One of the Most Haunting War Movies of All Time Is Leaving Netflix

One of the Most Haunting War Movies of All Time Is Leaving Netflix Image via Universal Pictures By  Rahul Malhotra Published 58 minutes ago Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema. 

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him). Sign in to your Collider account follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

After working with the legendary Conrad L. Hall on his first two films — American Beauty and Road to Perdition — director Sam Mendes partnered up with cinematographer Roger Deakins for the first time on the Gulf War movie Jarhead. The film was released two decades ago to mostly positive reviews but disappointing box-office results. Jarhead inspired a handful of completely unrelated direct-to-video sequels, which sort of explains why audiences didn't connect with it. Unlike the action-packed Black Hawk Down, which was released only a few years earlier, Jarhead was a mostly meditative take on the futility of war. The movie is currently available to stream on Netflix, but not for much longer. It'll leave the service on December 10.

Jarhead featured Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role of Anthony Swafford, the soldier on whose memoir the film was based. Produced on a reported budget of over $70 million, the film grossed just under $100 million worldwide, making it the first box office disappointment of Mendes' career. American Beauty was a blockbuster, grossing more than $350 million globally; Road to Perdition was no pushover either, grossing more than $180 million worldwide. Jarhead, however, seemed to leave audiences taken aback by its tone. It holds a 60% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, "This first-person account of the first Gulf War scores with its performances and cinematography but lacks an emotional thrust."

Roger Deakins Won His Second Oscar for Sam Mendes' '1917'

The great critic Roger Ebert was a fan, awarding the movie a near-perfect three-and-a-half stars out of four. In his review, he wrote, "Beautifully visualized by the film is a vastness — first sand, then sand covered with black rain, then skies red with unchanging flames 24 hours a day." Deakins would go on to collaborate with Mendes on Revolutionary Road, Skyfall, Empire of Light, and 1917, winning his second Oscar for the latter. However, Mendes is reportedly working with Greig Fraser on his ambitious upcoming four-part biopic of The Beatles. Also featuring Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris Cooper, and a young John Krasinski, Jarhead is available on Netflix till December 10. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Jarhead

Like R War Biography Drama Release Date November 4, 2005 Runtime 125 Minutes Director Sam Mendes Writers William Broyles Jr., Anthony Swofford

Cast

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• Jake Gyllenhaal
• Jamie Foxx

Genres War, Biography, Drama Powered by Expand Collapse

• Movie News
• Sam Mendes
• Jake Gyllenhaal

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