Stanley Kubrick's Vietnam War epic is both gritty and spectacular

Rating: 8/10 (11 January 2016)

From the early 60s to the late 90s before his death, Stanley Kubrick introduced audiences everywhere with some of the biggest masterpieces in the history of cinema. Touching on various subjects ranging including war, politics, crime, science-fiction, horror, and many others; this highly spoken director is found by many to be one of the greatest filmmakers to ever step in foot in Hollywood, there is no doubt why. One of his biggest films I will forget was this Vietnam War epic based on the novel by Gustav Hasford. This gritty adaption tells a dual segmented story of a U.S Marine platoon during their grueling days of boot camp training. The platoon is ran under command by the ill-tempered, loud-mouthed Drill Sergeant Hartman (played by R. Lee Ermey) who pushes the fellow marines to the very limits, and does not hesitate butcher with loud profanity during training sessions. Matthew Iodine plays Private J.T Davis, nicknamed "The Joker", who stands as a bright example to his fellow marines. Then there is Vincent D'Onofrio who plays Private Leonard Lawrence, under the name "Gomer Pyle", an overweight marine who never seems to stay in line with everyone else, and results in constant scolding from Sergeant Hartman. The story then cuts to months later, with Private Davis on the battlefield during the 1968 Tet Offensive operation in Vietnam. There, him and his group of marine recruits face the harrowing realities of war.
Stanley Kubrick gives a powerful and realistic taste on the Vietnam War in this film, and his direction works magnificently. From the opening scene, the film presents sharp look at the characters during their boot camp training, and the dilemmas that go on during training. These scenes are handled very strongly and do nothing to sugarcoat, nor exaggerate the realities marines face while training before entering the war zone. R. Lee Ermey is the biggest prize during these scenes, sporting a powerful performance with his loud temper and mean- spirited reviling. Ermey doesn't just play the role, but just swallows it up with diligence, and his effort pays off well. Matthew Iodine plays the role of Private Davis very naturally, and shows great chemistry with just about every character on screen, especially when the story moves into the combat territory during the second half. When we get into the Vietnam portion of the film, the tone shifts into the darker atmosphere, with graphic and authentic scenes of combat set during the Tet Offensive , and how the rawness of war affects the characters. These scenes are shot so well thanks to solid cinematography by Douglas Milsome, and treat us with a gritty depiction of what the Vietnam War was like.
Full Metal Jacket stands as one of Stanley Kubrick's best pictures, and is great addition to the war genre. This is film is spectacular and something highly recommend to everyone. It may not stand at the top list of other Vietnam War flicks like 'Apocalypse Now' or 'Platoon', but it definitely deserves your attention.