Thought Provoking

Rating: 7/10 (7 September 2009)

Kubrick's Vietnam War film is a study of the human condition, specifically the soldier's human condition, during basic training and war time. There is not much commentary on the justification of the Vietnam War, only an examination of what war does to the mind. There is a scene where an officer asks Private Joker why he wrote "Born to Kill" on his helmet if he wears a peace sign on his shirt. Joker replies "I don't know. It has something to do with the duality of man," or something to that effect. The whole movie is about the duality of man; everybody wants there to be peace, but when an authority figure tells us to kill, it becomes natural. For this, Full Metal Jacket is a thought provoking experience.
The first forty minutes of Full Metal Jacket follows a group of Marine trainees on Paris Island who want to serve in Vietnam. We meet our main character, Private Joker, but the first act is dominated by two performers, R. Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, and Private Leonard Lawrence, nicknamed "Gomer Pyle," played by Vincent D'Onofrio. Hartman is the toughest Drill Instructor imaginable; he is on his soldier's butts about something all the time. Pyle, however, is a natural screw-up, it is hard to imagine how he even made it to Paris Island, and Hartman is always the harshest with him, because he has been trained to believe that the louder you bark at a soldier the sooner they will shape up. Instead, it has the opposite effect on Pyle; he becomes mentally disturbed during his training, probably because he was never mentally fit to be a soldier in the first place. This segment typically receives the most praise; it is certainly easier to enjoy, because it progresses toward a natural conclusion, graduation day. Ermey also gives the best performance in the film, mainly because it was not a performance, as Ermey was a real Gunnery Sergeant. Almost all of his lines were ad-libbed. Sgt. Hartman is one of the most memorable characters in all of Kubrick's films.
The rest of the movie does not really flow toward a natural ending; it just follows Private Joker on his daily exploits in Vietnam, and ends rather abruptly, making it harder to enjoy. The film's themes are exemplified in every scene, however. As a journalist, Private Joker has not been disturbed by actual combat, but he meets many others who have, particularly a soldier named Animal Mother. He cannot understand how soldiers can kill with such ease, but but he comes to understand in the final combat experience of the movie.
Like all Kubrick movies, there is some good camera work here. I swear when people got shot in this movie I thought I had been shot too, especially during the sniper sequence. The only problem I have with FMJ, besides the disjointed quality of the second half, is that it never really feels like you are in Vietnam. The movie was filmed in England, and even though the sets were great, they still feel like sets. For these reasons, FMJ is the weakest of Kubrick's war movies (excluding Spartacus). It is still an intellectually stimulating experience that should not be missed if you like war films.