I managed to catch Jarhead late yesterday with Shunz. Needed some time off considering the week wasn't going great.

Great though was the show. One of those captivating cinematic experiences. Esp if you, like me, did NS or some form of military training or just happen to love army/war/military flicks like Apocalypse Now & Full Metal Jacket. Or maybe you're just sado and love watchin pple suffer. Heh.

Anyways the start is awesome with the classic stand-by-bed with the drill sergeant scaring the living daylights out of the recruits who all chorus "SIR YES SIR" with great gusto no matter the question. The training phase was a la Full Metal Jacket, but with less madness and a very charismatic turn by Jamie Foxx as the sniper trainer Staff Sgt. HOO-RA!

Then things get slow once they move out to the Gulf to protect Saudi during Iraq's attack on Kuwait. It's an compelling look at how the men suffer being away for so long, especially in such harsh desert conditions they weren't used to. Their madness exarcebated by every lil thing.

Lotsa things will strike a chord with our sporean boys that have done NS. The water parades. The constant runs. The tekan sessions by the commanders. The joking in the bunk (tents in their case). The worrying about gf/spouses outside and the inevitable subsequent break-up.

The latter was especially stark when one of the men's wife sent his a video of what he thought was a porno. So there was cheers all around as the company watched. Then he realised it was the wife.. screwing his neighbour. He just lost it. And the wife comes to the camera at the end of the video and says "who's fu*king around now?" Man... How wars break up families in more ways than one.. Even if you don't die, you lose people. Or people lose you.

And that's a central theme of the show: Once a man is in a war, he never gets past it no matter what he does...

In any case, I def recommend this for all the bruthers out there. It'll rekindle fond and not-so-fond memories. But if you watch it with a mate, you'll smile & chuckle through it all. Shun & I did.