Jarhead Movie Cast, Plot and Everything to Know

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Amy Renner

Last modified: Dec. 22, 2008

Jarhead

Release Date: Friday, November 4, 2005

Director: Sam Mendes

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal • Peter Sarsgaard • Jamie Foxx • Lucas Black • Laz Alonso

R Action 2 hrs, 3 m

3 / 5

43% WILL SEE 57% WON'T SEE

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Plot

What's the story about?

Plot: "Jarhead" (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows "Swoff" (Gyllenhaal), a third-generation enlistee, from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, sporting a sniper's rifle and a hundred-pound ruck on his back through Middle East deserts with no cover from intolerable heat or from Iraqi soldiers, always potentially just over the next horizon. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see for a cause they don't fully fathom.

Foxx portrays Sergeant Sykes, a Marine lifer who heads up Swofford's scout/sniper platoon, while Sarsgaard is Swoff's friend and mentor, Troy, a die-hard member of STA—their elite Marine Unit.

Action Adventure Drama War

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Top Cast

The lead cast starring in Jarhead.

Jake Gyllenhaal
The Bride!, In the Grey
Peter Sarsgaard
September 5, Pet Shop Days
Jamie Foxx
Annie, Back In Action
L
Lucas Black
Unsung Hero, The Fate of the Furious
L
Laz Alonso
Detained , Wrath of Man
B
Brian Geraghty
10 Years, The Fugitive
D
Dennis Haysbert
Send Help, Ted 2
Chris Cooper
The Town, The Muppets
J
Jacob Vargas
Devil, KIMI
E
Evan Jones
Mr. 3000, Best Man Down

Crew Behind the Film

The Jarhead behind-the-scenes crew and production team.

The film's director Sam Mendes last directed Empire of Light and 1917. The film's writer William Broyles last wrote The Polar Express and Shadow Divers.

Director: Sam Mendes
Screenwriters: William Broyles
Anthony Swofford
Producers: Lucy Fisher
Doug Wick

Studios: Universal Pictures
Production Company: MP Kappa Productions; Neal Street Productions; Red Wagon Entertainment

Production Details

What we know about the Jarhead movie production.

Key Facts

The adaptation of Marine Anthony Swofford's bracing memoir that took readers into his disorienting firsthand experience in the Gulf War.

Production Updates for Jarhead

Dec 2004

Completed

Changed Jarhead movie production status. The movie is ready for release.

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Additional Information

Parent Rating: R Restricted for pervasive language, some violent images and strong sexual content
Runtime: 2 hrs, 3 m
Tagline: Welcome to the suck.
Also known as: Not available
Language: English

All Trailers

Watch official Jarhead movie trailers and clips.

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Release Dates

When was the film released?

Jarhead was released in on Friday, November 4, 2005. There were 5 other movies released on the same date, including Adam and Eve, National Lampoon's Pledge This! and Chicken Little.

Movie Theaters

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On DVD, Blu-ray / 4K

2006-03-07 DVD
2008-11-25 Blu-ray 4K

Buy/Rent on Digital (Ultra HD)

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Across the Web

Follow the Updates

Mon., Dec. 22, 2008 2008-12-22

Added the soundtrack release date of December 6, 2005

Sat., Dec. 20, 2008 2008-12-20

Added the Blu-ray release date of November 25, 2008

Sat., Jan. 14, 2006 2006-01-14

Created the movie profile

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