Stanley Kubrick's genius comes through

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2017)

It is said that 90% of directing is casting. That is just part of Kubrick's genius. Another part of his genius is for capturing the right setting and ambiance. This movie has two part: first half is the boot camp drama with R. Lee Ermey (Sgt Hartman), the marine drill instructor, Matthew Modine (Prvt J.T. 'Joker' Davis) as the intelligent, aspiring combat reporter, and Vincent D'Onofrino (Prvt Leonard 'Gomer Pyle' Leonard) as the overweight, whipping boy of Sgt Hartman. The drama revolves around Pyle, as Sgt Hartman finds pleasure in belittling his screw ups in front of the others. Joker is paired up with Pyle to be his teacher and mentor. This part of the movie describes the dehumanization process a marine endures in basic training as preparation for them to be fashioned into a weapon of war. The second part is the recruits in the battle field. Joker's assignment as a reporter allows him to view the war experience from an audience's point-of- view. Eventually Pyle tags along with Prvt Cowboy's unit (a fellow recruit) as they patrol the ruins of the city of Hue following an attack known as the Tet Offensive. Towards the climax, 2 of Cowboy's men get picked off by an unknown sniper. This represents the hidden death that lurks at every moment during that war when battling guerrilla fighters. Finally at sundown, Joker leads some men to a building where the sniper is positioned. The palm trees and fire in the ruins of the city makes for an eerie, oriental temple like atmosphere. The music (like elephant cries) in the background also contributes to this effect. Finally the sniper is found and wounded. It turns out to be a girl. Badly wounded, she prays and then asks the men to mercifully killed her. Animal Mother, a heavy machine gunner (like Rambo), wants her to suffer to death as payback. Joker, on the other hand, compassionately chooses to put her out of her misery. The segment of the movie with the sniper is Kubrick's commentary on that war. The Vietnam war was sold to the Americans and those who fought it as the U.S.'s answer to help liberate that country from communism. Ironically, it was reduced to a frustrating effort on the part of young recruits to fight an invisible enemy who very much hated them for their presence in their country.