The Lethal Camera

Rating: 9/10 (4 August 2006)

Even if this had no opening credits, this would be immediately recognizable as Kubrick's work.
All of his essential war film components are here, as self reference: the camera movement of "Paths of Glory", the 'fighting a square' and running the gauntlet from "Barry Lyndon". There is 'Rafterman' as the photographer (the camera operator) and 'Joker' as the writer. Modine is given the task of writing the story within the story as the character, and outside the story, narrating with retroactive knowledge.
We love the beginning third for the spot-on performances of Ermey and D'Onofrio. But as with all of Kubrick's work, the plot and dialogue are really just secondary concerns. What makes this grip, unlike the works of many lesser filmmakers, is the supremacy of the camera. On the Island, the camera is on a dolly...disciplined, humiliated. In country, it is held-held, it marches, charges, crouches and hides. We get a lesson from the master in how to build story inertia through visual narrative inertia.
And in the finale, the most striking feature here, the idea of the camera as rifle/rifle as camera duality. The camera literally becomes the sniper's weapon. And who ultimately puts a metaphorical end to the deadly vision? The photographer...then the writer dispatches it and the story with a prayer. Heavy duty stuff.