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Full Metal Jacket

Play trailer Poster for Full Metal Jacket R Released Jun 1, 1987 1h 56m War History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 87 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Stanley Kubrick's take on the Vietnam War follows smart-aleck Private Davis (Matthew Modine), quickly christened "Joker" by his foul-mouthed drill sergeant (R. Lee Ermey), and pudgy Private Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio), nicknamed "Gomer Pyle," as they endure the rigors of basic training. Though Pyle takes a frightening detour, Joker graduates to the Marine Corps and is sent to Vietnam as a journalist, covering -- and eventually participating in -- the bloody Battle of Hué.
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Full Metal Jacket

Full Metal Jacket

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Critics Consensus

Intense, tightly constructed, and darkly comic at times, Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket may not boast the most original of themes, but it is exceedingly effective at communicating them.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker What happened to the Kubrick who used to slip in sly, subtle jokes and little editing tricks? This may be his worst movie. Sep 13, 2023 Full Review Jay Scott Globe and Mail Full Metal Jacket is violent, caustic, ironic, and cold, an amoral object formed from a camera gliding majestically across slow-motion carnage while refusing to blink an eye or shed a tear. Dec 7, 2022 Full Review Peter Rainer Los Angeles Herald Examiner Kubrick is trying to make a movie about madness and chaos, but he won't give in to the chaos. Aug 9, 2022 Full Review Branyan Towe Loud and Clear Reviews As Private Leonard “Gomer Pyle” Lawrence, D’Onofrio encapsulates the impact that military brainwashing can have on soldiers and their mental health in a way that is better than expected Rated: 4/5 Jul 29, 2024 Full Review Andrew Pollard Starburst A hard-hitting movie laced with moments of dark humour and brimming with social commentary, Full Metal Jacket is viewed as one of the all-time great war movie. Rated: 5/5 Sep 24, 2020 Full Review Allison Rose FlickDirect Kubrick had a way of making the audience become invested in the characters of his films and created some truly memorable ones. Rated: 4.5/5 Sep 22, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kevin P A fantastic satire of the Vietnam War that's hilarious in the first half and harrowing in the second half. R Lee Ermey is legendary as the belligerent drill sergeant. He easily steals the show. He's hilarious and terrifying at the same time with his cartoonist intensity. Every line he says is super quotable and it's no wonder he was a former drill sergeant in real life. The first half is definitely better than the second, but the second half is still bittersweet enough to make this a classic in my book. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/02/24 Full Review Peter W FMJ follows the Dirty Dozen approach to war films by beginning with the training of "useless maggots" into killer marines. Entertaining though this is, the momentum & focus is quickly dissipated by a "Good Morning Vietnam" interlude before the war action finally arrives. Whilst illustrating the seeming futility & lack of clear military purpose of the Vietnam war may have been one of the director's key purposes, it doesn't make for particularly rivetting viewing until the last 20 minutes of the film when the on-screen tension & brooding industrial soundtrack combine to at least send us all home relatively satisfied by the overall cinematic experience. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/29/24 Full Review CHRISTOPHER B Qué gran película, refleja la brutal verdad de lo que viven los soldados en la guerra, locura total. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/24/24 Full Review Will G A disturbing film at the beginning. Once they got to Vietnam I liked the movie better. Stanley Kubrick is a great director. I like the soundtrack to this film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/13/24 Full Review Keith B Unpopular opinion, but I actually prefer the Vietnam half better than the basic training half. Either way, both parts of the film are absolutely amazing. R. Lee Ermy did an excellent job of portraying the Drill Sargeant. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/28/24 Full Review André Ferreira F A tentativa de Stanley Kubrick de fazer um filme sobre a guerra do Vietname é bastante singular. Ao invés de se focar tanto na guerra em si, o filme explora a influência que a guerra tem no psicológico das pessoas. Isto, combinado com a narração de certo modo jornalística do protagonista, fazem deste um fantástico filme do género. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/14/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Stanley Kubrick's take on the Vietnam War follows smart-aleck Private Davis (Matthew Modine), quickly christened "Joker" by his foul-mouthed drill sergeant (R. Lee Ermey), and pudgy Private Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio), nicknamed "Gomer Pyle," as they endure the rigors of basic training. Though Pyle takes a frightening detour, Joker graduates to the Marine Corps and is sent to Vietnam as a journalist, covering -- and eventually participating in -- the bloody Battle of Hué.
Director
Stanley Kubrick
Producer
Stanley Kubrick
Screenwriter
Gustav Hasford, Gustav Hasford, Michael Herr, Stanley Kubrick
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Natant, Warner Brothers
Rating
R
Genre
War, History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 1, 1987, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 15, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$42.9M
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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