Starting with the underrated original released in 2005, the Jarhead war movie franchise has received three straight-to-video sequels, and some are better than others. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sam Mendes, the first Jarhead follows the real-life of Anthony Swofford as he serves in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s. Instead of focusing on the glorified aspects of military service, Jarhead is a unique specimen because it truly gets inside the mind of its main character as he experiences the highs and lows of active combat. Despite being a self-contained true story, the movie spawned three sequels that were released many years later.
Aside from bearing the recognizable Jarhead moniker, none of the sequels continue the story from the original, and all of the movies are disconnected from one another. As such, the low-budget follow-ups have largely flown under the radar or attracted a different audience than the more psychological original. Jarhead is one of the most accurate war movies, but the themes it explores are slowly dropped as the sequels focus on upping the action ante with each new installment. Regardless, each of the Jarhead films brings something different to the table and has merit in its own way.
4 Jarhead 3: The Siege (2016)
Like its immediate predecessor, Jarhead 3: The Siege is all about the action, but it ultimately feels overwrought and repetitive. In the movie, U.S. Marines must blast their way out of danger when an embassy in the Middle East is attacked. Bearing a ing resemblance to 2016's other embassy attack picture, 13 Hours, Jarhead 3: The Siege suffers from almost non-existent characters and action that has no emotional meaning. The production decently hides its low-budget shortcomings, but the story lacks the emotional depth of the original or the well-crafted action sequences of the first sequel.
3 Jarhead: Law Of Return (2019)
Though Jarhead: Law of Return is anything but magnificent, it takes storytelling risks that the third movie doesn't and introduces new elements to the franchise that hadn't been seen previously. Major Ronan (Devon Sawa) is a fighter pilot of the Israeli Defense Force and the son of a U.S. Senator who is shot down over Syria while flying a mission. Unlike the generic plot structure of the previous sequel, Jarhead: Law of Return creates an emotional arc for its main character, lending weight to the flimsy action-based plot. Though its budget is obviously low, it manages to balance its action and interpersonal drama in a way that neither becomes boring.
2 Jarhead 2: Field Of Fire (2014)
Almost 10 years after the release of the original, Jarhead 2: Field of Fire rebooted the series as an action franchise for better and worse. A platoon of Marines is tasked with escorting an important anti-Taliban activist across war-torn Afghanistan in hopes of creating lasting peace. The against-all-odds mission of the movie is somewhat standard, but the performances from cast like Cole Ha and Esai Morales are a cut above the usual straight-to-video fare. Jarhead 2: Field of Fire flirts with the themes of the original, but it's ultimately about the action, which is executed well for a low-budget movie.
1 Jarhead (2005)
Led by Jake Gyllenhaal, Jarhead is a thoughtful exploration of the mind of a real soldier as he experiences life in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Persian Gulf War. While the movie grossed $97 million (via Box Office Mojo) it was considered a box office disappointment. However, critics were much kinder to the film (via Rotten Tomatoes), praising the performances and realistic approach to war. Director Sam Mendes managed to capture the inner experience in an accessible way, and it stood out from the slew of pro-war films that were inundating cinemas in the years immediately following the beginning of the wars in the Middle East after September 11th.
Alternating between intense boredom and intense distress, Jarhead is not about the action; in fact, it's largely devoid of the usual run-and-gun scenes that typify war films. While not expressly a political movie, there is a thread of anti-war messaging simply because it tells a real story and doesn't glorify combat. Jarhead is often ranked among the best Jake Gyllenhaal films because the accomplished actor found a thread of reality in his portrayal of Anthony Swofford. The sequels didn't capture the special impact of the original, and none of them even tried to recreate the complicated nature of Swofford's personal narrative.
