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.
- “Are those live rounds?”
Stanley Kubrick, one of the (if not THE) greatest filmmakers ever, produced one masterpiece after another. At least in the humble opinion of this reviewer, “Full Metal Jacket” is not one of them.
- “I am in a world of shit.”
Split into two halves, “Full Metal Jacket” mesmerizes straight away by immersing its audience deep into the pits of a brutal boot camp, led by the merciless Gunnery Sgt. Hartman (R. Lee Ermey). Through the eyes of its protagonist, Joker (Matthew Modine), the film casts a cold and viciously funny look at the dehumanization of the timid, overweight Pvt. Pyle (Vincent D’Onofrio) — and consequently, speaks volume about the dehumanizing effects of war itself. Locking down on the weakest link, Hartman puts him through hell, both physically and emotionally (“I will give you three seconds to wipe that stupid grin off your face, or I will gouge out your eyeballs and skull-fuck you”). One unforgettable sequence leads to the next, Kubrick in complete control and at the peak of his powers: the contraband jelly donut in Pyle’s footlocker; the painful hazing; the switch in Pyle’s demeanor; the shotgun finale — and it DOES feel like a finale, which leads me to…
- “What is your major malfunction, numbnuts?”
After the breathless momentum-building and razor-sharp tension of the first half, “Full Metal Jacket” takes a long, deep breath. The action shifts from the confines of the boot camp to the bloody streets of Hue, Vietnam, where Joker is now a war correspondent. What started as an anguished, deeply satirical, and furious outcry morphs into a by-the-numbers affair — beautifully shot, mind you, and not without moments of merit (“We are jolly green giants, walking the Earth with guns”), but slow and meandering nonetheless. The contrast between the two halves is so stark, it’s disorienting, as if a rug were pulled from under the viewers’ feet. The film consequently fails to engage for the majority of its second half, leaving viewers befuddled. With two of its strongest aspects — Hartman vs. Pyle — out of the picture, it becomes just another “war is bad” flick.
- “Sir, does this mean Ann-Margret is not coming?”
When actors worked with Kubrick, they gave it their all (e.g. Tom Cruise’s provided his best performance by far in “Eyes Wide Shut”). He assembled a masterful ensemble of character actors in “Full Metal Jacket” but again, it’s R. Lee Ermey and Vincent D’Onofrio who make the most lasting impression. Ermey is astonishing, scaldingly funny, the embodiment of an antagonist we love to hate (or hate to love). Each of his insults is pronounced with delectable relish, and he somehow imbues this hardened shell of a man with just a modicum of tragedy. The real tragic character, however, is Pyle. In his first major role (and fourth screen appearance), D’Onofrio mesmerizes, stealing each of his scenes. His expression when he raises that rifle haunts the rest of the film, for better or worse. The rest of the cast — particularly Matthew Modine and Adam Baldwin as Animal Mother — do fine work.
- “Well, any fuckin’ time, sweetheart!”
Kubrick did not make bad films. Like with any great director, his films tend to be judged against his other films. As such, “Full Metal Jacket” never reaches the heights of, say, “2001” or “Dr. Strangelove” or “A Clockwork Orange,” but it’s certainly better than “Fear and Desire” or “Killer’s Kiss.” Put it this way: 5 stars for Part I; part II gets 2. Technically, that’s 3.5, but since it’s Kubrick, let’s round it up a notch.
Available on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever September 22nd
