War Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 2000)

I doubt I can say anything original about this movie that has not already been said before, but I did want to comment on the so-called "weaker" 2nd half of the movie, after bootcamp. I believe you can only think the 2nd half is slow if your idea of war is a game of Quake deathmatch. In real life, it's not kill, kill, die, respawn. When you die, it's for good. If you can't wait when your CO tells you to wait, you'll be dead. The sniper ending is one of the most suspenseful war movie sequences I have ever seen.
Full Metal Jacket is excellent because it shows you the progression of soldiers - made strong in boot camp, and ready to continue in combat after briefly grieving their friends who just fell. Not to mention the excellent political commentary, and the irony of filming the filmmaker as he is recording interviews with soldiers.