Full Metal Jacket (1987)

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

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (screenplay by), Michael Herr (screenplay by)

Stars:

Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D'Onofrio

Top Rated Movies #101 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Modine	...	Pvt. Joker
Adam Baldwin	...	Animal Mother
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Pvt. Pyle
R. Lee Ermey	...	Gny. Sgt. Hartman (as Lee Ermey)
Dorian Harewood	...	Eightball
Kevyn Major Howard	...	Rafterman (as Kevyn Major-Howard)
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.

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Plot Keywords:

military | vietnam war | drill instructor | u.s. marine | boot camp | 

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Taglines:

Acclaimed by critics as the best war movie ever made

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

13

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman wears the following decorations: Silver Star, Purple Heart (with silver star, indicating five awards), Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross (with palm), Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal (with silver star, indicating five awards), Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service Medal (with bronze star, indicating two awards), Korean Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal (with bronze star, indicating two awards), Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, United Nations Service Medal for Korea, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Rifle Expert marksmanship badge, Pistol Expert marksmanship badge.

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Goofs

During the Tet Offensive scene, several Marines are seen to be carrying their M-16 rifles by the carry-handle. This is poor technique as it does not allow good control and combat-readiness, and Marines would have had this drilled out of them.

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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 for ...

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Crazy Credits

End credits list a song performed by Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs, misspelling the last word as "Pharoahs." This has not been corrected on any home video version of the movie.

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Connections

Featured in De wereld draait door: Episode #6.62 (2010)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

The best war film I have seen

NO SPOILERS! This is a review, not a synopsis.

First of all I love Kubrick's work, so I came into this with a bias. However I have seen a lot of action and war films, and this one, to an individual who never went to war, seems the most true-to-life, taken as a whole. This IS how you have to look at this film, incidentally; trying to break it down into two or three parts and say which was better is missing the point of the film, I think.

In the same way that "Trainspotting" was an anti-drug film that did not gloss over anything, "Full Metal Jacket" is (for me) an anti-war film that stares straight at the ugliness of war and the potential for violence within almost all people, especially those trained, conditioned, even twisted, into military roles, without preaching even a single time. Less allegory and more applicability! Wonderful!

The camera work was superb. I felt like I was walking through the movie with the Marines, from the barracks to the battlefield scenes.

I have seen others criticize this film for the voice over, but I felt that it was used sparingly, and was helpful, not overdone. The narrator doesn't say anything that seems out-of-place.

Others have commented on the music, the acting, and so on, so I won't add my repetitive comments, except that the drill sergeant is perfect!

The combination of the demented treatment the recruits receive in boot camp with the combined "hours of boredom, seconds of terror" feel of the Vietnam scenes is intense and not for everyone, but feels REAL.

10 out of 10, perfect.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Vietnamese

Release Date:

21 October 1987 (France)

Also Known As:

Full Metal Jacket

Filming Locations:

Norfolk Broads, Norfolk, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,217,307, 28 June 1987

Gross USA:

$46,357,676

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$46,357,676

Company Credits

Production Co:

Natant, Stanley Kubrick Productions, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital (re-mastered version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1