The real message of this movie...

Rating: 8/10 (1 December 2005)

People seem to have totally missed the point of this movie. This is a war movie, but its more so about soldiers - American soldiers to be precise.
It shows the shallow gang-ho attitude which is ingrained into marines at booth camp, creating a sort of ultra ego for them and where they can hide from their insecurities. Those who are 'honest', Pyle cannot live with that and flips.
Then how these 'super soldiers' actually perform in real war. Well, they talk ' the talk' but as it shows, 'they really can't walk the walk'. The battle scenes, soldiers talking to the camera, and the final scene is all an indication of that.
In this movie Kubrick is at his best, poking fun at US army and its culture. and also American machismo male stereotype and their utter ignorance of the rest of the world.
With Iraq a hot issue today, this movie resonates more then ever.