A good (but heavy handed) anti-war movie that has an enjoyable vein of black humour

Rating: Null/10 (26 October 2002)

A bunch of young men join a marine training camp to prepare for war in Vietnam. However before they can face the enemy they must make it past the rigours of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. Once past the training they face a war where many may not return alive. They learn that the dehumanising effects of war run through every stage and are complete.
This is Kubrick's most accessible film and I suspect that contributes to it's high rating on the imdb. There can be no other reason why it would rank so high on it's own merits. This is not to say it's a bad film but it is certainly not one of the best anti-war films ever made. The plot is a game of two halves  first the training camp and second the actual conflict. The point that both halves hammer home relentlessly is that war dehumanises those involved.
The first half is enjoyable pure and simply because of Emery's Gunnery Sergeant. His is a witty character despite the inherent cruelty in his actions. However eventually his screen time is ended and the film continues to make the same point over again but in a different setting. The problem is that it hammers it's point home so heavily that it doesn't allow us to work things out for ourselves. Even things like Platoon and the like allow us to work it out ourselves! The film's strength is it's wonderful streak of black comedy that runs right the way through  it is the reason for watching and makes it feel a little different from other hardcore war movies of this ilk.
Kubrick is always going to be watchable but this is not one of his best. His cold direction is usually excellent but here it is alienating and clinical when we should really be getting to like the soldiers involved. The film is still good but I felt that the flaws are too much here. Emery is undoubtedly the main reason for watching this film. He gives a great performance that is a mix of improvisation and script that works well and guaranteed him work in the same role for many years. Modine is suitably wide eyed as our guide through his experiences but he is like most of the other marines  just blank characters for Kubrick to work around. Only D'Onofrio (Pyle) came out of this as a real person.
Overall this is a good anti-war film but not a great one. There is no doubting the power of the message and Emery easily carries the film till the war itself. It is still a very good film but I suspect that the fact that this is Kubrick's easiest film to get into explains why it is rated so highly.