Adam Baldwin, Arliss Howard, John Terry, Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D'Onofrio - Dir:Stanley Kubrick Raw Marine recruits go through 16 weeks of training under a leather-lunged D.I., then plunge into the bullet-raining hell of Vietnam. Matthew Modine as a sarcastic recruit heads a talented ensemble in this searing look at the process that turns people into killers.
Based on Gustav Hasford's novel THE SHORT TIMERS, Kubrick's unusual answer to the 1980s spate of Vietnam War films (PLATOON, HAMBURGER HILL, 84 CHARLIE MOPIC, etc.) actually seems like two films in one. The first half focuses on the training of a squad of Marine grunts on Parris Island, and more specifically on the troubled relationship between the brutal drill sergeant (Ermey) and an oafish misfit (a brilliant D'Onofrio) who just happens to be a sharpshooter. Post-training, we follow the grunts to battle of Hue City, the climactic battle of the 1968 Tet Offensive and the turning point of the Vietnam War, seeing mostly through the eyes of a cynical reporter nicknamed Joker (Modine). As a Vietnam War film, Kubrick's is notable for focusing on urban, rather than jungle, battlefields--with snipers hiding behind every bombed-out building.
In this riveting look at military life during the Vietnam conflict, Stanley Kubrick, who made the powerful antiwar classics PATHS OF GLORY (WWI) and DR. STRANGELOVE (the Cold War), once again explores the behavior of men in battle. FULL METAL JACKET (1987), adapted from Gustav Hasford's novel THE SHORT TIMERS, is broken down into two very different parts. The first half of the film focuses on the training of a squad of Marine grunts on Parris Island, and more specifically on the troubled relationship between the brutal drill sergeant (a frightening Lee Ermey) and an oafish misfit (a brilliant Vincent D'Onofrio) who just happens to be a sharpshooter. The second half takes the grunts to Hue City, where the climactic battle of the 1968 Tet Offensive--and the turning point of the Vietnam War--took place. The story is told through the eyes of Private Joker (Matthew Modine), a cynical aspiring photojournalist who is forced to fight for his life and the lives of his fellow recruits.
Unusually for Kubrick, FULL METAL JACKET emerged at a time when a trend for films about Vietnam was in full swing. PLATOON had proceeded Kubrick's film by a year, and lesser efforts such as HAMBURGER HILL also emerged in 1987. London's abandoned docklands may not be the most obvious choice of location to replicate the ravages of the Vietnam landscape, but this is where Kubrick shot the film, sticking to his dogged principles of not shooting outside his adopted home. A moving commentary on the dehumanizing process that occurs when soldiers prepare and engage in battle, FULL METAL JACKET is an unforgettable experience from one of the most original voices to ever pick up a movie camera.
Although the credits claim that the film was shot "on location and at Pinewood Studios, Iver, Bucks," it has been reported that the film was entirely shot in England, at a military training camp in Bassingbourne and at Enfield and Beckton. The bombed-out buildings were on a site outside of London that was owned by British gas; it had been scheduled for demolition, so Kubrick had it blown up and then used as a set.
Lee Ermey served as the technical adviser on the film; Kubrick liked him so much he hired him for the part of Gny. Sgt. Hartman.
The film features excellent use of such 1960s classics as "These Boots Are Made for Walking" by Nancy Sinatra, "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, "Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen, "Chapel of Love" by the Dixie Cups, and "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones; Kubrick told Rolling Stone magazine, "We were looking for interesting material that played well with a scene. We tried a lot of songs. Sometimes the dynamic range of the music was too great, and we couldn't work in dialogue. The music has to come up under speech at some point, and if all you hear is the bass, it's not going to work in the context of the movie....The choices weren't arbitrary."
The name of Sam the Sham's backup group is mistakenly spelled Pharoahs in the closing credits.
The part of Pvt. Joker was originally going to be played by Anthony Michael Hall before going to Matthew Modine.
Estimated budget: $17 million.
Vincent D'Onofrio put on 70 pounds in order to portray Pvt. Pyle.
Filming was so difficult that when Kubrick asked his actors for volunteers to die early, nearly everyone raised their hand.
Lee Ermey got into a car accident during filming, resulting in broken ribs. Watching the movie closely, one can see certain scenes in which he never uses his arms, because of the injury. He also missed four and a half months of shooting.
Most of ths insults hurled by Ermey came directly from him, not from the original script.
Kubrick spent 10 months cutting FULL METAL JACKET.
A full metal jacket refers to a rifle cartridge.
Full Metal Jacket Quotes/Excerpts:
"Here you are all equally worthless."--Gny. Sgt. Hartman (Lee Ermey) to the new recruits
"What is your major malfunction, Pvt. Pyle?"--Gny. Sgt. Hartman to Pvt. Pyle (Vincent D'Onofrio)
"You write 'Born to Kill' on your helmet and you wear a peace button. What's that supposed to be, some kind of sick joke?!"--Colonel (Bruce Boa) to Pvt. Joker (Matthew Modine)
"I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir."--Pvt. Joker's eventual response
"We gotta keep our heads until this peace craze blows over."--Colonel's later comment to Pvt. Joker
Full Metal Jacket Reviews:
"The picture looks like it was shot in the 70s, which is suitable for the setting of the storytelling."
-- Widescreen Review Staff, Widescreen Review
"...Harrowing, beautiful and characteristically eccentric....The performances are splendid..."
-- Vincent Canby, New York Times
Included in the New York Times "10 Best Films of 1987"
-- Vincent Canby, New York Times
"...An intense, schematic, superbly made Vietnam War drama..."
-- Cart., Variety
"...A powerful and centered statement of outrage....It is a muscular return to form..."
-- Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times
War is Hell!!! I don't care how many times I've seen this one, or the other "War" flicks, "War is Hell!! I didn't rate this one as high as "Platoon", cause I didn't care too much for a particular scene!! Submitted by Mary Jane (Lebanon, KY--) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
GREAT WAR MOVIE THIS MOVIE HAD IT ALL,DRAMA,COMEDY AND SOME GRITTY ACTION. LEE ERMEY WAS SUPURB IN THIS CLASSIC WAR FILM ABOUT MARINE TRAINING AND THE PSYCOLOGICAL TWISTING THAT THOSE GUYS WENT THROUGH TO BECOME KILLERS. THIS WAS SIMPLY AN OVERLOOKED FILM BY SOME ON THIS BOARD. THIS MOVIE HAD SOME GREAT ACTING AND I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO SLAM THE MOVIE WITH 1 STAR BECAUSE IT ISN'T IN WIDESCREEN OR TRY TO COMPARE THIS REALISTIC MASTERPIECE TO A SAPPY " WE WERE SOLDIERS". THAT MOVIE WAS GOOD BUT JUST ISN'T IN THE SAME LEAGUE AS "FULL METAL JACKET". "PLATOON" WAS GREAT AS WELL BUT THIS MOVIE IS ROCKED AND IF YOU ASK ANY MARINE FROM THOSE DAYS THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT THAT WAS JUST THE WAY THEY WERE TRAINED AND WERE TALKED TO. THEY WERE TRAINED TO BE FEARLESS. REALISM IS WHERE IT COUNTS AND THIS MOVIE IS HARD HITTING IN MANY WAYS. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR WAR BUFFS OF THE VIETNAM ERA. Submitted by MICHAEL (FOUR OAKS ,N.C.,U.S.A.) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
missing movie Both sides of the scene are cutoff in this movie since it is not available in its native widescreen format. Warner blew it when they "remastered" this DVD in 2001 and did not restore it to widescreen. Don't waste your money on this overedited version. Submitted by Jim (San Diego, CA, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
The drill instructor made me laugh a lot My favorite line for the drill instructor was "Were you born a fat, slimy scumbag, Private Pyle, or did you have to work on it!" Submitted by Corey (San Antonio TX, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
classic this is a classic war movie. im surprised that there are not more reviews posted Submitted by blah (new york, NY) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 0 of 1 found this helpful.
Region 1 Snap Case Single Side - Dual Layer Full Frame - 1.33 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Additional Release Material: Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer Interactive Features: Interactive Menus Scene Access Text/Photo Galleries: Production Notes
War is Hell!!!
GREAT WAR MOVIE
missing movie
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