Compelling war drama takes time, but it entertains.

Rating: 7/10 (20 January 1999)

"ACCLAIMED BY CRITICS AROUND THE WORLD AS THE BEST WAR MOVIE EVER MADE!" Sez who? Wherever you turn to, there's bound to be a different opinion from anybody who sees and tells all there is to FULL METAL JACKET. What begins as a vulgar training exercise becomes a battling bloodbath at the end. It provides a very tight example of being prepared to live or die in wartime. Slowly, the movie builds up to the point of fair interest when the Marines fight at Vietnam, an element of Stanley Kubrick's unique presentation. The story is compelling and provocative from the start, outweighing the further drawbacks. I would almost have to give the entertainment value a strong "10", though, if only it weren't for the last few minutes, which was a letdown, although it gave us a clear mystery about what may be predicted to happen next. For this to be the greatest war movie around, it needs PLENTY of hell-raising, heart-gripping war action to create a higher excitement level, and despite some bloody casualties, there should have been more of it badly. It actually will have viewers wondering why our drill sergeant shoved the hell out of young recruits (including "Pyle") preparing for the worst time of their lives. That part is really the best thing about the film. Still, it's a fine war story with a style of Kubrick's own. I can't say it's the best one ever made, but it holds its own ground.