Very well made--tough to watch.

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2009)

Warning--This movie is NOT for young kids or those who do not wish to see violence and adult content, as it's rather brutal and the language is pretty rough. Now I am not complaining about this, but this is clearly an adult film intended for adults. It's hard to really do this sort of film without making it this intense--just be forewarned. In addition, this is a very tense and unpleasant sort of film--be aware of this before watching.
This film has a ton of reviews, so my summarizing the film or going into any sort of in-depth analysis is probably a giant waste of time. And, Bob the Moo has done such a good job of reviewing it, I say you just go read his! In brief, here's what I liked or at least respected in the film: It had a very gritty realism and managed to pull the viewer into it very, very well. The first portion (in boot camp) and the second portion (in Vietnam) were very different but both were very tense and compelling. While it wasn't pretty, it was well done.
And, in brief, here's what I didn't like: The constant and clichéd use of rock and pop music. A few decades ago, this would have been innovative. Now, FULL METAL JACKET sounds an awful lot like GOOD MORNING Vietnam and APOCALYPSE NOW and other films. The constant blaring soundtrack was, I suppose, meant to be surreal and illustrate how ludicrous the war was. However, I just thought hearing "Surfin' Bird" was annoying and a cheap use of music. Apart from that, there isn't anything to say negative about the film.
Is this the greatest anti-war film? No. Its message (like the war) was rather mixed at times and lacked the same impact of films like ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT or WESTFRONT 1918, but it sure did come close.