Kubrick's 3rd (Anti)War Film is the Director's 3rd Best (Anti)War Film

Rating: 8/10 (17 February 2014)

Just because it Ranks as Director Stanley Kubrick's Third Best (Anti)War Film shouldn't Distract from the Fact that it has Some Powerful Points to Address through Classic Kubrick Imagery. FYI - the other two are Paths of Glory (1957) and Dr. Strangelove (1964)
A Movie that has been Exhaustively Proclaimed as a Film of Duality and it Certainly has Two Very Different Ways to Tell the Tale of the United States Marines during Viet Nam. If You have been Living in the Jungle or an Abandon Building and are Unaware, the First Half is the Marines at Boot Camp and the Second Half in Viet Nam.
It is Decidedly not the Viet Nam that was to become an Uncomfortable and Disturbing Iconic Image that Haunted Americans, even those who Were Not There. The Jungle. Maybe Kubrick wanted to set His Movie Apart from Apocalypse Now (1979) and Platoon (1986) that After All had done that so Well. But Whatever the Methodology, the "In Country" Part feels Dislocated because there is Very Little Foliage and the Battle Scenes are Shot in a "Concrete" Jungle.
The Opening, almost Half of the Movie, is what gets all the Rap, at least the Positive Rap, because it is so Realistic. It was a Hard Act to Follow in the Second Part, and the Viet Nam Portion gets the most Gripes. As a Whole, the Film Ranks Behind Apocalypse and Platoon but has Enough Cinematic Mastery that makes up for a Somewhat Disappointing, but Nevertheless Engaging End. It's not a Satisfying Conclusion to a Story about a War that did not have a Satisfying Conclusion.