Full Metal Jacket

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Full Metal Jacket

R

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

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

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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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Leonardo A

In my opinion, it’s the best movie I have ever seen so far in my life. Its ability to portray the nature of war is unparalleled to anything I have ever seen. Brutal, visceral and raw this movie has all the components necessary for a spectacular war epic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/14/25

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Dave H

One of the best movies ever made.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/13/25

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W m

No wonder America lost Vietnam if this is how they behaved, because Kubric really showed the Americans to be pretty stupid

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/06/25

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Jackson T

The most I can describe it as is an absolute masterpiece. I understand where some of the negativity comes from, and the movie is definitely not perfect but I genuinely could not look away from the screen when watching. The portrayal of war in this movie genuinely shocks me in the same way Saving Private Ryan did, both of them being great movies. If you ever get the chance to, please go watch this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/30/25

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Fritz G

Although one could see were the negative comments about this come from I think this movie shows very intensive how the war changes each psyche. And with a wonderful image quality.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/29/25

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Sto C

Full metal jacket well encapsulates the mental state of the soldiers and depicts the horrors of the war that they have to go through.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

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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95%

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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: 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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