Yeah, I give it four stars, shy not? It reminded me of Full Metal Jacket, Three Kings, Gunner Palace and Lessons of Darkness, in different ways. This is an action film that is about the absence of action. It's a war movie whose protagonist never gets to engage in combat. What impressed me the most was how differently the first Gulf War is depicted in this film from the current one--no IEDs, no longterm occupation, no house-to-house searches, and so on. Yet I think it still captures the average American soldier's experience in Operation Desert Storm, a few exceptions aside. You won't leave the theater feeling inspired, but you will feel a little of what it must have been like to be in Iraq as a U.S. soldier in 1991. Jake Gyllenhaal is turning out to be a very fine actor. He was very good in this year's Proof and I can't wait to see his performance in Brokeback Mountain.

JARHEAD is the best movie to come out in years. This movie is our generations FULL METAL JACKET.