Eat your guts...

Rating: 9/10 (31 August 2005)

Full Metal Jacket is Stanley Kubrick's vision of the Vietnam war.
It starts with boot camp for marines. A tough, rugged training facility run by a harsh Drill Instructor. A man who regards his budding killers, as maggots, filth, grunts and worse. From Private Joker a brave man born to kill to Private Pyle a fat oafish dimwit under constant insult from the DI who believes he is worthless - to be honest he may have a point.
By the end of boot camp however Pyle and the DI's demise is quite inevitable - A sinister ending to the training, with the ultimate last test... I can't honestly say if it was a pass or fail???
With boot camp over, comes the war.
Joker and his men are sent to Vietnam, and after a few rendevouses with bullets, Vietnamese prostitutes and a cavalry of gung-ho characters, the final mission, and final test comes. To secure Hue City, and kill the sniper in the buildings before they die first---
"You will hesitate at the moment of truth. You will not kill. You will become dead marines, and then you're in a world of sh*t, because marines are not allowed to die without permission."
---The whole idea of being trained to kill, and to kill when you're trained seems almost to be like test for the men. And as I said before, I can't honestly say that in the final outcome whether it is pass or fail... Either way, this film gives a great impression of war, and is well created.
I like the idea also that the Vietnam aspects of the film were made in my home country - The UK... I find that's quite cool. Sorry to deviate...
Anywho, I recommend this to you highly. It may not be the best Vietnam war movie - Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter??? - But it is certainly memorable, and worthy of much acclaim.