MovieChat Forums > Jarhead (2005) Discussion > Good film, but I have one problem. (Spoi...

Good film, but I have one problem. (Spoiler Alert!)

posted 8 years ago by MoviemanCin
4 replies | jump to latest

It's the climatic scene when Swofford is interrupted by the Major before he can take his kill shot. Why wouldn't the friggin' Major just go ahead and let him take the shot? What harm would it do? It's not like it would be disobeying orders or anything. I'm sure the air strike order was not accompanied by a "stop any sniping" order.

Btw, I'm surprised that there are so few threads on this post. Apparently not many people saw this film. That's disappointing because I enjoyed it. It reminded me of an updated Full Metal Jacket, and like many films, of my own experience in army boot camp in 1972. (not that it was as intense).

Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar and doesn't.

[–] justxme 8 years ago

Why wouldn't the friggin' Major just go ahead and let him take the shot?

Maybe the shot would have alerted the Iraqi soldiers. So they would have taken cover or run away in all directions. So the air strike would have caused less casualties.

I'm surprised that there are so few threads on this post. Apparently not many people saw this film.

I guess people expected something else from the topic "Marine Corps sniper in Desert Storm": more action, more adrenalin. So the first popcorn chewing 18 year old who watched it told all his buddies that it's boring (I had such people sitting behind me in the cinema). And the more mature audience who would have liked it didn't watch it because they also expected something like Rambo.

[–] mururoa 8 years ago

Btw, I'm surprised that there are so few threads on this post.

The forum has been purged, it happens on IMDB, seemingly at random since not all films are affected. Could be a bug in the software OR [tinfoil] it could be the moderators purging the forums of movies they don't like. [/tinfoil]

It sucks but what can you do.

[–] dannieboy20906 8 years ago

I haven't watched the film since it came out in the theaters, so I may misremember; however, I think there is dialogue that briefly refers to a bureaucratic stop. We (the air force) wanted to drop a smart bomb to prove we could take out a small target without causing 'excessive collateral damage.

I worked some acquisition, research and development, and operational test issues and I am convinced that such things really did (and continue) to happen. The most militarily efficient and effective way to execute a mission is set aside to use the opportunity for field testing in combat.

On the other hand, we also developed the bunker buster in under 90 days and used it. So, acquisition isn't all selfish bureaucracy.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

[–] dannieboy20906 8 years ago

I misremembered. We can't blame this one on the air force or the acquisition community. I just rewatched the ending. It sounded like the major was determined to get it in his record that he called in the airstrike on the terminal building and avoided the battalion needing to go in and fight door to door.

The military is up or out. If you don't get promoted, you are forced out. Officers especially have a limited window for promotion. If your unit is in combat and you don't get the right words in your performance report, you can miss your opportunity. The enlisted guys will always get another shot.

I think I would have let the sniper get his shot, but then, I got passed over for promotion. There is no free lunch.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.