By Neil Davey
"For most problems the Marine is issued a solution. If ill, go to sickbay. If wounded, call a Corpsman. If dead, report to graves registration. If losing his mind, however, no standard solution exists."
What's it about?
His father was a Marine. His grandfather was a Marine. Well-read, philosophising, navel-gazing Anthony "Swoff" Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) is thus under a certain amount of pressure to follow suit. He enlists at a bad time: just before Desert Storm. After barely making it through boot camp, he discovers a talent as a sniper which ensures he's front and centre (well, hidden and distant, technically, but you get my point) when the war breaks out. But is he actually a killer? Can he pull the trigger on a live target?