Sam Mendes has traveled a lot as a director. Best known are his two James Bond adventures, Skyfall and Specter, as well as his big break, American Beauty. He has also made dramas, comedies and gangster films. Also two war films can be found in his filmography.
On the one hand, there is the film in 1917, shot in a supposed setting, which takes you into the trenches of the First World War. On the other side is Jarhead – Welcome to the Dirt, which deals with the events in the Iraq War and the history of the Soldier Anthony Swofford told.
Based on a true story: Jarhead tells of the waiting and horror of war
Swofford, a sniper, published his memoirs in 2003. These served the script as a basis. Swofford is portrayed in the film by Jake Gyllenhaal, who came fresh from the success of The Day After Tomorrow. Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black and Jamie Foxx also star in the film.
You can watch the story about Jarhead here:
Jarhead – Welcome to the Dirt – Trailer (German)
Jarhead spends a lot of time that Watching soldiers waiting. After the tough training, they are stuck in the shade in the desert at 40 degrees while the war is fought with missiles and fighter jets. Mendes brings many critical undertones to this waiting and, together with cinematographer Roger Deakins, creates some memorable images to illustrate the horror of war.
Although Jarhead wasn’t a huge success on the big screen ($97 million grossing on a budget of $72 million excluding marketing costs), the film has three sequels entailed:
These are direct-to-DVD releases that borrow the title of the original, but in terms of content hardly any points of contact with the film directed by Mendes.
When will the war film Jahrhead be on TV?
Jarhead – Welcome to the Dirt runs tonight from Friday to Saturday at 1:45 a.m. on RTL ZWEI. The broadcast lasts until 3:55 a.m. with commercial breaks. If you don’t want to stay awake that long, you can stream the film on Amazon Prime Video, among others, with various purchase and rental options.
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