The 1980’s brought an onslaught of films depicting…and commenting on…the Vietnam War - and Stanley Kubrick wanted to make his own statement. But, instead of commenting on the war (or war in general) he wanted to take a look at the toll turning young people into killers has on those young people.
The result was FULL METAL JACKET.
Based on the short story THE SHORT TIMERS by Gustav Hasford, Kubrick focuses his attention on the people being trained (and then set loose) in war and the result is 1/3 GREAT picture, 1/3 AVERAGE picture and 1/3 ABOVE AVERAGE picture.
Let’s start at the beginning - which is the GREAT part of this movie - the Marine Basic Training portion. This part of the film elevates itself above the norm (and above most other films with this setting) because it, basically focuses itself on 2 characters, Gunnery Sgt. Hartmann - who is in command of the training of these raw recruits - and a sadsack, overweight character nicknamed “Private Pyle” (Vincent D’Onofrio). The beatdown and, ultimate result of this beatdown of Pyle by Hartmann is viewed by the audience through the eyes of a 3rd participant, “Private Joker” (Matthew Modine) and he witnesses a spectacle.
Ermey, famously, was a Drill Sargent and heightened his experience to bring to light a “based in reality” over-the-top Drill Sargent who is never pleased with his recruits. It is a tour-de-force performance by Ermey (balanced by Kubrick’s Direction to keep Ermey from going TOO FAR over the top). It is said that Ermey could have (should have) been nominated for an Oscar for this performance, but since Louis Gossett, Jr. recently WON an Oscar for playing a Drill Sargent (in AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMEN), the Academy decided to take a pass.
And…that is understandable. But what is NOT understandable is the Academy’s ignorance of the even more tour-de-force performance of D’Onofrio as Private Pyle. He takes his character from big, dumb, galoot to crazed killer in subtle, scary, realistic way and when the end of this 45 minute first part of the movie occurs, the audience is left shell-shocked.
Which is why, I think, the next 45 minutes - following Private Joker (Modine) as a wise-cracking, wry commentator of the war as a reporter for Stars and Stripes - feel lifeless and flat. It had a very hard act to follow and it just didn’t quite follow that first act all that well.
It is only when Private Joker accompanies a friend from Basic Training, “Private Cowboy” (Arliss Howard) on a routine patrol that becomes anything but routine when they encounter a sniper that this film finds it’s footing again and the ending is tense with solid commentary on the effect of war on the young people forced to be involved.
Every young actor in Hollywood lobbied to be in this film and the ones that made it - like Howard, Adam Baldwin and Dorian Harewood - shine in their brief moments on the screen.
This film is another strong Directing effort from Kubrick who tempers any“preachiness” of war lecture. Instead he lets the audience make up it’s own mind, while depicting the horrors in a way that mirrors Kubrick’s photographic flair. His past films showed an artists’ touch to the pictures on the screen, and while this film is no less artistic, Kubrick mutes the colors, so the emotions and the people are at the forefront…and not the visuals.
A smart choice from a smart Director.
Letter Grade: A- (the middle does bog down a bit)
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to theBank (ofMarquis)
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