One of Kubrick's Most Celebrated Films

Rating: 8/10 (9 September 2007)

A young man (Private Joker) joins the military as a journalist. He follows the other men through basic training, which is brutal and degrading. After being sent to Vietnam, things seem to only get worse, if such a thing is possible.
This is a break-out films for Vincent D'Onofrio, who plays the plump Pvt. Pyle. He's almost unrecognizable as such a slobby character, who plays a crucial role in here. And, of course, this is the role that made R. Lee Ermey famous, as Gny. Sgt. Hartman. Who can picture Ermey without seeing him yelling at new recruits, telling them how worthless they are?
I have always had mixed feelings on this film. On one hand, I have tried to watch it a few times in the past and failed to finish it because it seems to lose a lot of momentum after the basic training part. But being older and watching it again, I get a much fuller sense of this film's beauty. It's a visual wonder (what else from Kubrick?), but more importantly a great exposition of the war, and the dehumanizing effects of war in general.
I did not realize the film was released in 1987. I had always figured it was a late 1970s or early 1980s film due to the way they captured the time period so well. So I commend them on that. And there's no pulling punches: dead Vietnamese, prostitution, suicide. This film tells the gritty details. Other films about Vietnam are good: "Casualties of War" is alright and "Platoon" is still classic, but I think it's more or less undisputed that "Full Metal Jacket" is the clincher. (I've never been a fan of "Apocalypse Now", but maybe it's time for me to revisit that one, too.)
I title this review one of Kubrick's most celebrated rather than one of his best, simply because of personal preference. I've always been drawn more to "A Clockwork Orange", and I love "Lolita", "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Dr. Strangelove". "Full Metal Jacket" just never carried the same weight with me, though I won't deny it has its place in his long list of achievements.
Basically, if you haven't seen this film, it's a must-see. It routinely makes it on "top 100" lists for films, and with good reason. If you really hate war films, maybe you should steer clear, but the fact remains it's a beautiful piece regardless of the focus. It's inspiration alone (in other films, television and even music) make it something any consumer of modern culture should experience.