That Giant Sucking Sound

Rating: 7/10 (4 October 2009)

The unifying theme of Stanley Kubrick's 'Full Metal Jacket' is that Vietnam put American in the toilet; each of the film's three parts, or "Acts", has characters in what is repeatedly described as "a world of s--t." The men are successful trained to kill - but, they do not know when to kill, who to kill, or why anyone should die. Narrator protagonist Matthew Modine (as James "Joker" Davis) not only wears a "Peace" button on his uniform, but also has written "Born To Kill" on his helmet (to illustrate the duality of man). The reason for the war is explained, "We are here to help the Vietnamese because inside every gook there is an American trying to get out."
Probably, the film's strongest "story" is told in the first "Act"; it features drill sergeant R. Lee Ermey (as Hartman) belittling overweight Vincent D'Onofrio (as Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence). This story literally ends in the latrine, where a successfully trained killer demonstrates his ability. Some of the material in the rest of the film becomes very weak, in comparison; especially disappointing are some mid-movie scenes "staged" for the camera of "Stars and Stripes" photographer "Rafterman" (Kevyn Major Howard) - the characters all say silly things for the camera. Still, some near-poetic moments of humor and brutality remain to be seen.
******* Full Metal Jacket (6/17/87) Stanley Kubrick ~ Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Arliss Howard