"In Vietnam, the film doesn't suck..."

Rating: 9/10 (28 July 2005)

An excellent film concerning war as a phenomenon in it's own right. What is so good about this film is that it makes no statement about war, it just presents it to you. Here we have Kubrick completely ignoring generic and traditional dramatic structure, as he sticks his neck out yet again to present one of the most uncompromising dramatic forms ever shot. It is brilliant.
We follow "Joker" (Matthew Modine) throughout the course of the movie, starting at boot camp and moving into Vietnam itself. We are not given any inside information in the film - we know and understand less than the characters themselves. All we know is, through the claustrophobia of the training barracks, that there is a war out there somewhere and that these soldiers will fight against something. Even the narration (provided by Modine) is empty and robotic, unlike the journal-esqu readings of "Platoon".
We see their meaningless and detached involvements, and can not help but feel shut-out from even the most basic elements of the entire Vietnam conflict. All actions are amplified as we are so close in (yet paradoxically, so removed) to the platoon/squad that the big picture and any perspective is completely distorted and even lost. The enemy is portrayed as invisible, un-killable and even mythical - and when they are revealed at close-quarters, the futility and lawlessness of war and human behaviour is hammered home. Multiple viewings are highly recommended, however not necessary.