Written by Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford, and directed by Stanley Kubrick Full Metal Jacket (“FMJ”) is a film about the Vietnam War that was released back in September 1987.

I have never really been one for DVD extras and bonus features and would prefer to see the feature film only. Therefore this is a review of the film only and I will not comment on any of the extras that are available on the DVD.

****Plot****

FMJ starts in a Marine Corp training camp in Paris Island, South Carolina, USA in the 1960s. A young group of conscripts arrive and after having their identities taken away, along with the obligatory headshave, begin their gruelling training for the Vietnam War. During their time at the camp the new platoon remain under the scrutiny of Drill Sergeant Hartman (R Lee Ermey) and after the first encounter it is easy to see why Sergeant Hartman has the reputation of being the nastiest sergeant in the camp.

The recruits, known only by the nick names given to them by Hartman, are taught how to make beds, keep their belongings tidy, clean their boots and their weapons, subjected to physical torture (AKA exercise) and mentally abused in the quest to become fully fledged members of the elite killing squad known as the Royal Marines.

As in all situations like the above, there are squabbles amongst the platoon due to the high levels of testosterone floating around and the lack of freedom the recruits have, but in the end they all gel together to become a highly motivated and well organised unit, however it is not plain sailing all the way and not everyone makes it. Once graduated the platoon are broken up as they are allocated their respective posts in Vietnam.

In Vietnam we follow the escapades of Private Joker (Matthew Modine), who along with his friend Rafterman (Kevyn Major Howard) was allocated the job of being a reporter and a photographer respectively, for the Marine Corp’s newspaper, The Stars and Stripes. Joker is an ambitious individual and after spending all his military life annoyed that he is not allowed on the front line to get a ‘juicy’ story he finally gets his break when the Marine Corps are forced to retreat after a night time scuffle. Thereafter Joker and Rafterman are assigned to be right on the front line and report the War in all it’s glory as events unfold.

What stories will Joker and Rafterman have to report? How will they fare being on the front line? Will they actually get to see their homeland again?

****Characters****

There are loads of characters in this film and in addition to Sergeant Hartman, Joker and Rafterman the main ones include:

i) Private “Cowboy” (Arliss Howard)
ii) Private Leonard Lawrence “Gomar Pyle” (Vincent D’Onofrio
iii) Lt “Touchdown” (Ed O’Ross)
iv) Lt “Lockhart” (John Terry)
v) Private “Snowball” (Peter Edmund)
vi) Private “Eightball” (Dorian Harewood)

All the characters are believable and the respective actors do a fantastic job. Whilst Sergeant Hartman and Private Pyle steal the limelight in the training camp the focuses soon switches to Private Joker and Rafteman once in Vietnam. Whilst the foresaid characters have the largest roles they have the backing of a fantastically talented cast of supporting actors.

****My thoughts and opinion****

FMG is clearly in two distinct parts and the producers appear to have made no attempt to move smoothly from one to the other. There is a definite cut off point where the training ends and the Vietnam War begins. Whilst the transition is not smooth, which would have been a criticism in most films, I don’t think it matters in FMJ. The end of basic training is so graphic and shocking, as well as being totally unexpected, that it made me sit up and think “wow” before moving on to the action in Vietnam. In my opinion the end scene of the first half of FMG is one of the best endings ever since it is more thought provoking than tying up the loose ends.

Usually, it takes me a while to really get in to a film but this was not the case with FMJ. I was captivated from the start, which I found strange as the overall story is not that original or captivating and at the end of the day it is basically a platoon of new recruits that are going through the vigorous training that was considered necessary before war. This doesn’t sound that exciting but I was enthralled and really wanted to see how the characters grew and developed through basic training. FMJ portrays the training as being really tough and recruits had to be physically fit, mentally fit, have the ability to shoot and have the ‘killer instinct’ to actually carry out this function on the battle field and whilst some appeared to have this from the outset others did not and it took them time to adjust.

I also found FMG very thought provoking and it had me asking myself many questions, such as “Were drill sergeants really that foul mouthed and mean?”, “Did the recruits really get treated worse than something you’d find on the bottom of your shoe” and “Was military training school really that tough?”. I will never find the answer to most of these questions but this is the beauty of FMJ and it is this is why it is a film that sticks in my memory.

The acting is fantastic and my favourite characters have to be the Drill Sergeant Hartman and Private Pyle for two totally different reasons. Sergeant Hartman is the ultimate bully that uses verbal insults as opposed to physical assault s to break the recruits. I believe that verbal insults can cut very deep and my mother’s saying of “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is total codswallop. Providing it is used in the right context I don’t mind a bit of foul language and in normal circumstances I think using profanities for every other word is too much. However, I think the constant swearing of Drill Sergeant Hartman works great in FMJ since it shows his ignorance (a common trait of all bullies) and it is effective in de-sensitising the recruits in order to break them so they can be turned in to killing machines.

Drill Sergeant Hartman is responsible for so many memorable phrases (probably for the wrong reasons), all of which contain language that would not only make your ears bleed but also you would never use in front of your mum, and it never ceases to amaze me the amount of times I overhear some of the more famous FMJ phrases being shouted out by groups of lads (and ladies) on nights out. This behaviour isn’t exclusive to my native Norwich and it appears to happen all over the country since I have heard it as far north as Newcastle (I must admit that this is as far North as I have ever ventured in the UK) and as far south as Cornwall. Despite the over use of foul language some of the sayings are quite witty, clever and do raise a bit of a smile. The role of the Drill Sergeant was made for R Lee Ermey and I think he plays it very, very well. I couldn’t imagine anyone else that would be more suitable.

Private Pyle takes the brunt of the Drill Sergeant’s abuse, but then a lot of it he does bring on himself. When Pyle enters the training barracks he is mentally and physically weak. He is the equivalent of the camp and wimpy schoolboy who can’t do anything for himself and is the prime target for bullies, like the Drill Sergeant. However, training changes Pyle and when he realises his talent lies with ‘Charlene’ he soon changes in to what the Drill Sergeant wants him to be. Watching Pyle’s transformation from a soft and lovable character to that of an unemotional robot with demonic eyes was captivating and very entertaining to watch. Vincent D’Onofrio Is a great actor that really got under the skin of the role and this led to a fantastic and very believable performance.

In my opinion Drill Sergeant Hartman and Private Pyle steal the limelight during the training part of FMJ, but the other characters and actors also do a brilliant job. All characters are believable and I can’t think of a single actor, or character, that was out of place. Perfecting the actors, characters and roles is no easy feat and there are usually weaknesses in most films, but I couldn’t identify any in FMJ.

The training part of FMJ is not fast paced by any stretch of the imagination. There are no highspeed chases, no large explosions, no killing sprees, no impressive computer generated images or anything like that, but then there doesn’t need to be. FMJ doesn’t need these to capture the imagination and attention of the audience as it is the development of the characters and the excellent acting abilities of all the cast that do this.

When FMJ moved from training to war part I found it as equally thought provoking and noticed the quality of acting was maintained throughout with all characters and actors giving great performances. That said, I did find the training camp part of FMJ more entertaining and thought provoking than Joker’s jaunt on the front line at Vietnam.

There are some quite disturbing parts during this second half and the one that really sticks out in my mind is where Joker and Rafterman are in a helicopter that is flying low over some paddy fields and there is a maverick on the automatic weapon yelling “Get some”, another one liner that appears to be bounced around a lot. I found this particular scene very hard hitting and difficult to comprehend, but then I guess that is ‘war’ for you. Once again I do ask myself “was it really like that?” but I will never know.

Whilst I think the foul language adds to FMJ I appreciate that there are many people that would be offended by this so if you can’t condone foul language then FMJ is not for you. It is not a film I would watch with my mother and it definitely is not a family film, but then given it has an 18 certificate this is hardly surprising.

Overall FMJ is a great film and whilst I really enjoy it I think it would have been better if the training element was one film and Joker’s experience in Vietnam was a follow up sequel. By including the two parts together the overall film barely scratches the surface of either basic training or the actual war itself. I think the producers have tried to squeeze too much in and whilst FMJ is 116min in length, which is longer than most other films, it is not long enough too do both parts the justice they deserve.

If you are after a film that contains awesome computer generated images, large explosions, high speed chases, fast cars, faster women and the like then this is definitely not the film for you. If you are in the mood for a thought provoking film where you watch the characters grow and develop then this is a film I think you would enjoy.

****Other****

Run time – 116 mins
Certificate – 18
5 Awards, 5 other nominations and an Oscar nomination

(Originally posted on Dooyoo under the name of Yackers1)