Full Metal Jacket (1987)

A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow Marine recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting set in 1968 in Hue, Vietnam.

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Gustav Hasford (novel), Stanley Kubrick (screenplay),

Stars:

Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio

Top 250 #81 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Modine	...	Pvt. J.T. 'Joker' Davis
Adam Baldwin	...	Animal Mother
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Pvt. Leonard 'Gomer Pyle' Lawrence
R. Lee Ermey	...	Gny. Sgt. Hartman (as Lee Ermey)
Dorian Harewood	...	Eightball
Kevyn Major Howard	...	Rafterman
Arliss Howard	...	Pvt. Cowboy
Ed O'Ross	...	Lt. Touchdown
John Terry	...	Lt. Lockhart
Kieron Jecchinis	...	Crazy Earl
Kirk Taylor	...	Payback
Tim Colceri	...	Doorgunner
Jon Stafford	...	Doc Jay (as John Stafford)
Bruce Boa	...	Poge Colonel
Ian Tyler	...	Lt. Cleves

Storyline

A two-segment look at the effect of the military mindset and war itself on Vietnam era Marines. The first half follows a group of recruits in boot camp under the command of the punishing Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The second half shows one of those recruits, Joker, covering the war as a correspondent for Stars and Stripes, focusing on the Tet offensive.

---

Plot Keywords:

vietnam | recruit | sergeant | boot camp | tet offensive | 

---

Taglines:

In Vietnam The Wind Doesn't Blow It Sucks

---

Genres:

Drama | War

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Vietnamese

Release Date:

26 June 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket

Filming Locations:

Norfolk Broads, Norfolk, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$46,357,676 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Natant, Stanley Kubrick Productions, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The inscription "I Am Become Death" is written on Animal Mother's helmet. This is a quotation from the Bhagavad-Gita, spoken by J. Robert Oppenheimer after the explosion of the first atomic bomb at Alamogordo.

---

Goofs

In one scene in the movie, Sgt. Hartman is telling recruits that "Today is Christmas" then begins telling them about Christmas services. During the running scenes throughout their training sequence along the camp roads and through the woods, you can see the trees and other vegetation are in full bloom. Since their training is 8 weeks long, even in South Carolina during the December and even November, the tree's and vegetation would be bare and the grass would be brownish and it would be cold enough that the soldiers would be wearing their field jackets. The movie appears to be set most likely in the Spring or Summer.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor. From now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be "Sir". Do you maggots understand that?
Recruits: [In unison in a normal speaking tone] Sir, yes Sir.
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Bullshit I can't hear you. Sound off like you got a pair!
Recruits: [In unison, much louder] SIR, YES SIR!
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: If you ladies leave my island, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon. You will be a minister of death praying ...

---

Connections

Referenced in Tosh.0: Brian Atene (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"Hello Vietnam"
Written by Tom T. Hall
Performed by Johnny Wright
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

Compelling from the first time the shaver bites

Goddamn you Stanley Kubrick. For me Clockwork Orange set the standard a long time ago for cinematic perfection; FMJ just raises the bar. Sitting around with bored in-laws I quietly slipped this into the DVD player, 20 minutes later conversation has ceased and everybody is absorbed. Predictable Kubrick really, stunningly lit, musical soundtrack that is oh-so-right, and the cinematography -Jesusmotherofmary. Ten years before anybody had thought of picking up a movie camera and running with it, Kubrick had perfected the technique. War is hell? -it sure looks a vision of hell. Stunning in every way.