Full Metal Jacket (1987)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Pretty Good

From my favorite movies..

A Masterpiece!

According to my father who witnessed first hand the tragedies of the Vietnam War, this movie is realistic and somber. Entertaining and interesting as well. Classic one-liners, good acting and an emotionally gripping cast of characters, Full Metal Jacket will forever be a true depiction of the ghosts of the Vietnam War.

7.5 for clarification.One of the film's strongest attributes is it's cinematography, which is exceedingly good throughout. Kubrick seems intent on utilising music at ever opportunity, though I would cast doubt on how effective this decision was. The cast as a whole deliver moderately impressive performances. Kubrick certainly intended to showcase how war dehumanizes the individual, and this allows for the highlight of the film: the magnificent scene in which "Private Pyle" commits suicide. The film claims to provide dark humour, however If there was such any I failed to observe it. However, I simply couldn't understand the psyche of protagonist "Joker", as he is such a contradictory figure throughout the film. Is this another effort by Kubrick to demonstrate the dehumanizing effect of war, or a metaphor for the duality of man?

Full Metal JacketJust like The Clockwork Orange, it takes too much time to prove a point and even though it is finely detailed and explicitly executed the journey for around 2 hours just doesn't seem worthy at the end. Stanley Kubrick's smart adaptation and perfect execution works on its level and won't disappoint the fans but fails to deliver anything beyond that as the mere far fetched idea fades off slowly before one's eyes where even lousy editing too, becomes responsible. Matthew Modine at the centre of it pulls it off swiftly and smoothly but is overpowered by a stunning performance by Vincent D'Onofrio despite of just being a supportive character. Full Metal Jacket resonates too much with The Clockwork Orange as it raises similar questions, offers enough doubts and thrills which becomes redundant at a certain point and as always lacks better editing.

I find it interesting that the first half of this is so fondly remembered compared to the second half. The first half has the famous role of R. Lee Ermey, a ton of quotable lines, and a dark sense of humor. This part of the film exposes both Joker, and the audience to the true horrors of war. It doesn't start in the field, it starts in the training. Similar to "A Clockwork Orange", the first half of this judges you, "Yeah, you like this out of shape guy getting physically and emotionally abused, don't ya?". We do, even though I knew what would happen, I laughed as Pvt. Pyle was humiliated for over 40 minutes, and then the tone changes. As Kubrick is so expertly able to do, we realize that Pyle has snapped, the first casualty of war that Joker sees isn't a man,but a man's spirit.The second half isn't as well remembered, even I had trouble remembering what happens when Ermey isn't on screen. I understand what the movie's trying to say, now that Joker's in the war zone, he's experienced to the physical horrors around him. After the Tet Offensive, he's thrust right into the front lines, seeing things like mass graves, booby traps, teenage snipers, and even his own innocence being destroyed. Kubrick does all of this with utter mastery, almost like he knew the first half would overshadow the second half, even though the second half is just as important, if not more. He knew the darker tone the movie takes wouldn't be accepted by all, almost like he used it as a way to gauge the real fans who got the film's overall message. If you like the first half of this, and don't like the second half, then you've missed the point of this movie. No matter how much we try to glorify war, or say how it's necessary, it's still Hell. No matter what color you paint it, it'll always be black, black as night, black as coal. It destroys lives, homes, morals, souls, everything, and Kubrick shows that in spades here. It's not a feel good movie, as it ends with Joker becoming just another grunt, unafraid of death, no longer afraid of the violence that surrounds him. But then again, how can you make a feel good movie out of a conflict that killed an entire generation of people? You can't, but Kubrick delivered a perfect showing of the decay a human soul goes through. It's Kubrick's world, we just live in it.