Review of Full Metal Jacket (1987) by Ben L — 18 Sep 2016

The first act of Full Metal Jacket is basically perfection. It is pure genius as we get a feel for life in boot camp, and the damaging effects these difficult training techniques can have on recruits. While the quality of the film-making continued once Joker left boot camp, the story dropped off a little.

There were still flashes of greatness, but it didn't gel into a complete story as well as I expected. However, the themes were effectively conveyed. You really get a feel for how damaging war can be on the men who must fight it, and what the military is compelled to do in order to keep those men fighting (even in a lost cause.

) The final confrontation of the film is devastating and I love how it wraps things up and pays off on things foreshadowed up to that point. In fact, the more I reflect on the movie, the more I recognize its brilliance.

I wonder if, upon further viewings, I might find that this is truly a 5-star classic. The only thing that makes me skeptical about the quality of Full Metal Jacket is Matthew Modine. I don't think he's the best actor for this role, and he doesn't really "become" the character.

Everyone else seems perfectly fit to the film (particularly Lee Ermey as Gny. Sgt. Hartman) but he stands out as an actor delivering an uncomfortable performance that doesn't work as well as I would like.

Despite that if you haven't seen Full Metal Jacket, and you have the stomach for war movies that feel gritty and realistic, then make watching it a priority.