Hollywood has been making cynical anti-war movies longer than their antagonist, the gung-ho John Wayne-era films. It’s not fresh anymore. (Idea stolen from Instapundit)

The reason? They say a country is always fighting the last war. For baby boomers - especially those left of center politically - it's always Vietnam. My generation, however, was introduced to war in the Gulf War, so hopefully we're fighting with a winning attitude.

	"Red 27! Blue 42! Saddam's our bitch ... hike!"

I didn’t expect Jarhead to be any different, and of course, left in the hands of Hollywood this could have become a political movie. Thankfully, however, it is adapted from a book written by a soldier (Anthony Swofford) who served in the Gulf War about his experiences, and sticks to his script. So Jarhead is an anti-war movie about a soldier who goes to war and doesn’t do anything.

Thus, I am content to say that my initial concerns were wrong, that this would turn into a “no blood for Halliburton” condemnation of the current conflict in Iraq. Jarhead did not.

There were a couple of bizarre moments but overall the movie is a compelling study of what the military culture and war can do to you psychologically. Maybe it depends on where you’re coming from. Watching Marines cheering American troops raking the village in Apocalypse Now to the tune of Ride of the Valkyries, I don't know if Mendes was trying to make unconditional patriotism look bad, but I know I was rooting for the U.S., too.

Even if Jarhead didn’t turn into a statement on today’s war, I still can’t recommend seeing it during a busy holiday season. There’s really not much of a story, and if you’ve seen two anti-war military movies before, you’ve seen Jarhead without the sand and burning oil. Every single cliché, from the overbearing yet hilarious drill sergeant to a soldier’s mental breakdown with a rifle aimed at a fellow soldier, makes it on screen.

Director Sam Mendes goes for his own surreal moments, like a horse wandering under burning oil wells, and he tries to be cutely ironic with Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Ha ha, they’re in 4,000-degree heat and could die tomorrow. Ha ha, stick it to The Man!

Starring in Swofford’s shoes is Jake Gyllenhaal, a monotonous presence who hasn’t reached larger audiences yet. Gyllenhaal was fine, but he’s a one-note actor. He has brief bits of passion, but otherwise he has the same blank expression, whether in Jarhead or Moonlight Mile. He does pick his roles well, at least, since his dry personality fits the parts.

The film follows Gyllenhaal from his first grilling in Marine Corps boot camp to his selection as a prestigious Scout/Sniper and on to Iraq when it invaded Kuwait. There he and the other jarheads wait in the desert, and wait, and wait, until finally they cross the border only to … clean up. The majority never even fire their guns in battle during Operation Desert Storm. It’s like an actor taking a week to shoot scenes for a movie and then find your entire part ended up edited out. Was it all for nothing?

In support of Gyllenhaal is a strong cast including Peter Sarsgaard as his scout partner, Oscar winners Jamie Foxx as his Staff Sergeant and Chris Cooper as the Lieutenant Colonel in charge of the battalion. Nothing wrong with their performances. Brilliant as always.

Didn’t change my mind. Jarhead is the cinematic equivalent of a Scud missile. It packs a punch, but never hits the intended target.

The verdict: