Saving the Ambassador in 'Jarhead 3: The Siege'

Jarhead 3: The Siege (out now on Blu-ray combo pack, DVD and Digital HD) is not really a sequel to the 2005 prestige picture Jarhead. It's not really even a sequel to 2014's Jarhead 2: Field of Fire (which also wasn't really a sequel to the 2005 movie, either). It's more like a 1980s low-budget action picture retelling of the Benghazi attacks, with embassy Marine guards fighting off the terror attackers while they wait for MARSOC reinforcements and getting a better result at the end.

Check out this clip from the film:

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We cover a lot of serious movies that wrestle with the issues raised by modern warfare and America's role in the world. Jarhead 3 is not one of those movies. Sometimes you want action, explosions, gunfire and a middle-schooler's political worldview in your military pictures.

Charlie Weber (“How to Get Away with Murder,” “90210”) plays Marine Corporal Evan Albright, assigned to protect a supposedly safe U.S. Embassy in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. His fellow Marines revel in their soft assignment, but Albright senses terrorist activity in the area. The ambassador dismisses his concerns and lots of people die when the embassy gets attacked.

Dennis Haysbert leads the MARSOC unit sent to rescue the Americans, but they don't actually make it to battle until the very last reel. Everything leads up to a showdown inside an American-style restaurant called...wait for it...Freedom Burger.

There's a nefarious reason why the ambassador was able to create the illusion of stability in the country and a hot CIA officer who knows the real truth. Before the big finish, Albright and the terrorists (who speak surprisingly good English) engage in a vigorous political debate about freedom and imperialism, shouting around corners in the Freedom Burger kitchen before the bad guys get blown to kingdom come.

It's all over in 90 minutes. If you prefer your war movies on VHS, then Jarhead 3 is proof that they can still make 'em like they used to.

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