This is a difficult time that we live in. I think the last time that the people of our nation were as divided as they are now was back during the Civil War. Half of the people in this country either don’t like or don't trust our current Commander in Chief or his little war. The other half… well I won’t say they're idiots… aw heck… I will say it. After all chances are they can't read anyway. As a matter of fact, it has become so bad that most of us would rather not even hear about what's going on over in Iraq. I mean, look at the news… Britney Spears carrying her baby in her lap while driving gets headlines over more of our troops getting killed over there. Am I the only one that sees something wrong with that picture? Speaking of pictures (I know… that was a terrible segue), I recently caught the new one from director Sam Mendes, "Jarhead." The film is based on the memoirs of Anthony Swofford, who served in the first Gulf War. And while it could be considered a war film, it really isn't. The story goes into great detail to try and make us live the life of a soldier during a war.

It focuses more on the retrospective times, when a soldier has nothing better to do than think about why he's there and when he's going to go home. It also, to a degree, shows how much the experience of being a soldier during a war can affect a person for the rest of their lives.

"Jarhead" is a very introspective film, and while I thought there was a strong pervasive message about war in general, there were times I felt it did not deliver that message consistently throughout the film. Then there was the matter of its star, Jake Gyllenhaal. I don’t think he is a strong enough actor to pull off the emotional turmoil necessary to successfully drive the character. I understand he has recently wowed the Academy Award voters with his performance in "Brokeback Mountain", but to be honest I have yet to see anything resembling an Oscar worthy performance from him, including "Jarhead."

Even Jamie Foxx, who did such an amazing job turning himself into Ray Charles in the movie "Ray", his role here isn't really anything special. Peter Sarsgaard and Chris Cooper on the other hand really stand out.

The new DVD of "Jarhead" is coming out in two versions. One is a single disc edition, while the other is a 2-disc Special Edition. I only received the single disc edition so my comments will lonely reflect that one. First off, the video and audio are incredibly well defined. The picture looks a bit grainy at times, but it serves the subject matter well as a good deal of time is spent out in the heat of the desert region. The sound is sharp and clear, and even during some of the louder scenes where one would normally lose some of the dialogue, every word can be heard.

The single disc also comes with a decent amount of extras, including two separate commentaries. The first, by director Sam Mendes, is fairly interesting but the second one is far superior. This one includes comments from the screenwriter (William Broyles Jr.) and the real Anthony Swofford. It is Swofford's words that are the least 'Hollywood' and really help paint a picture of what life was like during the Gulf War. There are also some deleted scenes and a longer look at some of the interviews that were done with characters in the film. Finally, there is a feature that has full sequences that didn’t make the final cut of the movie, much to the chagrin of the real Swofford.

"Jarhead" is a film that simultaneously tries too hard and not hard enough to tell a story about the horror of war. It's not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, but there are just so many long stretches where it doesn't seem to be going anywhere… I guess just like the life of a soldier during a war…

Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris Cooper, Jamie Foxx
Extras: Swoff's Fantasies" with Commentary by Director Sam Mendes and Editor Walter Murch, News Interviews in Full with Commentary by Director Sam Mendes and Editor Walter Murch, Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Director Sam Mendes and Editor Walter Murch, Feature Commentary with Director Sam Mendes, Feature Commentary with Screenwriter William Broyles, Jr. & Author Anthony Swofford
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.0 Surround Sound, Widescreen (2.35:1)
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 3/7/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Pervasive Language, Some Violent Images and Strong Sexual Content)
Website

We'll give Jarhead a B-.