Full Metal Jacket (War Collection)

Kubricks penultimate movie and his first since The Shining some seven years before. By now the steadicam for Kubrick rules supreme and the military proves to be the perfect subject matter for such a freewheeling device.
Kubricks lens glides, follows, and reports the life of Joker as he trains in boot camp and then sees combat in Vietnam. Joker is a soldier and a reporter for "Stars and Stripes" which puts him in an internal conflict summed up by his reprimand by a Colonel. Joker is the story; part of Americas and his own history-a killer but critical of his ability to do so and whether he should kill in the first place. At the crunch he is found wanting. He cannot kill up close, but he can out of mercy, which his less educated comrades mistake for the ultimate "hardcore" act.
Yet as much as Joker is our route through Full Metal Jacket it is Gunnery Sgt Hartmann who is most remembered. Such is the pace and rhythm of his verbal assaults in the first forty minutes that when we leave him on Paris Island the film never quite recaptures that level of genius and poetry.

This film is made memorable by the two distinct halves, with very different circumstances. My preferred first half involves a hilarious drill sargeant terrorizing his men into shape, and most notably , who (being overweight) is shown hell more than any other marine hopeful. The second part takes place in the actual war (following their graduation to the U.S. Marines), and is just as sickening and twisted as the first. Full Metal Jacket should be viewed, by not only War Film fans, but purely movie fans wanting to witness an excellent and powerful film.

This is a film of two chapters .
The first chapter is the intense training at boot camp, with the brilliantly sadistic and very funny R.Lee. Ermy as the drill sargent.
The second chapter is the war in the concrete jungles of vietnam, it's very shocking and very real.
both chapters of the film compliment each other, but for me the boot camp chapter is the best, because of R.Lee. Ermy's drill sargent.
His abuse and cutting remarks are now a thing of legend.
the second chapter stands well because of the shocking sniper sequence.
This is one of the best vietnam war films ever made. Also for me the best film Stanley Kubrick ever made, as usualy his films are up there own arse with there self importance. None of that is present here, just raw anger.
A brilliant film, and a must buy !

this is a must.... this is one of the best war films ive seen

Another classic in stanley kubricks catalogue, the film just has to be watched, it certainley is not "just another war movie" the first hour at boot camp has some of the best acting, dialogue, drama and tension that i have ever seen. The casting of all the actors is perfect and when we get into the war side of things, it's the real deal. Can't believe the war sequences were shot in london.
Movie is more of an experience therfore it's hard to write a review. Defo one to watch.