Full Metal Jacket

“I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir.” Full Metal Jacket portrays the futility of War excellently. The film spends an hour at boot camp, and little happens except a murder-suicide. While Pyle’s actions were not really surprising, and quite heavily choreographed (even prior to the Kubrick stare shots) they were still great. What the scene lacked in shock value it compensated in suspense. The film holds Kubrick’s hallmarks for better or worse, naturally the cinematography is good and the score is acceptable. Though, It is difficult to examine this film without citing Apocalypse Now tangentially, for obvious reasons. Both movies critique war, are set in Vietnam, conclude the main character’s stories somewhat the same, and various other tonal similarities. This is not to say that this film isn’t a worthy watch if you’ve seen Apocalypse Now, but the parallels are undeniable. In short I would say that this film is the better War film, while the prior is better overall. In summary, Full Metal Jacket will force you to reexamine your preconceived notions of war, and this enough is a reason to watch. (4.6/5)