Full Metal Jacket (1987)

• Year: 1987
• Released: 10 Jul 1987
• Country: United Kingdom, United States
• Adwords: Nominated for 1 Oscar. 8 wins & 15 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Full_Metal_Jacket
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/full-metal-jacket
• Available in: 720p, 1080p, 2160p
• Language: English, Vietnamese
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Drama, War
• Runtime: 116 min
• Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr, Gustav Hasford
• Director: Stanley Kubrick
• Cast: Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D’Onofrio
• Keywords: based on novel or book, suicide, prostitute, racism, rescue,

	8.3/10
	76/100
	92% – Critics
	94% – Audience

Full Metal Jacket Storyline

The exploits of J.T. Davis in two distinct phases of his time associated to the Vietnam War are presented. He generally acts as an active observer of the proceedings around him, either by his own choice or by the design of others often in authority. The first phase is as a recruit in basic training for the US Marine Corps at Parris Island, where he receives the nickname Joker from his platoon drill sergeant Gunnery Sergeant Hartman for his sarcastic quips, generally muttered under his breath, usually mimicking John Wayne. He learns that Hartman’s foul-mouthed and uncompromisingly harsh ways, probably a reflection of the Marines as an organization, is not to produce robotic troops as some may believe, but rather produce killing machines. Joker’s time in basic training is largely affected by Hartman using overweight and slightly slow Private Leonard Lawrence as the platoon’s whipping boy, Lawrence’s nickname provided by Hartman being Gomer Pyle for his ineptness as a service member, much like his television character namesake. The second phase is in active duty in Vietnam – Da Nang – he assigned to write for Stars and Stripes. He is not to write exactly what he sees but to skew stories in a way to boost serviceman morale and to convince non-military people the reason for American political and thus military involvement in this region of the world, especially in many Americans seeing the war as futile. In covering what becomes the Tet offensive, Joker may come face to face with the kill or be killed mentality without it jibing either with his own outlook or his assigned job.

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Full Metal Jacket Movie Reviews

Very well made–tough to watch.

Warning–This movie is NOT for young kids or those who do not wish to see violence and adult content, as it’s rather brutal and the language is pretty rough. Now I am not complaining about this, but this is clearly an adult film intended for adults. It’s hard to really do this sort of film without making it this intense–just be forewarned. In addition, this is a very tense and unpleasant sort of film–be aware of this before watching.

This film has a ton of reviews, so my summarizing the film or going into any sort of in-depth analysis is probably a giant waste of time. And, Bob the Moo has done such a good job of reviewing it, I say you just go read his! In brief, here’s what I liked or at least respected in the film: It had a very gritty realism and managed to pull the viewer into it very, very well. The first portion (in boot camp) and the second portion (in Vietnam) were very different but both were very tense and compelling. While it wasn’t pretty, it was well done.

And, in brief, here’s what I didn’t like: The constant and clichéd use of rock and pop music. A few decades ago, this would have been innovative. Now, FULL METAL JACKET sounds an awful lot like GOOD MORNING Vietnam and APOCALYPSE NOW and other films. The constant blaring soundtrack was, I suppose, meant to be surreal and illustrate how ludicrous the war was. However, I just thought hearing “Surfin’ Bird” was annoying and a cheap use of music. Apart from that, there isn’t anything to say negative about the film.

Is this the greatest anti-war film? No. Its message (like the war) was rather mixed at times and lacked the same impact of films like ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT or WESTFRONT 1918, but it sure did come close.

Superb, one of Kubrick’s best

I like Stanley Kubrick, and I love his films, especially 2001, Barry Lyndon, Paths of Glory, Dr Strangelove and this, his penultimate film. Full Metal Jacket is a harrowing, violent and foul-mouthed film, yet it is superbly done. True, one or two parts may lack tropical realism, but the atmosphere the film creates is extraordinary. The film looks excellent with skillful cinematography. The script is very well crafted and does have a sense of realism, while the story is compelling with the transition from the training at the camp to the bombed Vietamnesse city smoothly done. I am with those who thinks the first half is better than the second, but that is not to say the second half isn’t good, it is more than good, but the first half really was outstanding. Kubrick’s direction as always is superb, as is the acting especially Lee Ermey and Vincent D’Onofrio. All in all, one of Kubrick’s best and one of the best war movies you will see. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The making of marines

Thirty years after Stanley Kubrick did Paths Of Glory about the futility of World War I Kubrick did Full Metal Jacket about the American experience in Vietnam. The wars were incredibly different and the French were fighting on their own soil, still the frustration of war and the stupidity of the high command make these films markedly similar.

Another Vietnam classic came out around the same time Casualties Of War and that dealt with the army. A very different experience to be sure because the army contained draftees and folks in the National Guard and Army Reserve who LBJ did not call up for Vietnam. Hence it was a haven for those of us not quite ready to give up our young lives. It was sure different from the training these guys were getting on Parris Island. In fact many was a night I comforted myself with the thought about what the marines were like.

Matthew Modine plays the lead here, a fellow who goes through the training and then is assigned as a journalist to Stars And Stripes. He is the voice of screenwriter and novelist Guy Hasford whose book Full Metal Jacket is based.

Today we are in open ended war in the Middle East started to be sure by an attack on our native soil. But we got sidetracked by some old fashioned imperialist objectives in Iraq and now we’ve got ISIS to contend with. What should our response be? Certainly it has to be a multi-faceted one, it can’t all be about dropping bombs on people different from us. It’s like we learned nothing from Casualties Of War or Full Metal Jacket.

I think if the film has a weakness it’s that the training portion of Full Metal Jacket is better than the combat one. That is because of the performances of R. Lee Ermey as the redneck gunnery sergeant and Vincent D’Onofrio as the poor fat slob of a recruit.

I cannot emphasize too much that D’Onofrio, Modine, and the rest are all volunteers. That being said I’m at a loss to explain why wasn’t D’Onofrio just not washed out. Ermey if he was doing his job properly would have. But he was having too much sadistic fun.

That being said when D’Onofrio prepared for the part no doubt he created a back story as to how his character came to Parris Island. I would love to ask D’Onofrio how that came to be.

Full Metal Jacket is an enduring war classic and will be shown right along with Paths Of Glory as long as we have means to entertain and educate ourselves.