Movie Review: Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Stanley Kubrick and the Vietnam war are an equation that's pretty much guranteed success. Kubrick is a great movie maker, and Vietnam is a great topic for a really great movie. Full Metal Jacket covers two stories that are connected through one main character. He's this guy who stars out in a camp with this really rough drill sergeant. No spoilers, but events happen, and the guy is flashed forward and he's on the battlefield. We can instantly see the stresses of war on this guy's face. There's no hinting at it, this guy is getting ready to kill other dudes so he can have freedom in his country. Even though he was American. This movie is really hard to review without giving away spoilers, so I'll put it like this. I'm going to describe how awesome this film is, but if that doesn't convey the awesomeness of the movie, then don't bother with this review. This movie is awesome because it has realistic situations mixed in with unrealistic plot points. The storyline is realistic, but then thee are these little bits of storyline that aren't realistic that gets mixed in. It makes for a really interesting movie. Unrealism is something that Stanley Kubrick has had his finger on, since he directed 2001: A Space Oddyssey. Now I loved 2001, so for him to combine those techniques with a war movie, makes for a cool flick to see. Full Metal Jacket is also great because it shows the effects of war on the Soliders. It's not just ptsd, it's murdering people. Some scenes in this movie are super intense, I almost couldn't watch certain scenes because they were so upsetting to see and bear witness to. However, I did expect that from Kubrick, so a salute to his directing. Where does FMJ land in comparison to SKs other material? It's below 2001 and The Shining, and above Clockwork Orange and Eyes Wide Shut. What's your favorite Stanley Kubrick movie? Three stars.