Donald Sensing (one of TMV’s favorite Internet writers) is a pastor and former military man who also worked in the Pentagon. The Sensing’s son is in the Marines (Donald is one person who cannot be accused of being a “chickenhawk” when he writes on Iraq). So the Sensings went to see the new flick “Jarhead.”
Here’s a very small part of his review — which MUST be read in full (it’s more interesting than what you’ll find in other publications):
I haven’t read the book, but the lack of distinction between what’s live and what’s Memorex doesn’t help the movie, IMO. Perhaps as a retired Army officer I am at a disadvantage since I sat there mentally scoffing at some of the baloney. Example: sniper Swafford and his spotter, Troy, return at nighttime from a mission to find their entire unit blasting loud rock music in the night, whooping it up and dancing nearly naked around a huge bonfire of burning desert battle-dress uniforms. The four-day war had just ended and the Marines, including NCOs, are stripping their DBDUs and burning them. “Don’t need these no more! Ain’t never coming back!� one shouts. (Ah, the irony….) Then they all start firing their weapons on full automatic into the air.
Well, ‘scuse me, but that’s just crapola. In fact, there was no “end of the warâ€? to celebrate in such a manner, there was only a cessation of offensive operations by US forces at the end of four days. Units remained on full combat readiness footing for weeks after the day the screen Marines go stupid. Fighting continued, some of it very fierce. In fact, the biggest battle of Desert Storm was fought by the 24th Inf. Div. (Mech.) the next month…..
Read the rest for his verdict on the film’s flaws and virtues, the way the movie made Marines look (accurate or not?) and what rating he finally gives it and why.