About half the people in this country support the war in Iraq; about half are opposed.
Like the war’s opinion polls, half the people who see “Jarhead” will praise it. Half will criticize it.

On one hand, the film has a stunning visual quality guided by Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes (“American Beauty,” “Road to Perdition”). Photographed in high exposure, the light glares off the screen giving the desert scenes a raw, overwhelming power. You should bring a pair of sunglasses.

The acting, too, is masterful, particularly Jamie Foxx playing Sergeant Siek, the sniper unit’s leader. He’s a man completely absorbed and solely interested with being a soldier. Nothing else – not family, job, or books – matters much to him. While others lose their cool in the tedious wait leading up to the fighting, he keeps his head. Watching Foxx’s confidence in the role of Siek, you actually believe this guy knows all the rules in the Marine Corps.

Peter Sarsgaard (“Garden State”) also gives a strong performance. He plays Troy, Swofford’s best friend in the unit. He is the emotional center of the film. In the first half of the film, he has a confidence on par with Siek. But the plot takes a turn and in the end he becomes the most vulnerable character in the film.

Even supporting actors like Chris Cooper (“American Beauty”) and Dennis Haysbert (“24” and Allstate commercials) give strong performances as upper military brass.

Unfortunately, the lead actor playing Anthony Swofford, Jake Gyllenhaal (“The Day After Tomorrow,” “Donnie Darko”), is not up to the material. He gives a dull, wide-eyed performance. The entire movie you can’t help thinking he’s a total idiot.

The plot lags too. A lot of people have praised the “Jarhead” book for being innovative and daring on its take of the Gulf War, but in reality, the material is thin and cliche.
Ad nauseum references to much better war films are made throughout the film: “Full Metal Jacket,” “Deerhunter,” and “Apocalypse Now.” You’re forced to sit through nearly seven minutes of the latter in a totally pointless theater scene. It’s as if “Jarhead” is unable to make its own stake in the war movie genre. The film also fails to catch any of the emotional intensity of its predecessors. Nothing in “Jarhead” comes close to the surreal power of the helicopters attacking the beaches to the sound of Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” in “Apocalypse Now,” or the gut-wrenching suspense of the Russian roulette scene in “Deer Hunter.”

The plot is simple, following Swofford through basic training, sniper school, the Gulf War build-up, and the quick invasion of Iraq where massive air-strikes took precedent over an infantry invasion. If you want to see a gorgeously photographed film, “Jarhead” is for you. But if you’re looking for a substantial look at war you’re going to have to keep waiting.