Full Metal Jacket

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Full Metal Jacket

R

Released Jun 1, 1987

1h 56m

War

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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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Pauline Kael

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Dave B

The first half of this movie is amazing! Ermey and D’Onofrio carry the movie even though they’re only in it for half the movie, with the brutality of the training, and Private Pyle descending into a mental instability. The 2nd half of the movie is nothing to write home about, but that 1st half more than makes up for it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/05/24

Full Review

Mason M

An amazingly well done war film, the two parts are both great on their own, especially the first, but the main flaw is their lack of connection which can make the film seem quite pointless.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/10/24

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Nick Carlson

Stanley Kubrick’s take on the Vietnam War stars a lot of great actors and even a real life drill sergeant aka (R. Lee Ermey) overall a very gritty and chilling movie that deserves a 10/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/08/24

Full Review

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Stanley Kubrick

Director

Matthew Modine

Private Joker (Private

Adam Baldwin

Animal Mother

Vincent D'Onofrio

Private Gomer Pyle (Leonard Lawrence)

R. Lee Ermey

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, Drill Instructor

Dorian Harewood

Private Eightball

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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: Warner Brothers, Natant
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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