Damion reviews Full Metal Jacket

Rating: 9/10 (25 April 2004)

"Full Metal Jacket" follows a single Marine-nicknamed Joker(Mathew Modine)-through boot camp and a portion of his time in Vietnam. It is loosely based on the story 'Short Timers' by Gustav Hasford. It is directed by Stanley Kubrick, known for long, eccentric movies that weave surreal and super real characteristics blended together, creating nightmarish, hollow and disconcerting movies.
The boot camp portion of this film is what most people remember. The drill instructor is played by R. Lee Emery, and it is one of the most terrifying, moving, funny and convincing performances in movie history. Virtually a non-stop rant from his first appearances to his last he electrifies the performances around him and puts the viewer in boot camp with the rest of the recruits. Vincent D'Onofrio does well as Private Pyle, overacting in only one scene-though it is a critical scene. Matthew Modine's performance is almost tertiary to Emery and D'Onofrio's performance. We do get see him develop a little, the positive characteristics that will make him strong in Vietnam.
The second portion blends sixties rock n' roll and Vietnamese urban warfare to tremendous effect. The war effort is crumbling and Reporter Sgt Joker is sent to the front to support infantry and get stories for the "Stars and Stripes". There, Joker confronts the full effects of war on himself, friends and strangers. One is hard pressed to remember at points that it is just a movie, so comfortable and real are the actors in their surroundings. The Door Gunner ('ain't war hell?'), Animal Mother, 8-ball and Cowboy are consumed by their roles.
It is definitely not a movie for those easily offended by language. As an anti-war movie, it seems to have exactly the opposite effect. Nonetheless, it is a powerful performance, with the entire cast making it greater than the sum of its parts. It is the finest Kubrick movie that I've seen(out of eight). I recommend it for anyone over the age of sixteen who enjoys action or war movies. I rate this movie at nine stars out of ten. It truly deserves to be an American classic.