One Of The Best War Movies Of The 2000s Is Officially Releasing On Netflix

Published Aug 21, 2026, 11:48 AM EDT

Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.

Netflix is about to host a truly powerful 2000s war movie.

The war movie genre has been going strong for decades. The 1980s saw the release of harrowing war films like Come and See (1985), Platoon (1986) and Full Metal Jacket (1987), while the '90s delivered titles like Schindler's List (1993), Braveheart (1995), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and The Thin Red Line (1998). Celebrated war movies of the 2000s include Black Hawk Down (2001), The Hurt Locker (2008), and Inglourious Basterds (2009), but a 2005 entry in the genre flew under the radar.

Per What's on Netflix, 2005's Jarhead is set to arrive on Netflix in the U.S. on September 1. The war movie is one of a number of titles releasing on the streamer on that date, including 17 Again (2009), Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Jaws (1975), Phantom Thread (2017), and Ready or Not (2019).

Jarhead Is A Startling Depiction Of War

Hailing from Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, Jarhead takes a unique approach to the war movie genre. The film explores the states of mind of Marines during the Gulf War, depicting the effects of boredom, uncertainty, and isolation, with Jake Gyllenhaal's Anthony Swofford serving as the point-of-view character.

Jarhead is based on Swofford's 2003 memoir of the same name, which chronicles his time as a U.S. Marine, including his journey through the Scout Sniper program and his subsequent deployment to Saudia Arabia at the start of Operation Desert Shield. The R-rated film's depiction of war is an unsettling one, with moments of graphic and shocking violence breaking up periods of monotony for the film's main characters.

Jarhead also stars Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, and Scott MacDonald.

Jake Gyllenhaal Gives A Standout Performance In Jarhead

Jarhead itself was met with somewhat lukewarm reviews upon its release in 2005, and it wasn't a box office success. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 60% critics' score, and it grossed only $97 million on a $72 million budget. Despite some shortcomings in the storytelling, Gyllenhaal's performance is widely considered a major highlight, along with Roger Deakins' stunning cinematography.

Jarhead followed several crucial roles for Gyllenhaal, including October Sky (1999), Donnie Darko (2001), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), and Brokeback Mountain (2005). The latter film earned Gyllenhaal his first and only Academy Award nomination, which he got in the Best Supporting Actor category.

Jarhead went unrecognized at the Oscars, but the film still stands as a seminal Gyllenhaal performance. To play Swofford, Gyllenhaal underwent a physical transformation, but the role also featured a great deal of intensity and psychological darkness, attributes that would return in his performances in movies like Zodiac (2007) and Prisoners (2013).

Though Jarhead isn't likely to overtake other classic entries in the war movie genre, it remains a unique depiction of a complex real-world conflict. Even though it doesn't feature epic battle sequences or moments of traditional heroism, the Gyllenhaal film still has plenty to offer, and it could end up being a popular choice when it soon lands on Netflix.