DVD of the Week

Jarhead
THIS is a war film without any shooting. The fact the soldiers do not get to let volleys off in the direction of the enemy is the crux of the story.
It strips bare the idea of the military being a well-oiled machine.
Jake Gyllenhaal is Anthony Swoffrd, a real life solider whose autobiographical story of the first Gulf War this film is based on. Jarhead is not only well narrated, director Sam Mendes has created a solid anti-war film without histrionics.
The discovery of a foot in a still smouldering boot provokes nausea, while a scene of oil clouds raining down a toxic black liquid makes even the most hardened soldier want to put a flower in heir hair and head for the hills.