Ex-US Marine Anthony Swofford made a big splash with his 2003 memoir. It told the story of his time in the military in Saudi Arabia before Desert Storm (in 1990), through his time fighting in Kuwait. The timing of the books release certainly didn't hurt its ability to get on the best-seller list, but it was the book's refreshing perspective that pushed it over the line. In an age when the media has returned the focus of war reporting to politics, Swofford offered the perspective of a grunt foot slogger. As a film, Jarhead could not have captured that more accurately.

Jarhead is about being a marine in wartime. It's not about war, it's not a tale of triumph and glory. It's about the boredom between missions, the brief bursts of fear and insanity during missions, and it's about the bond between fellow soldiers. Nothing sums Jarhead up better than the quote: "To hell with politics. We're here now."