Humanizing one the Cold War's worst episodes

Rating: 8/10 (25 March 2018)

Full Metal Jacket exposes the futility of war - more relevant than ever for the world today given the incessant wars being fought by the US around the world as I write this review.
The movie adds a human touch to a war essentially fought in the Cold War chessboard of the 1960s and 1970s. The movie humanizes the suffering of death and raises legitimate questions about the purpose of the war; or indeed most wars.
Living in Southeast Asia and having visited Vietnam several times the movie helps one to understand one of the darkest periods in the region's history. No doubt, there were many silent global supporters of the war but still one recognizes the burden of history which contemporary Vietnamese are attempting to shed.
The movie is a must watch fictional recreation for anyone interested in understanding the human aspect of war. Stanley Kubrick is a master film maker and Full Metal Jacket will not disappoint even the harshest of Kubrick's critics.