Review - Full Metal Jacket

"Full Metal Jacket" is a war/drama, based on Gustav Hasford's novel, "The Short Timers".
This is almost two movies in one. The first part of the movie takes place when a batch of new recruits arrives at Parris Island, South Carolina, in order to undergo Marine basic training. The second part of the movie deals with some of their experiences in Vietnam.
"Full Metal Jacket" is not your typical war movie in many respects. Most war movies never show any of the training at all...and certainly not in the graphic detail shown here. R. Lee Ermey, who plays Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann, was an actual drill instructor in the Marine Corps...and it shows. His brutally obscene abuse of the "maggots" under his command gives you chills...even though you know that he is preparing them for something much worse than him.
The part of the movie taking place in Vietnam itself is equally as blunt. From the atrocities of war to the blase attitude of most of the soldiers, you immediately get the sense of what was being portrayed in the movie. Unlike almost all war movies, this is not a rah-rah patriotic film. This is war...bloody, violent, and unsympathetic. All of the characters in the film give you the sensation that they do not want to be here...and that they realize that no one (in the country they have invaded or back home) want them there.
Quite simply, this is an excellent film. It dares you to watch...and then dares you not to flinch while you do watch. Even the most monstrous of characters in this movie have depth...and you feel for every one of them...even though the feelings may vary according to scene. This could quite possibly be one of the best war movies ever made...and certainly a great movie.
For a hard look at an unpopular war, "Full Metal Jacket" delivers.
Starring - Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Baldwin, R. Lee Ermey, and Arliss Howard. Directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Time - 1 hour, 56 minutes. Rated - R (Graphic violence, language, some sexuality)