This is two films...

Rating: 7/10 (4 February 1999)

The consensus seems to be that this film is two separate dramas, and that is an accurate assessment. Kubrick, as always, shows the audience events and then allows them their own conclusions (sort of like real life, huh?)
I served in the Army and like most veterans, the boot camp sequence (the first film) is funny, scary, informative and exhausting, just like basic training. When the story shifts to Vietnam, it loses a little of its appeal and originality, but it is effective in showing the utter uselessness of war, especially the disjointed, aimless jaunt that existed in Southeast Asia.
I'm not so sure this is the best war film ever made, or even the best film about Vietnam. The film is thought provoking, though, and very well acted. Why isn't Matthew Modine more highly regarded? His performance here is very good, and with his roles in Birdy and And The Band Played On, he seems to be one of the best actors in the 25 to 40 range.
I do like this film, and I think it is another example of Stanley Kubrick's brilliance, but I can't say that it's great.
But, to his credit, a Kubrick film is just like a military experience. You've never seen anything quite like it before, and you'll never come across anything like it again.