Full Metal Jacket

Rating:
Summary: Quite possibly the best war movie ever made
Review: It is no surprise that Full Metal Jacket has been hailed by many as the best was movie ever made. Rather than pulling a Casualties of War and following closely one isolated story within the wilderness of Vietnam, this film ignores completely any logical development of the plot and focuses instead on the portrayal of the war atrocities as they happened in real life - often disconnected, often kaleidoscopic, but all leading to a general feeling of usually very negative emotions. Overall, the film gives a much more effective, emotionally involving picture of the horrors in Vietnam than all other leaders of the genre, including masterpieces like Apocalypse Now, Platoon, or Casualties of War. Kubrick's directorial style is perfect, as usual, and added to A Clockwork Orange, 2001, Barry Lyndon and Dr. Strangelove, this masterpiece firmly etsblishes him as one of the greatest directors that ever lived. Although some of the characters inevitably give their opinions of what's happening as they go, there are no easy answers to be found anywhere. Even the final speech of Private Joker, which should presumably leave the viewers with a ray of hope in their hearts, goes hand-in-hand with a downright stupid, almost sadistically used song about Mickey Mouse, not to mention a dark, intinidating landscape. The military preparation which is depicted in the first part of the movie is sufficiently disjointed from what's to come to even provide a broader metaphor for all education and its sometimes distant connection to what comes after it. The film is unlikely to leave anyone with an upbeat, hopeful feeling, but it contains many components that ensure its place among the greatest works of art of the last few decades.

Rating:
Summary: Start The Cameras! This Is "Vietnam--The Movie"
Review: In the pantheon of great movie directors, Stanley Kubrick has always been one of my personal favorites. Whether in political satire (DR. STRANGELOVE), epic science fiction (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY), or horror (THE SHINING), Kubrick has always been his own man. FULL METAL JACKET, his own personal take on the Vietnam conflict, like so many of his movies, must certainly rank as one of the most hotly debated movies of all times. It is scathing and very cold-blooded, and it is for those very reasons that it is a masterpiece.

The film begins at the Marine Recruiting Headquarters at Parris Island, South Carolina, where young marines undergo thirteen weeks of ultra-rigorous training under the tutelage (if you can call it that) of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, played by Lee Ermey in a chillingly real and extraordinarily foul-mouthed way that is nearly impossible to forget (Ermey was a Marine DI in real life). It is Ermey's job to tear these young boys down and build them back up into the killing machines the Marines want for battle in Vietnam. Two of the recruits, Cowboy (Arliss Howard) and Joker (Matthew Modine) show promise. But Ermey takes special pleasure in humiliating the overweight recruit Private Pyle, played by Vincent D'Onofrio. D'Onofrio very soon becomes the best rifleman in Ermey's platoon but the sadistic treatment he has gotten has awoken a latent madness in him, leading to Ermey's murder inside a latrine.

The scene shifts to Vietnam on the eve of the Tet Offensive, as Modine's Private Joker yearns to get out into the field to see the horrors of war far from the military's propoganda machine. That machine soon breaks down when the Tet Offensive hits, when everyone realizes that, in the words of Modine's commander, "even Cronkite's gonna say the war is now unwinnable." Reuniting with Howard, he goes with Howard's platoon into the burned-out city of Hue, where they find themselves ambushed at the hands of a VC sniper, leading to a grim and very disturbing coda.

It has been argued ever since FULL METAL JACKET came out that this is in reality two films, the forty minutes at Parris Island and the seventy-six minutes in Vietnam, with the Parris Island sequence being the best. I don't think that is quite the case. Kubrick cagily sets us up for his view of Vietnam in the Parris Island sequence with Ermey's big talk about how the free world "will conquer Communism with the help of God and a few Marines", and how men can become dehumanized into killing machines. Then, with the sequences involving the platoon and the sniper in Hue, we see that the stuff that our soldiers were taught about the glory of war and how it makes boys into "real" men is nothing but lies. Kubrick explored this brilliantly in his 1957 World War I classic PATHS OF GLORY; and he has done likewise with Vietnam here in FULL METAL JACKET.

Aside from Kubrick, only Oliver Stone (PLATOON; BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY), Sam Peckinpah (CROSS OF IRON), and Steven Spielberg (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) have ever been able to deliver with this kind of force the harsh reality that war is Hell. FULL METAL JACKET stands as one of the most powerful and devastating indictments against war, and can be rightly regarded as yet another great work from a great director.

Rating:
Summary: FYI
Review: There seems to be some confusion concerning this DVD. There were two releases of "Full Metal Jacket" on DVD: 1999 and 2001. The 1999 release is out-of-print (both have identical cover art). This is the 2001 release. It has been "digitally restored and remastered" (that should settle the "transfer" complaints about the 1999 release, though I don't know what they are complaining about - I have the 1999 tape and it looks fine to me) and is in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound (and the mono sound complaints about the 1999 release).

Concerning extras: first off, don't ever expect any big extras with Kubrick's films. He was very protective of his art and you can just about forget ever seeing a deleted scene or some tacky featurette. "The Shining" comes with a "Making of" feature, but that was Kubrick-sanctioned and shot by his daughter. And now that Kubrick is dead, you can forget about any director commentary, though his estate might sanction ones by actors and assistants on some future release, but don't count on it. There is one "extra" and it is the theatrical trailer.

Stanley Kubrick filmed "Full Metal Jacket" in what is known as "academy ratio" or a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Contrary to what it says on the back of the box: THERE IS NO WIDESCREEN VERSION OF THIS FILM -- NEVER HAS BEEN. THIS HAS NOT BEEN MODIFIED FROM ITS ORIGINAL VERSION. You are seeing everything Kubrick saw when he looked through the camera. No pan-and-scanning. In fact even better, no black bars -- MORE PICTURE. Stop complaining! This is why I won't buy a widescreen TV. I mean people actually think everything is in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio! Most films (at least before 1990) AREN'T and your widescreen TVs betray you when it has to adjust the picture for it's own ratio.

That said, this movie is typical of Kubrick and his art. It is not by any stretch his best film, but it is the ultimate portrayal of U.S. Marines training for war. The scathing, hateful boot camp is unforgettable in its frankness. The final scenes of combat in Hué are powerful in their bleakness and treachery. Absolutely only for mature viewers.

Rating:
Summary: One of Kubrick's Greats
Review: First off I'd like to say this movie is why most people are 'scared' to join any military service, the first half of the movie when they are in boot camp is unforgettable when you think of bootcamp or the army. It portrays the horrors of what you must endure to become a soldier, and the sergent has a dark humor to him that most people find funny. From the shooting of the sarge to the killing of the vietnamese girl the film is all drama, very powerful moments when they are getting plucked off by the sniper, and when they finally kill her it makes the mood even more powerful, as you witness the horror of war. Great film making through and through...Kubrick rulez!

Rating:
Summary: The Real Deal
Review: As someone who went through Parris Island and was in the battle of Hue City, this flick is the real deal, or at least as close as Hollywood can get.

I saw this film when in opened with a few Marine buddies. We thought the boot camp scenes were hysterical. We laughed so much we were annoying other folks in the theatre. For those who opined that this type of training is dehumanizing; believe me the movie was very mild compared to the real thing. And the fact is that Marine training, while brutal at times,it is the best character building exercise there is. Although sanitized, Kubrick managed to well capture the type of training it takes to make men willing to attack and destroy an enemy.

There was much about this movie that was technically flawed, but much of it seemed deliberate. Kubrick was not portraying technical perfection, he was trying to capture the real attitudes of men in war; and on this level he succeeded nicely. Kubrick was the master of black humor, and much of Vietnam was black humor. It seemed easy to overlook the fact that very little in the movie even looked like Vietnam.

The cast is outstanding.These guys truly reminded me of a squad of Marine grunts.

I have only one criticism of the movie and it is this: The story is from a novel called "The Short Timers" by Gustaf Hasford. The movie is reasonably faithful to the book until the end. Hasford created a far more poignant ending in the novel, with an ironic twist that is unforgettable, but Kubrick chose to completely leave this out of the film. It will always be a mystery to me why he did this, because I think the film would have been even better with the original ending.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most original war films of all time.....
Review: The thing I love about this movie is its originality....usually, the soldiers in combat films are nothing but pure actors thrown into battle fatigues, given a gun and told to act. Full Metal Jacket is different...we endure the recruits' pain and suffering through Parris Island boot camp, and live with them during the grisly war....and that's why FULL METAL JACKET brings you close to the real thing.

But anyway, on to the storyline and so forth. The plot involves a young Marine recruit, Private Joker, who gets through Marine Bootcamp by excelling in everything possible. He is then thrust into Vietnam as a journalist....and it is in Vietnam that he always complains he "never sees enough action." Well, the "action" comes to him, but he soon discovers it is not all fun and games.

Though Modine's narrative can be a bit flat and one-sided at times, the acting in this film is absolutely superb. Also, I have noticed in war films that the U.S. Marine Corps always seems to be left out. Well, FULL METAL JACKET almost glorifies the Marine Corps, and you don't see too many movies that give the USMC a lick of respect (that they completely deserve).

I should also comment on the military accuratness of this film....all the moves are right, no one ever seems to be out of step in marching formations, and, according to my father, a Vietnam-Era Marine Corps veteran, the harshness of bootcamp....and especially the portrayal of the Drill Instructor, is exactly how it was (is).

Another great thing about FMJ is its dark tones, that last from beginning to end. The deaths in this film are very graphic, and Stanley Kubrick puts you in a hell (making you feel as if you were there) that you want to leave right away and escape the horrors of war. That's what makes FMJ a very powerful movie. A nice touch was the eerie ending, and the classic Rolling Stones song at the end (the name escapes me).

The only thing unrealistic about this movie is that Private Lawrence "Pyle" never lost any weight, in fact, he looked as if he gained a few pounds. Any Marine will tell you that the "fat kid" in their boot camp platoon left basic training a fit, ready-to-kill war machine...I guess Pyle's lack of weight loss goes to show us that the catering provided by FMJ's producers was very good!

All in all, though, a graphic and moving film that leaves you a bit shocked and a LOT entertained...it should be in everyone's collection.

Rating:
Summary: Two Movies For The Price of One
Review: Of all of Kubricks later movies, FMJ is the most like a normal everyday movie. He doesn't seem nearly as obsessed with the fancy camerawork, eye widening sets, garish colors, lingering camerashots and classical music that are the hallmarks of 2001, A Clockwork Orange and other more artistic endeavors. FMJ is essentially two separate distinct movies connected by two characters (Joker & Cowboy). The first, and much more successful half, is Marine Corp basic training. Both D'Onofrio and Ermy give outstanding performances. Unfortunately, neither is in the second movie, which takes place entirely in Vietnam and mostly in combat. Here, the narrative sags as FMJ becomes just another Vietnam flick with swearing, dying grunts and a cool 60's soundtrack. 5 stars for the basic training movie and 3 for the combat movie.

Rating:
Summary: Schizophrenic, just like war...
Review: Most people think that this is really 2 movies in 1: the Marine boot camp first half, the Vietnam combat 2nd half. Actually they are two sides of the same coin.

I agree with the Boston Globe's assesment that this is "the greatest war movie ever made." It captures the essence of war: the mass psychological programming that makes it possible, and the concrete results of that programming when it comes in contact with reality.

A lot of people criticize the second half as being slow, abrupt, pointless, ugly and anticlimactic---which, of course, is exactly how war IS, especially the Vietnam war.

...The movie suggests that both forms of innocence/humanity must be killed if one is to "get with the program" of war fighting---a program that is by terms hideous, brutal, corrupt---and absolutely, hilariously absurd.

In contrast to today's Bush Jr.'s simpleton yee-haw post-9/11 view of the world, Kubrick's film presents a much more ambiguous and therefore more richly accurate picture: There are no good guys, there are no bad guys, there are just guys who kill and guys who get killed, and there's no telling which category you'll find yourself in, 'cause it's just one big crazy Mickey Mouse show out there, in this world ...

Right-wing lovers of patriotic kitsch need not apply!

Rating:
Summary: First half is the only part I watch; Ermey gets no 'props
Review: After seeing Full Metal Jacket for the first time, I was amazed and enthralled by the performance of the Drill Instructor Hartman in the first half of the movie, as he whips his recruits into shape, preparing and conditioning them to kill, and survive, the hell of the Vietnam War. After several viewings, his profanity-laced abuses and strict disciplining of the recruits, especially the perennial screw-up "Private Pyle", have forever been burned into my memory. I find his many unforgettable remarks to be quite entertaining in a sick way. But I also realize that I would not be so amused if it were myself on the receiving end of his tirades.

Despite the fact that Lee Ermey once was an actual Marine D.I. and likely found his role not too difficult, I am deeply disappointed that he wasn't even considered for an Academy Award nomination for his part in the film.

I'm sorry to say I don't find the second part of FMJ to be nearly as engaging as the first. I usually just watch the Parris Island basic training part, and when that ends, rewind (okay, technically, you don't rewind a DVD), and watch the first half again. I really don't care about any "deeper meaning" that the second act might hold, I just want to see Hartman get on Private Joker's case again...

Hey, it's kind of like watching a full-length movie...

Rating:
Summary: Raw, realistic portrayal of basic training
Review: This movie is a magnificent portrayal of basic training as it really is. The person who earlier complains that it was not suitable for a cub scout troop should know enough to prescreen R rated movies before showing them to a 'pack' of kids. It is a realistic look at military life. OF COURSE THERE IS A LOT OF PROFANITY.

Even Vincent D'Onofrio's part as a tormented trainee is very realistic. The only thing missing from my days in basic training is the guy who was getting TDP'd for huffing paint because he couldn't hack it.