Full Metal Jacket

This is a really intense movie, especially the first part will leave a big impression on you. It's chaotic, it's a real drill, but it beautifully shows how crazy the army is. It has to raise people who are capable of killing, who are capable of going into battle and shooting. In the end, it shows that even then it's not easy. The second part is strong as well, when you see the soldiers and how everything is completely twisted. (03/04/2015)

The first part of the film, which takes us into the training of the Marines, is great. Basically, it's about nothing more than a screaming and terrorizing sergeant who drives the soldiers to the edge of their physical and mental limits. This part of the won't let you breathe a sigh of relief, you just have to work hard and you can't even sniffle without permission. Among the soldiers, we have Private Pyle, who, although he's quite slow and lagging behind, has my admiration, because in this training I would pass out after two hours and I'm still cheering myself on. However, he doesn't handle it mentally; that blank maniacal expression of his will haunt me for a long time. It's just a pity that the climax of this plot didn't gain more momentum, it could have been a great theme for another film. The second part slows down a bit and gets a little boring, but once we get into combat, it's again a very good show. The only odd thing, the film is just under two hours long, and although I didn't feel like it dragged on for any length of time (unlike Space Odyssey, where the pace is slower), it felt like it was about 3 hours long, but no matter, I still liked it. (09/05/2018)

The green-brain one-man-show in the first act is perfect, but as soon as the plot shifts to Vietnam, the film starts to creak. Actually, nothing important happens during those two acts. There is no deeper thought, nothing that would leave me with an emotional experience, which I would expect from a Kubrick film. Moreover, the "Vietnam" locations are rather unconvincing and Kubrick can't do battle scenes. I know better films about the Vietnam war. (08/23/2003)

Kubrick does attempt to push the boundaries of the genre once again, but in the war film, it did not work out for him. Despite the surprising first hour, Full Metal Jacket has become the director's far most unpalatable piece (and therefore considerably un-Kubrick-like), which kills the impossibility to identify with any of the characters. (03/15/2006)

Honestly, it’s no wonder Stone's Platoon did better in its day... Kubrick's Vietnam is less attractive to the viewer's eye, more urban (we don’t get to see any cramped jungles), less action-packed, more protracted and broadly conceived. Yet it is impressive, although dehumanized and cold for my tastes. I consider the introduction and ending of the film to be the best – the marine preparation consists of the constant shouting, the numbing drill and the singing of celebratory songs. All this in the traditionally inventive visual presentation made in Mr. Kubrick (the scene of checking trimmed nails with a double row of privates on boxes is unforgettable). The final sniper scene, on the other hand, is the most personal thing that makes monstrous sense to everything seen so far, and it is one of the most drastic things ever seen in this genre. I consider the most problematic feature of Full Metal Jacket to be the characters, who are too schematic and inconspicuous, but this makes the sheer absurdity and dehumanization of the war stand out all the more. And, of course, Kubrick's sense of the drama of the situation and its visualization. The "period" song soundtrack is also excellent. In summation, Full Metal Jacket is among the films that have a "less attractive" Vietnam for viewers, but in terms of ideas it is among the most interesting. (10/19/2004)