Smoking Soldiers in Film

1. Jake Gyllenhaal (Jarhead; LCpl/PFC Anthony Swofford)

This 2005 movie chronicles Anthony's journey from boot camp to being a sniper on the Saudi-Kuwaiti border, then retreating back to civilian life. As good as Jake looks in that uniform, there's an entirely other suit he looks even better in... a cross between a Santa suit and a birthday suit, with Jake dancing around wearing only a Santa hat. Moviegoers agreed as well; the film received generally positive reviews and earned nearly $100 million at the box office.


3. Josh Hartnett (Black Hawk Down; SSG Matt Eversmann)

This 2001 flick's adaptation of the book of the same name did plenty to piss off Somalians, but was the first major box office smash of Josh's career (and likely his best role). Chronicling the events of the Battle of Mogadishu and the U.S. efforts to capture a Somalian warlord is all fine and dandy, but we couldn't stop staring at Josh long enough to really pay attention to the plot.


5. Matt Damon (Saving Private Ryan; Private First Class James Francis Ryan)

Even as a hardened soldier, Matt still has a babyface going. This epic film set during World War II had a huge ensemble cast, but also delivered the goods in terms of quality. It raked in an astounding $481 million at the box office during its 1998 release and went on to be nominated for 11 Academy Awards.


14. James McAvoy (Atonement; Robbie Turner)

Based on the novel of the same name, James beat out a slew of A-list actors for the role, including Jake Gyllenhall. He described as Robbie as one of the most difficult characters he's ever played, but the hard work paid off. The film was a commercial success and ended up being nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. James has been riding the wave ever since and has four movies scheduled for release in 2013.

Source: www.hollywire.com