Let's talk about the source material

Rating: 7/10 (21 July 2013)

The movie is well reviewed by others and most people find it very compelling. I like it to but am bothered by some shifts in tone in the final third although I think Kubrick deserves credit for not dodging the issue of atrocities.
I prefer war movies that don't glorify war more as in "Platoon" or the great German U-Boat film "Das Boot" (see it in German with English subtitles, when they overdubbed it in English they wrecked a great background soundtrack). All in all there's a bit too much flag waving in this for me but it's a great movie but I can help remembering that part of the promotion for "Full Metal Jacket" including displaying the novel that served as source material for it in supermarket checkout lanes. Seeing Kubrick's name on it I picked it up. The novel was called "the Short Timers" written by Marine Gustav Hasford who was in theater during 1968-69. The great prolific essayist, columnist, novelist, screen writer (including my favorite sci fi movie, "a Boy and his Dog") Harlan Ellison said of Short timers "It is one of the most amazing stretches of writing I've ever encountered." Even though I know this is a movie review, not a book review, I have to tell you the source for most of the movie was written largely in a different kind of English called jarhead lingo. It was very cool to read inspired sections that are prose written with those word.
Unfortunately, way more people were interested in watching Kubrick's movie than reading the real deal, the book didn't sell well, his deal with Kubrick wasn't very good and Hasford died alone almost broke in a motel room in Greece of heart related diabetic problems.
I don't know which is more heartbreaking. Hasford's early death or the fact that "the Short Timers" is out of print while people still buy Kubrick's movie and somebody gets paid.
The book has now become a rather expensive collector's item selling online for between $15 and upwards of $400.
If you Google the title and his name you'll find a link to a scribd page that will load the whole book like a pdf. But you can't save or download it without paying. But you can read it.