Stanley Kubrick is, without a doubt, one of the greatest film Directors of all-time. Some would even argue that he is the greatest. All this week I'm going to take a look at a different Kubrick film each day. Some of these films are favorites of mine, and some I haven't seen in many years.
Today's movie is the 1987 film, Full Metal Jacket. This isn't my favorite Kubrick movie but, it might be the one of seen the most times. Set during the Vietnam War, this film starts out with a first act following a group of recruits at Marine boot camp, and for me this is the strongest section of the film. While many of the recruits have some moments to shine, the focus is really on two characters; Sergeant Hartman, an abrasive hard-as-nails drill instructor played by R. Lee Ermey and Private Leonard Lawrence (nicknamed 'Gomer Pyle' by Hartman) played by Vincent D'Onofrio. After all of the boot camp scenes, the film shifts to Vietnam and the plot centers around another character introduced during the first act, Sergeant J.T. "Joker" Davis (played by Matthew Modine). While this second section, which makes up about two-thirds of the film, is still engaging and incredibly well-crafted it doesn't quite hold my attention like the boot camp stuff.
Overall, Full Metal Jacket is a very good film. There are tons of great moments, memorable lines, and solid acting throughout. I don't know if it's quite as good as some other "War is Hell" Vietnam movies like 1986's Platoon or 1979's Apocalypse Now but, it's definitely a must-see.
4 out of 5
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