Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Stanley Kubrick's Vietnam war epic Full Metel Jacket is a outstanding movie even visionary. I provably consider it to be the second greatest war film. No only be it's so powerful and disturbing, but also because it explores things that many war films usually don't. What it takes to be a soldier to fight in war and what does it do to the human brain? The question is "not good". It shows the dehumanizing of war in a way nothing could top it. It kinda fellas like two movies. "The bootcamp and the actual war" as James Rolfe said. The Story is basically through the eyes of a soldier nicknamed Private Joker while in bootcamp he witnesses his drill instructor Gunner Sergeant Hartman (R Le Erney) scream and abuse an overweight soldier nickedbamed Private Pyle. It starts off comediac and funny when Hartman pushes him to the limits and yells at him with his unbelievably hilarious rapid fires, but it soon gets dark and very horrific when Hartman turns his fellow soldier against for stealing a donut. They all have to do extra work because he can't do it. So one night they beat him up in his sleep in a gut-wrenching and powerful moment. This drives Private Pyle insane and he kills Hartman in revenge, and then kills himself. The second part is when Joker finally joins the war in Vietnam where we see what America has done to the country. And the soldiers Joker comes across are sick psychopaths, especially Animal Mother, because the training they had to go through before becoming soldiers.It's a brilliant movie, and R Le Erney gives a phenomenal performance that should have won him an Oscar. So, another brilliant film by Stanley Kubrick.

Vietnam war as depicted by the master itself: Stanley Kubrick. Funny moments, sad moments and everything in between. This movie shows the many aspects of war and it's effect on human condition. Many people seem to think it gets weaker after the boot camp and the second part isn't as good, I like the whole movie, the second half has at least the same amount of memorable scenes if not more!

Full Metal Jacket exposes the futility of war - more relevant than ever for the world today given the incessant wars being fought by the US around the world as I write this review. The movie adds a human touch to a war essentially fought in the Cold War chessboard of the 1960s and 1970s. The movie humanizes the suffering of death and raises legitimate questions about the purpose of the war; or indeed most wars. Living in Southeast Asia and having visited Vietnam several times the movie helps to understand one of the darkest periods in the region's history. No doubt, there were many silent global supporters of the war but still one recognizes the burden of history which contemporary Vietnamese are attempting to shed.The movie is a must watch fictional recreation for anyone interested in understanding the human aspect of war. Stanley Kubrick is a master film maker and Full Metal Jacket will not disappoint even the harshest of Kubrick's critics.

A smart move from the legend that was Stanley Kubrick. We've all seen many war films, a genre that is well explored from a variety of different conflicts. Full Metal Jacket however chooses to go behind the scenes and focus on the training process that changes well intentioned men into trained lethal killers. You could easily split this in half and have two separate films, the first half being more psychologically charged whereas the latter showcasing the brutality of warfare. A ridiculously serious drill sergeant practically bullying a trainee marine so harshly that it slowly turns him into an unstable psychopath. That right there, was some really good psychology and made the film so much more interesting. Sure the Vietnam War scenes were depicted with a substantial amount of fire, blood and guns but it was the first half that really captivated me. Vincent D'Onofrio was the stand out for me, both convincing and expressive through his face. Matthew Modine was good, probably his best performance. Lee Ermey deserves recognition just for somehow managing to not lose his voice from all the shouting. Characterisation was present, perhaps not fully fleshed out as I would like but was just enough for me to care about them. Yet again though, it's the technical marvel that wins...Stanley Kubrick. His directing style is so damn flawless. The nice clean long takes, actors looking directly into the camera, slow motion deaths (particularly in the sniper shootout)...he is just phenomenal. Script was sharp as well. A great section of dialogue where our lead character wears a peace badge and a helmet that says "born to kill" for which he describes represents the duality of man. That really stuck with me. So whilst it might feel like two separate films (due to that ridiculously quick transition), it's hard not to appreciate everything that's shown to us. Another hit from Mr. Kubrick.