“Disappointment” is the only word I can muster to describe these two movies. Jarhead was supposed to be the definitive war movie of a generation, and The Ringer had the look of a classic slapstick comedy movie along the lines of a Farelly Brothers movie. Close, but no cigar in both cases.

[rate 3]
Lets start with Jarhead. There is a lot to like about the movie. It is well made and authentic in detail. From people’s comments who served in Desert Storm, it portrays the rigors of gearing up for a war that was over in half a week. The acting is good, the dialog and interaction between the characters believable.

But there are some things that don’t make sense. Like a pair of A-10′s firing on friendly troops less than a quarter mile from the Marines’ jump-off positions. A few miles in, sure. But not so close to the encampment. Then the main characters are trained as…