Review of Full Metal Jacket (1987) by Abrarqadir — 21 Jul 2020

Full Metal Jacket checks out as my favorite Kubrick film, even though I certainly don't think its the "best", and lacks many of the classic Kubrick camera ploys. But 2 brilliant standalone halves form a coherent and captivating whole.

The drill sergeant is one of the best casting decisions in movie history (and a very interesting backstory at that). His lines are delivered rapidly & immaculately by the actor, who wasn't even an actor before this movie, and leaves us with no doubt about the violence as sexual release ethos which drives so much of what drowns us in this world.

Matthew Modine in the main role also a perfect casting choice, who makes the "duality of man" sarcasm credible, a difficult feat. Absent a few short sequences, you don't feel the same awe of the photography as is normally the case with Kubrick, but he did make war (and training for war) feel incredibly personal.

The chaos we normally see in war movies adds to "realism", but reduces our hold on the characters' POV. Here, Kubrick wisely downsizes the number of soldiers visible in each sequence, which helps us feel the pulsating fear of impending (and needless) death.