Great Vietnam based movie.

Rating: 9/10 (28 November 2011)

Stanley Kubricks' take on the lives of those sent to fight in Vietnam is a refreshing one, compared to the usual very serious tone of most war films set during the time. Full Metal Jacket (1987) is a work built on duality's, and conflicting ideas. The film itself is literally separated into two distinct "halves" , that cannot help but be compared for their content, something which Kubrick seems to want. Although this may make the film seem disjointed it seems that it is up to us as viewers to connect both halves using the accepted linkage that elapsed time gives us. This allows viewers to create their own version of what happened during the in-between of the two halves of the movie, creating a very immersive atmosphere.
As mentioned the film is based on conflicting ideas, and even loss of identity. We are introduced to Private Joker very early on, and his helmet which has both a peace sign and "Born to Kill" on it expresses the concept of dueling ideas so prevalent in the film. The boot camp sequence set in the beginning of the film shows in detail and with great skill the dehumanization and loss of individuality that recruits went through before entering combat. Scenes like the shaving of the heads of the recruits express an air of lost identity, and the constant belittling of emotions done by Sgt. Hartman really work well to drive home how dehumanized recruits needed to be to enter such a senseless war.
The persistence of the human spirit is also something that is dealt with in the film, and in a film about war this helps to give a sense of hope , rather than a sense of pure despair that most war films deal with. Even with the scolding and erasing of personality during boot camp, Private Joker is still true to his name and manages to keep a sense of humor even while in the heart of Vietnam. Near the end of the film, we are shown the still alive body of a young Vietcong girl, shot by the people in Jokers squad after she took down some of the men it. Throughout the scene she is still moving, displaying the physical strength of the human spirit, as apposed to Jokers mental strength concerning his human spirit. Both facets of the undying human element are shown, and very well at that. To a lesser extent, the loss of innocence is also shown in the scene with the Vietcong girl, the brutality of war being reflected as well.
Full Metal Jacket (1987) does a very good job at clearly expressing ideas concerning social statements. The use of such a powerful setting and situation as the Vietnam War is used well to really make several ideas easily grasped by all viewers. This is why I personally enjoyed the movie, its action sequences being only a plus added on to a great storyline. War is used as a catalyst for films very often, but this common use makes films prone to using the same themes and emotions used in previous films of war, making for uneventful films. Full Metal Jacket (1987) tries its best to use some common themes of war, but spliced with ideas regarding the Un-war side of war, as is the case with the boot camp sequence and the shots of life in Vietnam while off-duty. This spotlight on different aspects of conflict, along with the usual focus on universal elements of war combine to create an all around great movie.