Jarhead

A gorgeously shot and perfectly acted film about a group of Marine snipers and their experiences leading up to, and fighting in, Gulf War I. Jake Gyllenhaal is impeccable in the lead, and he’s ably supported by Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper and pretty much everyone else in the cast. While Gyllenhaal is now assured of an Oscar nomination, cinematographer Roger Deakins (Fargo, Kundun, The Village) should not only get his sixth nomination; it’d be a crime if the stingy Academy didn’t finally give him the award he’s deserved for years. His shots of the desert lit up by burning oil wells are evocative of medieval images of hell, and his perfect attention to detail in establishing the horrors of war and framing the faces of the soldiers marks him as America’s leading cinematographer. Jarhead succeeds on another, more difficult level, as well: It humanizes its characters without making them simply moral. It’s a lesson that, had Oliver Stone learned it years ago, would have made Platoon more than a cartoon. Imagine Full Metal Jacket but with an emphasis on genuine feeling, and you’ll get a sense for what Jarhead delivers.