One of the most powerful, hard-hitting movies I have ever seen.

Rating: 10/10 (6 May 2001)

This is one of the most powerful, hard-hitting war movies I have ever seen. From the opening, apparently innocent, haircut sequence we are led into the shock of basic training under a brutal sergeant. We are shown the dehumanising experience of living in a closed world under the total control of this man. We are shown what happens to individuals who are picked on by the sergeant (Private 'Pile'); the recruit is singled out for humiliation at every opportunity, including having to quick-march with his trousers down to his ankles. In the end he is 'punished' by his fellow recruits with towels and soap.
In the second half of the movie we are led into the real world of active service in Viet-Nam. Action scenes are shown against a sound track of popular music of the time, including Surfin Bird. In the end we are shown the brutal death of a Viet-Cong fighter.
This film is of significance to myself. My generation in Britain escaped military service. But, my family nearly moved to the US in the fifties and I would have been of military age at the time the film was set!
After 2001, Kubrick's best work?