaning than half an hour of uninterrupted action. When the protagonist vomits among the charred bodies, the more perceptive viewer will shudder. The apocalyptic image with a horse, greasy with oil all over its body, and the burning oil wells glowing into the darkness in the distance, takes on a kind of mystical beauty thanks to the evocative cinematography. Jake Gyllenhaal continues to grow as an actor and delivers a terrific performance (an Oscar nomination would be fitting), with the reliable Jamie Fox backing him up. Not since Russell's Three Kings has there been such a cool war-themed movie. (2006.03.02)

Serious perspectives of war as hell on earth abound throughout cinema. It's a bit harder to find lighter funny satires. Yet is it worthwhile to look at war without a drop of sentimentality and still maintain a sarcastic tone about how "war is an asshole" even when it's boring? Sam Mendes has undergone a genre metamorphosis and instead of family crises, he observes the negative effects of combat conflict on individuals without firing a single shot. Right from the introduction to when they are at the military staging area, which in a way paraphrases Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, through the uncompromising pouring of ideology into the brains of the soldiers, when it is necessary to declare to the public forever how important it is to fight for one's country, to the (non)encounter with the enemy itself. In this case they are not the Iraqi troops, but rather one's own frustration from unreasonable boredom and endless waiting. When Swofford thinks of his girlfriend, the viewer is tempted to go and pat him sympathetically on the back; when he cleans latrines as punishment, we prefer to turn away. And when the sky turns black and oil rain starts falling from the sky, everyone has to realize that things can't get any worse. Then memories of encounters with a lone horse or a column of Humvees wandering through the desert come to mind and we want to praise cameraman Roger Deakins. Finally, any Foxx - Gyllenhaal debate tells us that the current generation of actors has its aces. And I'm beginning to think that going to war wasn't the happiest decision I’ve ever made. (2006.04.15)

Join up! Uncle Sam wants you! You’ll have a great time with us, get to do some shooting, kill some non-American bastards, protect your country and three meals a day... Or not? Boredom in the desert or Sam Mendes’ third attempt. And again it’s something completely different from his previous movies. This time he brings us a provocative and raw insight into the life of a young marine during the Gulf War. First he undergoes training and then, keen to fight, he is posted to a war where nothing happens and the action he was dreaming about never comes, and all he does is stand on watch amongst sand dunes, waiting and waiting... And waiting. The movie is more a patchwork of individual scenes (especially the one when the soldiers are watching Apocalypse Now I can’t shake out of my head, like many other scenes too), but despite that, or maybe because of that, the movie is really powerful. And we get good elephant doses of sarcasm and satire. In technical terms it is precise (that’s right, the camerawork is almost unreal; the scene with the horse in the middle of the burning oil fields is the peak of perfection), as is the soundtrack. Every one of the actors is great, as they tend to be in Mendes’ movies. Mendes’ directing is again flawless, inventive and seething with ideas. And Jake “Donnie Darko" Gyllenhaal is a chapter in himself, proving again that he is one of the biggest talents of contemporary transatlantic cinema. This picture of boredom in the middle of a modern military conflict and the impact it leaves on its protagonists is even more interesting and chilling because the movie manages to impart this feeling to the viewer too. (2006.02.20)

Unconventional war and anti-war film, not unlike Platoon, but unfortunately quite difficult for the average viewer, and I admit, even for me. Total boredom in the desert is not completely boring on the screen, but I couldn't fully immerse myself in the rising traumas of the soldiers. And a war film without gunfire simply isn't suspenseful. (2006.08.14)

To shoot a film that captures a war fought with remotely controlled missiles and aircraft from the perspective of a soldier who experiences it in a closed community in the middle of an inhospitable desert without the presence of women is very bold and above all challenging. The film lacks action, the risk of danger, and emotions fueled by fear, desperation, hatred, and pain. However, Sam Mendes took the risk and made a film that fairly accurately captures the endless waiting for orders and deployment, so that viewers tuned to the right wavelength would not be disappointed and would have a decent cinematic experience. Mendes is one of the most talented contemporary directors, but it is necessary to emphasize that his work is also characterized by caution, playing it safe, and working through unquestionable creativity primarily with established conventions. It is simply not a new One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which clearly criticized the system and undermined it with new ideas and a different perspective. When Forman was filming Hair at the time, he faced the unwillingness of the American army and criticism for lack of patriotism and anti-American attitudes. Jarhead could easily have been given a million or two from the Pentagon from its budget because, in my opinion, it contains similarly subtly dosed hidden propaganda of "American values" to what is criticized in Michalkov's film, when he mixed admiration for enlightened authoritarianism into his remake of 12. In terms of filmmaking, there is not much to criticize about Mendes. Fans of dynamic action will naturally be disappointed by Jarhead, but for me, it's a solid overall impression of 75%. (2011.03.05)

At the beginning heavy-duty boredom that you’ve seen a hundred times in a hundred movies. But later Mendes starts to show us different, more interesting things. Gyllenhaal’s dream-like visions when he pukes up sand, burning oil wells (definite climax of the movie) and soldiers who would do anything to be able to shoot at a live target. Jarhead really is an extraordinary film. It shows the US Army in a different, and maybe finally perhaps a true light. By the way Newman’s soundtrack is just outstanding. (2007.04.26)

After a long, very long time, we have a politically incorrect and properly wild ride that doesn't pretend to be too artistic, like The Thin Red Line, nor does it try to impress the viewer with the naturalism of its combat sequences, like Saving Private Ryan. Jarhead is a cool war caper that masterfully mixes all the necessary ingredients (stunning visuals, excellent actors, a hint of philosophy, and a thoroughly depressing war atmosphere), just in the way as a slightly demanding viewer would like. Some scenes are flawlessly staged, some are funny, some are shocking. But the whole is excellent, and for the first time, this is a film from Sam Mendes that doesn't try to impose on the viewer that he is a great director who only makes artistic stuff (whether it is true or not). Jarhead is a fair affair that grips you and there is no escaping it. (2006.08.09)

Visually, it was an extremely beautiful film, plot-wise it wasn't that great. While watching Jarhead, I was reminded of many other (and better) films, from Full Metal Jacket and How I Won the War to The Thin Red Line, The Hill and Black Hawk Down, and the story was again the classic confession of one green brain looking for battle. But fortunately it was also peppered with enough humor (which reminds me of the lack of "comedy" in these genres). However, the film is easily pushed above average by the technical processing. Director Mendes and cinematographer Deakins have a blast in the desert, you can almost feel the heat in the film, and from the oil wells being lit to the end, Jarhead is a feast for the eyes. One shot more breathtaking than the next. (2012.12.16)

I wasn’t expecting much from Mendes, but I really liked Jarhead. I know I'm not the first or the last to write this in a review, but after making a war drama with a penchant for expert psychology, a minimum of real action and a premise seemingly glued together by pathos in such an open, unobtrusive and uncomfortably real way, Mendes deserves, if not outright respect, then certainly deep compliments. It's a chilling account of the horrors of war, easygoing and low-key on the surface, but so powerful and believable inside that it has earned a place in my eyes among the thought-provoking masterpieces that are dominated by Coppola's Apocalypse Now (which also comes to mind quite strongly here). Jarhead may not be the best shot, funniest or most emotionally gripping war story made in Hollywood, and we've seen all of its basic themes in many other films, including some that we now call classics, but it’s one of the few American films that had me believing everything in it. This is where the awkward "based on a true story" caption would work quite nicely:-) 80% (2013.08.26)

I knew about this movie for a long time, I wanted to see it for a long time, but I have to be in the mood for war movies. Of course, I didn't get a war movie, but a proper drama directed by the great Sam Mendes. "Jarhead" doesn't tell the story of battles, the weapons used, or how many dead resulted from the fights. It's not a classic war movie that military enthusiasts would adore. It tells the story of the army, of soldiers, but the combat scenes are basically absent. The film is about military life itself, about how things work there and how soldiers are crushed by orders and the environment. They are in an unknown country, they are alone, they are cut off from the life they were used to. The Navy sent them to the Persian Gulf to fight against someone. Actually, they don't know who they're fighting against. They hardly see the enemy. The absurdity of the mission is emphasized here, when even the soldiers themselves often don't know what it's really all about. They have a task to fulfill. The main character, played by the great Jake Gyllenhaal, joins the army because it's a tradition in his family. However, his expectations quickly fall apart and he becomes a cynical person who tries to survive and deal with everything that comes his way, whether it's the death of his colleagues, senseless demands, or demanding drills. The film is very cynical, there is humor that serves primarily for criticism. We follow the lives of ordinary people whose tasks are very extraordinary. Once again, I realized that I would never be able to function in the army. I'm glad I didn't have to do compulsory military service. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/10/prach-uspesna-pokracovani-animaku.html (2013.03.01)

You can feel the militaristic agitprop to the bone in the first hour, which is of course riveting (and quite funny in places). Plus, Mendes’ playful virtuoso style suits it to a tee. Indeed, some of the lines almost made me piss myself laughing ("I don't have a bugle, Staff Sergeant"). As they say, though, all fun comes to an end, and that proves all too true in the second half, where it's nothing but over-the-top depression and the filth of war. Jarhead is also very interesting in that there is virtually (except for about two shots) no flesh-and-blood enemy to be seen. The feelings of depression and madness here are nevertheless so authentic that at times it chills the hell out of you. And that Mendes drew his inspiration from Kubrick, especially at the beginning? The way I see it, he only drew on the best, and in fact I found it appealing. (2018.09.01)