What’s It About
The tragic Vietnam War; or at least that may be the way that it is presented here. The film starts off in the marine boot camp with Vincent D’Onofrio as Leonard ‘Private Pyle’ Pratt being humiliated at every turn. Gny. Sgt. Hartman (Lee Ermey) sets the stage with the most foul mouth you could imagine a Sgt. at boot camp having (or at least that I could imagine). The intense boot camp comes to a devastating end about 45 minutes into the film and then we swiftly move to Vietnam. The rest of the film follows Pvt. Joker (Matthew Modine) as he tries to find some action in a horribly disorganized war.
How’d They Act
Lee Ermey could not have had a more powerful performance in this movie. He was someone that you love to hate, but you have to laugh at while you are watching since the things he says are so ridiculous. Kubrick made an excellent pick with Ermey here. It also helped that the actors were not allowed to meet Ermey until the day of the shoot so the performances were much more believable all around. Matthew Modine does a fine job playing someone who is very serious about being the best that he can be at first and then after some horrifying situations he becomes Pvt. Joker; a suitable name for the way that he acts. I don’t have a lot to say about Matthew Modine in Full Metal Jacket, but he did do well. Vincent D’Onofrio is, in my mind, the true break out performance in this film. This is where he got his real break and no one can forget his performance once they see it. Well, maybe if you see any other movie with Vincent D’Onofrio in it and then see his performance here. That is what is truly amazing about D’Onofrio in Full Metal Jacket. At that point in his career he did not have a lot of experience on the big screen and to be one of the stars in a Stanley Kubrick movie was huge. He obviously spent a lot of time making sure that he did the best that he could with all of the weight gaining (a record 70lbs.) and characterization. All of the hard work paid off because he absolutely made the first half of the movie and catapulted his career on the big screen. His character changes over the course of boot camp and although very odd, it is very believable. Can you believe that this is the same actor that is in Steal This Movie or Law and Order Criminal Intent? Overall the acting is good, but Ermey and D’Onofrio were superb.
Delivery
There is no question that Stanley Kubrick was one of the best filmmakers of all time. He was able to make some of the greatest movies including 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining. I have to hand it to Kubrick for having quite an imagination and amazing directing ability. The way that some of the scenes are shot in long continuous shots is beautiful. Most of the greatness of the directing in this movie was in the actual movement of the camera and the dialogue between the characters in the movie. There are tons of lines in this movie that are still quoted to this day. It was obvious that every film Stanley Kubrick made, was made with his complete attention and imagination poured into it. I only wish that he were still around to make more amazing movies like Full Metal Jacket.
The Real Deal
I have seen this a few times and it is worth watching over and over again. The message that Stanley Kubrick was trying to bring home was as clear as could be, but the way that he presents it here is much more bold than most others I have seen on the subject of the Vietnam war. If you want to see a work of genius, then you have to see all of Kubrick’s films including this one.
The Skinny Version
Raw Score: 902,732
Sharon Movie? No
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Dave’s Movie Reviews
The founder and senior editor of Dave's Movie Reviews. Currently working in the online benefits management industry while maintaining Dave's Movie Reviews. Dave has written over 275 film reviews since the site was established in June 2007. 
It is heavy going but I still quite enjoyed this though it has been a while since I have seen it.
Husband and I bought a big screen TV today that arrives on Tuesday so that means all these great movies will have to be watched again…right?
Certainly! There is nothing better than watching great movies on a great big TV in the comfort of your own home.
Sorry, I’ve been sidetracked away from your reviews.
This really was a film of two halves. I’ve only watched the second half once, and didn’t find it at all remarkable, but the firs half was astonishing. And to think they were filming it a few miles from where I live, and I didn’t even know!
Val –
Thanks for stopping by again. I am sure that now that Vincent D’Onofrio Month is over you will have less interest in the movie reviews; its no big deal. I liked the first half of Full Metal Jacket better too, but there is a lot of good stuff in the second half. I think you are a little biased, haha. Really though, thank you for all of your support during Vincent D’Onofrio Month.
Anyone that wants to know more about Vincent D’Onofrio and what he is currently doing should stop by Val’s blog Life and Vincent which is in my Blogroll.
Right, so R. Lee Ermey was actually an USMC Drill Instructor, which made him perfect for this movie. Where’s he at now? Discovery Channel, hosting “Lock and Load” and “Mail Call”.
Definitely one of my top 10 military movies