HELL, I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!

Rating: Null/10 (18 February 2002)

Although he gets killed off early in the movie, Lee Ermey's performance as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman is one of the best. This is a man who believes he has to abuse and swear at his men in order to make them excellent fighting machines. Considering the military roles he has played in other films, Ermey was the best candidate for this role. Meanwhile, Vincent D'Onofrio's performance as Private Pyle is brilliant and portrays a man who tries to take Hartman's abuse and the other abuse of his comrades as best he can and then finally snaps. One can only wonder if he had survived the nighttime confrontation between himself and Hartman in the bathroom and had gone to Vietnam. Would he have been alright? Finally, another actor's performance as Animal Mother is also watchable, as he shows a solider who loves defending his nation against communism and shows only contempt for the Vietnamese, who he regards as terrorists and beggars. Forget Eyes Wide Shut, this was Stanley Kubrick's true last masterpiece before his death. It rates right up there with Spartacus, 2001 and A Clockwork Orange as one of his best.