The only literary reference in director Sam Mendes’s latest directorial venture, Jarhead, comes in the form of protagonist Anthony “Swoff” Swofford’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) favorite book, The Stranger, by Albert Camus. This presumably purposeful allusion to the French existential masterpiece disappointingly never leaves the ground, and instead of delivering any poignant insights into the meaninglessness of life or death, the film struggles to give purpose to a war story.

Set during the Iraqi conflict of the early 1990s, the film follows Swoff’s real-life experiences as a Marine, befriending Troy (Peter Sarsgaard) and longing to use his gun. With neither the groundbreaking “dramedy” styling of American Beauty nor the timeless dramatic brilliance of Road to Perdition (R.I.P. Conrad L. Hall), Jarhead finds Mendes engaging in a sort of “War: Fuck yeah!” discourse.

Sadly, composer Thomas Newman saves his best work for the end credits, almost as if to disassociate himself from the smorgasbord soundtrack that permeates the film. Bobby McFerrin, Naughty by Nature, the Doors and Kanye West blatantly clash in the best possible way. Perhaps the most effective use of music comes when Nirvana’s downcast gem “Something in the Way” is featured over a surreal dream sequence. Only here – thanks to Kurt Cobain’s lyrics – is there some semblance of connectedness between the film’s themes and its gimmicks: “It’s okay to eat fish ’cause they don’t have any feelings.”

Indeed, Gyllenhaal never earns our sympathy and Sarsgaard yet again falls in limbo between being mildly likable and just plain boring to watch. Jamie Foxx plays the role of Sergeant Seik effectively but his character seems unrealistically playful, and Dennis Haysbert briefly provides some relief in the acting department, but even he cannot explain how Mendes’s artful sensibilities got lost under a sandy cloak of nationalism.

– Kevin Brown