two halves make a whole

Rating: Null/10 (11 October 2004)

This movie is split into two halves. The first gives an excellent depiction of what is done in boot camp. The elimination of the individual. At least a big part of the individual. And it starts with the very first image. The hair cut. Anything that identified you as who you were before you got there is gone. A lot of people have commented on the weaknesses of the 2nd halve of the film. I don't know, maybe it could have been done better. But I think it does a great job of depicting what happens to men who have gone through such training. Men being used as decoys to see if the way is safe for a tank. What normal person would do such a thing. Someone who had been through the Paris Island experience. All the things that happen to them, risking everything as point man for your platoon, risking yourself and others to retrieve one member of your platoon, killing a wounded sniper like you would put a dog to sleep. All this is the result of the training. And to end the film when it did, has the effect of having you wonder - what became of these men- oh, they are your workmates, neighbors, high school teachers, etc.. with such experiences in their memories. and then you think, how are we all, marines or otherwise, conditioned to perceive ourselves and our world. In this respect, the movie has similarities to clockwork orange. perhaps that is why Kubrick chose to do this film.