One of the best Vietnam war movies ever

Rating: 10/10 (16 April 2008)

I absolutely love this movie! Having been in the military, the basic training scenes really spoke to me. I think everyone who's ever been through basic training knew that one guy in their barracks who was just like Private Pyle. And from the many times I've watched this movie, I absolutely love laughing at Pyle's antics while getting chewed out by the D.I.
But aside from my personal feelings for this movie, it is a deep, insightful and oftentimes frightening look into the characters going through 1960's Marine basic training & being sent off to Vietnam. The characters, while you never really learn a lot about them, are by no means two-dimensional. You get all the emotion from them and they come off as real people.
I could have lived with the movie just dealing with Private Joker going through boot camp, but the second half of the movie portraying his stint in Vietnam is just another window into his character.
If you love Vietnam war movies, this is definitely a must see. Insightful & intense, you'll want to see it over & over.