Anyone seen it? Is it worth watching?
Thanks

Yeah. Clue me in, too.

It's great if you like war movies, but think they should be less interesting.

Libtard movie that makes marines look bad, iirc.

In a word, no.

Went to see it with some friends, including a guy fresh back home from IRQ.  It looked like a war film, but ended up smelling like a big piece of anti-war propaganda.  We caught it at a cheap theater - tickets $1, and were more upset about the time wasted than the $.

Story points (a couple highlights):
Everyone's SO cheats on them while they're deployed.
Snipers waste time training and don't get to shoot anyone in wartime.  Ever.
Infantry guys are stupid, sadistic, and may have a criminal record - although this may be true in some cases, it really went out of the way to put a black eye on Marines.


Others may have liked it, but I want my 2 hours back.

(edited b/c I can't type when tired)

I thought it sucked big time as well.  Not worth a the time to watch it.  

Save your $, anti military, anti war.

Total waste of time & money

I didn't like it.

The gay dude from Brokeback is in it, 'nuff said

Quoted: Libtard movie that makes marines look bad, iirc.

BS. There was no angle to the movie. I expected it. A few comments to the right and a few to the left. No underlying propaganda. See it, it was good.
ETA: I don't think it was a"war movie". It was about a guy who joined the Marines.

I read the book.  It did not make the USMC look too good.  I didn't bother to see the movie.

Quoted: I read the book.  It did not make the USMC look too good.  I didn't bother to see the movie.

What's the title of the book? Who wrote it?

(The book FMJ is based on is 'The Short Timers')

book is also called Jarhead, by Anthony Swofford

Loved it.  As for anti war, all I can say is that all my ROTC Pershing Rifles buddies loved it.   It came off to me as pretty realistic.

Quoted: Quoted: I read the book.  It did not make the USMC look too good.  I didn't bother to see the movie. What's the title of the book? Who wrote it? (The book FMJ is based on is 'The Short Timers')

umm oddly enough the books title is Jarhead. Go figure

everything about the movie depends on your point of view of course. It spoke to me a lot about the frustrations and the effects of life in a combat zone. There are certain aspects of it that I will disagree with, but overall I can identify with a lot of what was said in the movie (and more so in the book). It's not so much a movie about war, but of a lot of hopes and expectations and the slap of reality that comes with life in the military. Just about anybody here that has ever served will agree that you had about .1% of an idea of what you were really getting into when you joined, no matter how much you heard/read about whatever branch you joined. When I got back from Iraq the movie had just come out in theatres, and I wasn't sure I wanted to watch it. But it brought up a lot of issues that I had buried inside myself that I was forced to think about, and for that I am glad that I watched it. I dont care who you are or where you served, if you lived your life in a combat zone for any length of time, you will be affected. Some more than others, and you may not notice it but somebody sometime will. And that was what the story was really about.

I am in an awkward position where it would be expected of me to attack any movie that depicted Marines in a poor light.

That being said, and I'm speaking only for GySgt D here, my memories of that time frame in the late eighties and early nineties is one of being around a bunch of profane, debauched criminals.

I am one of the very few of my peers that actually finished his first enlistment contract.  In my immediate "work group", we had: rapists, burglars, child molesters, armed robbers, drug dealers, and other assorted miscreants.

Perhaps the planets were just aligned just so during that time frame, but it also illustrates that what you went through can be radically different than another person's experience.

I have not watched the movie.  Just making an observation borne out of my own experience.

Quoted: everything about the movie depends on your point of view of course. It spoke to me a lot about the frustrations and the effects of life in a combat zone. There are certain aspects of it that I will disagree with, but overall I can identify with a lot of what was said in the movie (and more so in the book). It's not so much a movie about war, but of a lot of hopes and expectations and the slap of reality that comes with life in the military. Just about anybody here that has ever served will agree that you had about .1% of an idea of what you were really getting into when you joined, no matter how much you heard/read about whatever branch you joined. When I got back from Iraq the movie had just come out in theatres, and I wasn't sure I wanted to watch it. But it brought up a lot of issues that I had buried inside myself that I was forced to think about, and for that I am glad that I watched it. I dont care who you are or where you served, if you lived your life in a combat zone for any length of time, you will be affected. Some more than others, and you may not notice it but somebody sometime will. And that was what the story was really about.

+1
Look at it as "one man's experience in the Marines" and if you take it that way.  Its very hard to argue with.

I don't want to see a movie about gay marines.  That's just stupid.

Quoted: Quoted: everything about the movie depends on your point of view of course. It spoke to me a lot about the frustrations and the effects of life in a combat zone. There are certain aspects of it that I will disagree with, but overall I can identify with a lot of what was said in the movie (and more so in the book). It's not so much a movie about war, but of a lot of hopes and expectations and the slap of reality that comes with life in the military. Just about anybody here that has ever served will agree that you had about .1% of an idea of what you were really getting into when you joined, no matter how much you heard/read about whatever branch you joined. When I got back from Iraq the movie had just come out in theatres, and I wasn't sure I wanted to watch it. But it brought up a lot of issues that I had buried inside myself that I was forced to think about, and for that I am glad that I watched it. I dont care who you are or where you served, if you lived your life in a combat zone for any length of time, you will be affected. Some more than others, and you may not notice it but somebody sometime will. And that was what the story was really about. Well I take exception to your .1%!   I think its too high. I also think this post also is better than just a tag.

Those are loosely based figures

Strange that how, no matter how bad our experience may have been, about 99.9% of us that served(me included) wouldn't trade our time in service for the world if given the chance, isn't it?

Having seen how absolutely horrible the movie "Stealth" was and how absolutely horrible Jamie Fox was in "Stealth" I'd have to say that I have serious doubts about "Jarhead."

Plus it's got the gay cowboy guy in it.

No thanks.

I read the book just before the movie came out.

Knocked it out in about 3 evenings.

I walked away from the book wondering what in the hell it was all about.
The author motherfucks the Marine Corps on one page and then speaks proudly of his service on the next.
He's not unequivocally FOR anything, nor could I tell that he was unequivocally AGAINST anything.

Long story short, I didn't go to the theater and I don't think I'll be renting this one either.

Quoted: Having seen how absolutely horrible the movie "Stealth" was and how absolutely horrible Jamie Fox was in "Stealth" I'd have to say that I have serious doubts about "Jarhead." Plus it's got the gay cowboy guy in it. No thanks.

Jamie Foxx was bad is stealth because it was a horrible story, script, everything. He was the token black guy in stealth. Jamie Foxx Has blown me away with his acting because I wasn't expecting anything good from him, think of his TV show. He was great in Collateral and in Jarhead, and the little bit of RAy that I saw he was great in also. I wouldn't let one movie form my opinion on an actor, Stealth or Brokeback Mountain. Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhall are both goos actors. Jake G get a lot of hate on this board because of Brokeback Mountain, I think that is because alot of the people on this board are very closeminded religious people and are afraid of anything that does not go along with their accepted beliefs.

ETA: Flame suit on

Ummm...... those are commie homo words that you just uttered, pal.

Sorry if I call it like I see it, don't get me wrong I think this site is great and my comments cetainly don't apply to everyone here. Just pointing out the bias this site has toward certain things.

shit .. here goes..

i saw it...

i liked it

I will buy it when it comes out.

i served my beloved Marine Corps

I served 8 years and I can very easily say that JARHEAD represents ALOT of what it was like my first couple of years.  Times have changed and I think this movie makes a good show of a time period in Marine history.  I knew alot of LOST guys like that.  The best point of the WHOLE book and movie was that NO MATTER HOW HARD THE LEFT WING HOLLYWOOD TRIES TO MAKE AN "ANTI-WAR" WAR MOVIE THE YOUNG WARRIORS OF OUR BELOVED COUNTRY WILL CLING TO THEM LIKE A BATTLE CRY FOR MOTIVATION!!!!!

The movie is not Anti anything.  It just is.  I think it was very well done.



OOH RAH

it's not an anti-war movie.   it's just an un-war movie


if anything, it's about how the Air Force kicks ass while everyone else watches
flame on!

Quoted: Quoted: Having seen how absolutely horrible the movie "Stealth" was and how absolutely horrible Jamie Fox was in "Stealth" I'd have to say that I have serious doubts about "Jarhead." Plus it's got the gay cowboy guy in it. No thanks. Jamie Foxx was bad is stealth because it was a horrible story, script, everything. He was the token black guy in stealth. Jamie Foxx Has blown me away with his acting because I wasn't expecting anything good from him, think of his TV show. He was great in Collateral and in Jarhead, and the little bit of RAy that I saw he was great in also. I wouldn't let one movie form my opinion on an actor, Stealth or Brokeback Mountain. Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhall are both goos actors. Jake G get a lot of hate on this board because of Brokeback Mountain, I think that is because alot of the people on this board are very closeminded religious people and are afraid of anything that does not go along with their accepted beliefs. ETA: Flame suit on

The gay cowboy bit was meant to be a joke. And I was being a little facetious about Jamie Foxx too. I realize that one role in one movie doesn't dictate the outcome of all movies, but what I was really getting at is that I just don't see many movies anymore period, especially war movies because they usually suck IMO. Too much hollyweird influence most of the time.

That being said, this closeminded, bible thumping, religious whacko really liked the movie October Sky and iirc the gay cowboy guy was in that movie, only he was a bit younger then

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Having seen how absolutely horrible the movie "Stealth" was and how absolutely horrible Jamie Fox was in "Stealth" I'd have to say that I have serious doubts about "Jarhead." Plus it's got the gay cowboy guy in it. No thanks. Jamie Foxx was bad is stealth because it was a horrible story, script, everything. He was the token black guy in stealth. Jamie Foxx Has blown me away with his acting because I wasn't expecting anything good from him, think of his TV show. He was great in Collateral and in Jarhead, and the little bit of RAy that I saw he was great in also. I wouldn't let one movie form my opinion on an actor, Stealth or Brokeback Mountain. Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhall are both goos actors. Jake G get a lot of hate on this board because of Brokeback Mountain, I think that is because alot of the people on this board are very closeminded religious people and are afraid of anything that does not go along with their accepted beliefs. ETA: Flame suit on The gay cowboy bit was meant to be a joke. And I was being a little facetious about Jamie Foxx too. I realize that one role in one movie doesn't dictate the outcome of all movies, but what I was really getting at is that I just don't see many movies anymore period, especially war movies because they usually suck IMO. Too much hollyweird influence most of the time. That being said, this closeminded, bible thumping, religious whacko really liked the movie October Sky and iirc the gay cowboy guy was in that movie, only he was a bit younger then

I agree with the everything you say, and it can be hard to see the jokes/sarcasim in the net. I am a big movie buff and I hate most everything hollywood. Everything they make is just cookie cutter crap. I didn't intend to call you a closeminded religious and bible thumping, it just seems to be a general theme with many hear. I am fine with that, thump your bibles all you want. I get annoyed with all the bashing of the actors in brokeback mountain, I haven't seen it myself and I would wait to see it before any bashing was done. Thank you for realising my comments were not meant to be harmful, I was kind of worried how they would go over here.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Having seen how absolutely horrible the movie "Stealth" was and how absolutely horrible Jamie Fox was in "Stealth" I'd have to say that I have serious doubts about "Jarhead." Plus it's got the gay cowboy guy in it. No thanks. Jamie Foxx was bad is stealth because it was a horrible story, script, everything. He was the token black guy in stealth. Jamie Foxx Has blown me away with his acting because I wasn't expecting anything good from him, think of his TV show. He was great in Collateral and in Jarhead, and the little bit of RAy that I saw he was great in also. I wouldn't let one movie form my opinion on an actor, Stealth or Brokeback Mountain. Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhall are both goos actors. Jake G get a lot of hate on this board because of Brokeback Mountain, I think that is because alot of the people on this board are very closeminded religious people and are afraid of anything that does not go along with their accepted beliefs. ETA: Flame suit on The gay cowboy bit was meant to be a joke. And I was being a little facetious about Jamie Foxx too. I realize that one role in one movie doesn't dictate the outcome of all movies, but what I was really getting at is that I just don't see many movies anymore period, especially war movies because they usually suck IMO. Too much hollyweird influence most of the time. That being said, this closeminded, bible thumping, religious whacko really liked the movie October Sky and iirc the gay cowboy guy was in that movie, only he was a bit younger then I agree with the everything you say, and it can be hard to see the jokes/sarcasim in the net. I am a big movie buff and I hate most everything hollywood. Everything they make is just cookie cutter crap. I didn't intend to call you a closeminded religious and bible thumping, it just seems to be a general theme with many hear. I am fine with that, thump your bibles all you want. I get annoyed with all the bashing of the actors in brokeback mountain, I haven't seen it myself and I would wait to see it before any bashing was done. Thank you for realising my comments were not meant to be harmful, I was kind of worried how they would go over here.

Why do you assume that anybody who's disgusted by the subject of man-on-man "relations" is "closeminded religious and bible thumping"?  I haven't been to church in two decades and I want to puke at the though of it.  

Frankly, I think you're being a bit "closedminded" (sp) yourself.  

Quoted: I am one of the very few of my peers that actually finished his first enlistment contract.  In my immediate "work group", we had: rapists, burglars, child molesters, armed robbers, drug dealers, and other assorted miscreants. Perhaps the planets were just aligned just so during that time frame, but it also illustrates that what you went through can be radically different than another person's experience. I have not watched the movie.  Just making an observation borne out of my own experience.

Gunny, How right you are. My service (Army) in the early 70s was so radically different than it is now that many people that serve today don't believe that it was the way I described it.

FWIW, the Army AND the Marines had the same problems at the same time. The USMC recovered a lot faster, IMO. Some of this I'll attribute to the size of the organizations. Smaller sized group, easier to change. Another part of it I'll attribute to leadership and politics. For some reason, the Corps can make policy changes easier than the army. My guess: in part the Marine Mafia on Capitol Hill.

Anyway, the early 70s bred an Army and Marine Corps that was rife with drug, alcohol, and race problems.It was terrible, and a BIG part of the reason I got out.

The Army I served in was a horrible mess. While I loved the army and serving, loathed what top leadership had allowed to happen with it. IMO, had I stayed in and tried to make it a career, I would have been thrown out on my ass for trying to make things right. To put a point on it, I'd have either been framed by some junkie or would have had too many racial/ insensitivity type complaints against me to be promoted.

Being framed as a Klansman was an easy thing for a Black GI to do at the time. Leadership didn't have enough backbone to stand up and support grass roots leaders.

Anyway, I was BSing with a couple of local recruiting types(USMC) and telling them what it was like. They expressed disbelief until a mustang LTC in the other room spoke up: "Believe him," he said. "Believe every word of it. You guys don't have a clue as to what it was like when I went through Parris Island. To this day, I do NOT know why I stayed."

That opened a lot of eyes.

This was over 5 years ago and the LTC had about 25 years service. Do the math. He went in about the time I got out.

Take a WW2 Marine. Eight weeks of boot camp, a couple days leave and off to the Pacific until the war was over. Period. Cut and dried. Eight weeks and he was THROUGH with his training unless he was selected for a pretty serious tech type school.

Now it's 9(?)/12 weeks basic and another 2-6 MONTHS of specialized training.

A lot of old men wouldn't even recognize the Corps/Army today.

Over the past several years I have heard more than one WW2/Korea former serviceman bellyache about how easy it is to get out and how the NCOs used their fists to keep order and all the old Hard Corps crap(yada yada yada). When I ask them if they think the young people are well trained, the answer is a resounding yes!

Incidentally, I have met more than one Marine and a couple of old soldiers that got virtually NO-repeat-NO training of any kind. I also know of another guy that finally got the opportunity to qualify with his rifle AFTER Okinawa was secured. The reason he survived was that he shot competition before the war.

I'd have to say that after you've been out a decade or more, you have a lot of catching up to do if you re enter.

I saw it and did not feel it was anti war or anti USMC. It was one of the few movies I have seen lately that I was not disgusted with.

I didn't however realize it was the same guy from broke back mountain. I refuse to see that movie because I feel that portraying an American icon as gay is an attack on that part of our culture. I am plenty open minded but two men falling in love is againt nature and is just plain wrong.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Having seen how absolutely horrible the movie "Stealth" was and how absolutely horrible Jamie Fox was in "Stealth" I'd have to say that I have serious doubts about "Jarhead." Plus it's got the gay cowboy guy in it. No thanks. Jamie Foxx was bad is stealth because it was a horrible story, script, everything. He was the token black guy in stealth. Jamie Foxx Has blown me away with his acting because I wasn't expecting anything good from him, think of his TV show. He was great in Collateral and in Jarhead, and the little bit of RAy that I saw he was great in also. I wouldn't let one movie form my opinion on an actor, Stealth or Brokeback Mountain. Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhall are both goos actors. Jake G get a lot of hate on this board because of Brokeback Mountain, I think that is because alot of the people on this board are very closeminded religious people and are afraid of anything that does not go along with their accepted beliefs. ETA: Flame suit on The gay cowboy bit was meant to be a joke. And I was being a little facetious about Jamie Foxx too. I realize that one role in one movie doesn't dictate the outcome of all movies, but what I was really getting at is that I just don't see many movies anymore period, especially war movies because they usually suck IMO. Too much hollyweird influence most of the time. That being said, this closeminded, bible thumping, religious whacko really liked the movie October Sky and iirc the gay cowboy guy was in that movie, only he was a bit younger then I agree with the everything you say, and it can be hard to see the jokes/sarcasim in the net. I am a big movie buff and I hate most everything hollywood. Everything they make is just cookie cutter crap. I didn't intend to call you a closeminded religious and bible thumping, it just seems to be a general theme with many hear. I am fine with that, thump your bibles all you want. I get annoyed with all the bashing of the actors in brokeback mountain, I haven't seen it myself and I would wait to see it before any bashing was done. Thank you for realising my comments were not meant to be harmful, I was kind of worried how they would go over here. Why do you assume that anybody who's disgusted by the subject of man-on-man "relations" is "closeminded religious and bible thumping"?  I haven't been to church in two decades and I want to puke at the though of it.   Frankly, I think you're being a bit "closedminded" (sp) yourself.

I was just saying what I have observed here on this board, not one person inperticular. Am I wrong is saying that there are a lot of religious(christians) on this board and they openly bash brokeback mountain, and the actors that are in it(who happen to be very talented in my opinion)?? I realize that my comments could be taken the wrong way by many people but I had no malicious intent with the statement in any way. I think that man-on-man relations is disgusting, but I am not religious in any way. I happen to find relgion almost equally disgusting. I was raised Catholic and once I was old enough to decided it wasn't right for me I stopped going to church and in 14 years I have gone to church only for funerals and weddings. I have not seen the movie, I probably will sometime down the line being the movie buff that I am. I am sorry if I offended you, it was not my intention. Being raised Catholic as I was I saw that most Catholics are the most closeminded people I have ever met. Howver I have met Catholics that are some of the best people I have ever met.

My take on the Movie....

I thought he author had an ax to grind as he was a "Shitbird" to the 10th degree.

I liked the way some of the scenes were shot as the brought back alot of memories of my time in the Gulf War.

There were a lot of MARINES and army guys pissed off as unless you were very mobile (LAV, TANKS, Bradley, etc...), the war really left you behind. Thank god I was in a LAV unit.

Quoted: it's not an anti-war movie.   it's just an un-war movie if anything, it's about how the Air Force kicks ass while everyone else watches

I'm sure the MARINE and Navy flew one or two sorties. Plus it all looks easy at 10,000 feet. It takes boots on the deck to close with and destroy the enemy.  Bomb it all you want but the ground troops have to go in to take / secure it.

Semper Fi,
M60-E4

Quoted: The gay dude from Brokeback is in it, 'nuff said

Bingo! A gay cowboy and a Stealth pilot in one. Stay away from this movie.

Quoted: In a word, no. Went to see it with some friends, including a guy fresh back home from IRQ.  It looked like a war film, but ended up smelling like a big piece of anti-war propaganda.  We caught it at a cheap theater - tickets $1, and were more upset about the time wasted than the $. Story points (a couple highlights): Everyone's SO cheats on them while they're deployed. Snipers waste time training and don't get to shoot anyone in wartime.  Ever. Infantry guys are stupid, sadistic, and may have a criminal record - although this may be true in some cases, it really went out of the way to put a black eye on Marines. Others may have liked it, but I want my 2 hours back. (edited b/c I can't type when tired)

Couldn't have said it better myself. I think the movie sucks, but the book is slightly better.

I read the book when it first came out.  Swoffard didn't portray himself as a stand up Marine.  he would explain how he would steal gear from his fellow Marines to sell at a pawn shop . . . nobody I would want in my platoon.

As for the movie, I approached it with an open mind, I was still in high school during Desert Storm - but there are things about the military mindset, the Marine Corps, and that region especially that are still true and just as screwed up.

I joined the Corps in 98 and served during OIF I & II and can recognize the tedium and stupidity shown in the movie - some things will never change.  

An antiwar film? Nope, nothing that we aren't already saying and questioning then and now anyway.  Read his book and decide for yourself.

i thought the movie sucked, of course it didn't live up to its pre release hype (like any movie does) but it was boring as hell, and some of the parts just plain pissed me and my buddies off.

of course the fact that i was playing dd for my squad that particular friday might not have helped my mind frame at all, but the other guy who was sober said he didn't like it either.