Full Metal Jacket: An Overview

Full Metal Jacket is a Stanley Kubrick film that was released in 1987. This movie is really two movies in one. The first part of the movie depicts the rigors of United States Marine Corps boot camp led by Lee Ermey. Lee Ermey plays the part of Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann, a brash and convincing drill instructor. Lee Ermey was initially hired to be the technical advisor for the film but was later hired for his role after convincing Stanley Kubrick that he was the right person for the role. Ermey's performance was so good that he was nominated for a Golden Globe award as Best Supporting Actor.

The whole boot camp part of the movie is dead on as to what it was like to go through Marine Corps training during that time period and later. This first part of the movie is when we are introduced to all the main characters of the movie such as Matthew Modine as Joker, Adam Baldwin as Animal Mother, Vincent D'Onofrio as Gomer Pyle, Dorian Harewood as Eightball and Arliss Howard as Cowboy. This first part of the movie follows this platoon of young recruits focusing on the relationship between Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann (Ermey), Joker (Modine) and Pyle (D'Onofrio). Hartmann must make these civilians into Marine Corps killing machines during the Vietnam War. Hartmann succeeds in converting these recruits into full fledged Marines through the strict discipline and physical conditioning of Marine Corps boot camp. Focusing on these three individuals culminates into a dramatic end of the first part of the movie.

The second part of the movie focuses on their transfer to Vietnam, with the other recruits as part of the infantry and Joker as a war correspondent. Joker is now a sergeant and is sent to the city of Hue during the Tet offensive to cover the combat taking place there for Stars and Stripes. Accompanying him is a photographer that Joker has taken under his wing. In Hue Joker hooks up with some of his boot camp friends. In the city of Hue, Cowboy becomes the leader of his platoon through the death of the lieutenant. Cowboy leads the platoon, with Joker, into the city where they encounter a Viet Cong sniper that manages to kill three of the platoon's members one by one. This part of the movie culminates in a dramatic ending in which Joker, who has the least combat experience, must kill the sniper after she was wounded by his cameraman.

I enjoyed the movie because as a former Marine I found the boot camp part of the movie to be realistic. Lee Ermey does an excellent job of playing a Marine Corps drill instructor, mainly because he was one in real life from 1961-1965. Stanley Kubrick does an excellent job of illustrating the attitude and realism of the Vietnam War from the rigors of basic training to the nightmare of combat in Hue City. I highly recommend this movie to all former, current and future Marines as a reminder as to what it takes to become a Marine through the physical and psychological challenges of Marine Corps boot camp. OORAH!

Links to buy the DVD

http://www.amazon.com/Full-Metal-Jacket-Adam-Baldwin/dp/B000P0J09C

http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=13547071&extid=df_nextag&srccode=cii_9324560&cpncode=20-10606823-2

http://www.antonline.com/p_D116311D-NX_313689.htm

https://www.hotmoviesale.com/store/productView.aspx?idProduct=20638&ec=1&ProdId=29&gclid=CNq7s7jFvpkCFRYiagod30aV6g

References

Full Metal Jacket http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/ Retrieved March 25, 2009.