Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick delivered a wide variety of iconic films in his career including Spartacus, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. One of the last films in his career was the 1987 war flick Full Metal Jacket starring Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Ermey, Dorian Harewood, Arliss Howard, Kevyn Major Howard, and Ed O’Ross.

 

Full Metal Jacket follows a two-segment look at the effect of the military mindset and war itself on Vietnam era Marines. The first half follows a group of recruits in boot camp under the command of the punishing Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The second half shows one of those recruits, Joker, covering the war as a correspondent for Stars and Stripes, focusing on the Tet offensive.

 

I love war themed movies with this one being one of my all-time favorites. The focus on the individuals themselves as opposed to the war itself brought a unique vision at the time. Typically we dive into the war itself, but taking this journey through the trials and tribulations of the boot camp and the personal struggles makes for a more personal journey. There are some truly horrible people and moments in this film and I remember being really shocked as a kid to how the whole scenario with Vincent D’Onofrio’s character played out. It was a tragic and hard to watch situation that is sad that happened more often than some might think.

 

The film is filled with not only great visuals and great performances, but also tons of iconic scenes and phrases that have become part of pop culture, most notably samples used by rap group 2-Live Crew. Two of the greatest performances on film in my opinion come from this film from D’Onofrio and the late great real life Marine turned actor R. Lee Ermey. The sheer verbal,