Full Metal Jacket
1987
****
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D’Onofrio, Adam Baldwin, Arliss Howard, Dorian Harewood, Kevyn Major Howard, Ed O’Ross, John Terry, Kieron Jecchinis, Kirk Taylor, Sal Lopez
A group of U.S. Marine Corps recruits undergo brutal training that breaks them down physically and mentally. Once in Vietnam, they are confronted with the brutality, absurdity, and moral ambiguity of war. Stanley Kubrick’s war film is gripping, though its two halves sit uneasily together. The relentless first section is darkly funny, dehumanising, and heartbreaking, while the quieter second half is both moving and eye-opening. The cast, largely composed of then-unknown actors, gives powerful performances. Based on Gustav Hasford's 1979 novel The Short-Timers. Filmed in England.
