20 Best War Movies Released Since 2000

Jarhead is a war film shot from the sidelines of battle during the Persian Gulf War; the characters, lead by Jake Gyllenhaal's trainee sniper Anthony Swofford, never see war.

Directed by Sam Mendes and captured vividly by the great Roger Deakins, Jarhead creates a world in which soldiers train for battle and attempt to make sense of what it means to be a soldier, a hero, a man detached from the life they envisioned for themselves. 

Capturing the isolation of the almost surreal deserts of Kuwait, the drama uses dark humour and a grittiness that you can feel rubbing on your skin to explore the horror of a soldier's isolation, the tension of knowing one day they'll have to take up arms and fight as ordered. 

Grounded by its stunning cinematography and fearless performances, Jarhead, based on the real Swofford's autobiography, is a film about war twisting reality and identity until finally no one can see where they're going, or who they're meant to be. And it's absolutely triumphant.