Empire's Full Metal Jacket Movie Review

Plot
The journey of one Private “Joker” Davis, through the gruelling training regime to be a marine, fraught with its own psychological damage, to Vietnam itself. Here, as a war correspondent, he covers the Tet offensive.

Divided like a rift into two distinct halves, Stanley Kubrick’s examination of the Vietnam conflict found him on unusually inconsistent form; the film is both powerful and frustratingly unengaged. In the first section, the boot camp, the great intellectual exalts in the dehumanising process of turning greenhorn boys into killing machines.

R Lee Ermey’s staggering performance as a drill sergeant pounds into these young men like a bulldozer, and in the case of Private “Gomer”, (Vincent D’Onfrio — fat, dangerous, a walking powder keg) the pressure will become too much. These barrages of abusive language and intimidation are supposed to burn survival into these empty vessels, but Kubrick is divulging a process of brutality to match the moral objections of the conflict itself. In Gomer’s self-destruction, the seething necessities of war are barbarities in themselves — conform or die.

Once away from the bullying of training and into the fragged cities and casual death of Vietnam itself, stunningly envisioned on an old gasworks in London’s East End, Kubrick seems bereft of purpose. He’s made his chilling point, that a solider must shed his humanity and become a machine, and now Modine’s wide-eyed thinker contends with the battlefield itself and the film sinks into a guarded examination of muddy methodology. Is it that the state of this war is too politically messy for Kubrick’s contemplative gaze? Modine’s Joker has too astute a mind to be an innocent, and his cumbersome narration covers Kubrick’s highly designed — it is bloody and beautiful but never surreal or horrifying — but strangely empty variation on this “phony war”.

Kubricks cold beauty
Stanley Kubrick applies a cold beauty to his films which only the late cinematic commodity can create, Full Metal Jacket is a prime example of this; the coldness of the film is a perfect element when depicting how the military turns honest young men into killing machines. During the beginning R. Lee Ermey is brilliant as the ruthless drill sergeant who’s passion for the military succeeds all around him. His performance alone gives the film a 5 star rating before the recruits ever reach th... More


Posted by j2k3 at 23:04, 07 April 2011 \| Report This Post



One Of The Greatest War Films Ever
Kubrick'a massively understated and brilliantly controlled Vietnam story was always going to be one to polarise viewers, what with it's graphic violence, sewer talk and general unpleasantness that is present from start to finish. However, beneath all the smarmy, albeit realistic, war movie hallmarks is a genuinely affecting and wholly exhilarating take on the dehumanisation process. Able to draw you in as much as it repels you, it may not be Kubrick's best, but nonetheless, it is a masterpiece.... More


Posted by blaud at 22:54, 06 April 2011 \| Report This Post



One of the all-time best war films!
To those who are most likely rolling their eyes at my above statement and thinking that i am a 12-year-old action-seeking retard who only likes the film because of the swearing and violence, I promise you: that is NOT why I made that statement. My reasoning is that, unlike most acclaimed war films - The Deer Hunter, Saving Private Ryan, even Kubrick's own Paths Of Glory, and Apocalypse Now etc - the story of this film could apply to ANY war. Because the film focuses on the journey of a ma... More


Posted by lewistarantino at 19:22, 04 April 2011 \| Report This Post



Great Training Scenes else...
The first Half during training part was great including what it culminates into. But the actual war was boring and stupidity personified. It's like: Well, there's a sniper out there. One of my friends is already dead. So let me go in and get myself killed in a more stupid way. ... More


Posted by Amol at 08:19, 13 February 2011 \| Report This Post



Classic
Yes, it's true, the second half of this movie is nowhere near ad effective as the first half but it's still gripping. "Full Metal Jacket" manages to convey the de-humanization of war as well as the horrific violence. Hell, the first half is worth 5 stars alone. Ian Nathan is wrong. ... More


Posted by krisjcummins at 11:57, 06 February 2010 \| Report This Post



wtf empire?
this movie is a bloody awesome war epic. the scenes with sergeant hartman are mint and the war scenes are extremely moving. i don't know what negative drug that that tight ass ian nathan was on while watching this brilliant film because it is easily one of kubricks best. ... More


Posted by snatch099 at 09:48, 19 September 2009 \| Report This Post



wtf empire?
this movie is a bloody awesome war epic. the scenes with sergeant hartman are mint and the war scenes are extremely moving. i don't know what negative drug that that tight ass ian nathan was on while watching this brilliant film because it is easily one of kubricks best. ... More


Posted by snatch099 at 09:48, 19 September 2009 \| Report This Post




While the first half is satire at its best, the second half wallows in stupidity ... More


Posted by vermin101 at 03:06, 24 August 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: RE:
L: jobloffski Personally I think the second half is equal to the first. The first half breaks Private Pyle's personality, spirit and dignity. The second half robs Private Joker of his. War is hell, and you will either be broken by the process of getting ready for it, or broken more slowly, and forever by the experience of it. Neither half works properly without the other, and Kubrick very specifically had Hartman say 'What's this Mickey Mouse shit?' in the first half to tie... More


Posted by Paxton at 00:23, 11 April 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: RE:
Personally I think the second half is equal to the first. The first half breaks Private Pyle's personality, spirit and dignity. The second half robs Private Joker of his. War is hell, and you will either be broken by the process of getting ready for it, or broken more slowly, and forever by the experience of it. Neither half works properly without the other, and Kubrick very specifically had Hartman say 'What's this Mickey Mouse shit?' in the first half to tie both halves togethe... More

Posted by jobloffski at 19:58, 09 April 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: RE:
A fucking classic........5/5....... ays of finger bangin Mary jane rotten crotch through her pretty pink panties are OVER!!!"/i] s your major malfunction, numbnuts? Didn't Mommy and Daddy show you enough attention as a child?"/i] re your honesty. Hell I like you. You can come over to my house and fuck my sister."/i] imb obstacles like old people fuck."/i] u quitting on me?! Well, are you?! Then quit, you slimy fucking walrus-looking piece of ... More

Posted by wgamador at 18:57, 09 April 2009 \| Report This Post



RE:
this should be worth 5 stars for the drill seargent scene alone ... More

Posted by dhowdy at 18:10, 09 April 2009 \| Report This Post




LET ME SEE YOUR WARFACE!!!!!! ... More


Posted by Hamsterwalt at 16:50, 25 September 2008 \| Report This Post




I kinda have to agree with Empire here ...the first act of the movie with the training boot camp is gripping cinema ...but the second act in the war actually drags alot for me. ... More


Posted by SkullKassidy at 10:35, 24 September 2008 \| Report This Post




3 stars? fuck off. you give crappy overrated films like pulp fiction and others 5 stars and cant see how much better full metal jacket is. so what if he didnt make it like the boring as hell 2001, its a great movie ... More


Posted by Rudiger Bonestown at 21:41, 19 September 2008 \| Report This Post



If war is hell, then should this film even EXIST?
Cuz it sure ain't hellish ... More


Posted by blaud at 13:55, 21 July 2008 \| Report This Post




worst empire review ... More


Posted by seinfeld_55 at 20:54, 08 July 2008 \| Report This Post




worst empire review ... More


Posted by seinfeld_55 at 20:54, 08 July 2008 \| Report This Post




Devastating, powerful and dark. It may not be Kubrick's best but it still stays with you long after viewing 3 stars is harsh and maybe 5 stars is a bit generous. Everything is impeccably crafted and it is well crafted and certainly better than most of the VIetnam movies that came out in the 80's. ... More


Posted by willchadwick at 11:48, 09 March 2008 \| Report This Post




Devastating, powerful and dark. It may not be Kubrick's best but it still stays with you long after viewing 3 stars is harsh and maybe 5 stars is a bit generous. Everything is impeccably crafted and it is well crafted and certainly better than most of the VIetnam movies that came out in the 80's. ... More


Posted by willchadwick at 11:48, 09 March 2008 \| Report This Post




I see what Empire means, I found a little uneven, and I feel they should have showed more of their training at bootcamp rather than the drill instructour yelling, but then again R.Lee Emery's performance is the reason why you would watch this film, and it didn't show veitnam the hell it was, as well as platoon did, but it is still a good effort on Kubricks part, and it shows that some men can snap even before they reach the battlefeild. ... More


Posted by dgribble at 17:18, 28 February 2008 \| Report This Post




Kubrick's worst film. ... More


Posted by Leomuse at 13:15, 01 February 2008 \| Report This Post




sir no sir - 3 stars your takin the piss ... More


Posted by bobbyperu at 17:02, 22 October 2007 \| Report This Post




sir no sir - 3 stars your takin the piss ... More


Posted by bobbyperu at 17:02, 22 October 2007 \| Report This Post




3 stars is insulting ... More


Posted by bobbyperu at 01:50, 21 October 2007 \| Report This Post



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