Although I liked "Spartacus", "Paths of Glory", "2001", and, to a lesser extent, "A Clockwork Orange", I cannot find the greatness my fellow Epinions reviewers find in "Full Metal Jacket".
The characters in FMJ seem cut out of cardboard, two dimensional, especially Mathew Modine. What a joke for him to be cast in the lead! Unless Kubrick's intent was to showcase a lame talent for two plus hours! Like I said, I don't understand Stanley Kubrick...
For those of you who have been on another planet for the past decade or so, FMJ is a play in two acts; the first in Marine Corps Basic Training at Parris Island, the second in Vietnam, where Mathew Modine is a journalist attached to a rifle squad in combat. The second half of the film is a total waste of time, in my opinion.
The only actor who left a lasting impression on me was, of course, the Drill Instructor, R. Lee Ermey. Virtually everybody is impressed with R. Lee Ermey and the reader would be well advised to see "Siege of Firebase Gloria," which showcases Ermey's talent in a vehicle of sufficient scope to display his formidable acting skills.
Ermey is really the only reason to see FMJ, because he epitomized the Drill Instructor more than any living actor.
The murder of the DI and Pvt. Pyle's suicide at the end of Act 1, is totally gratuitous violence, added for shock value alone. In my opinion these deaths add nothing to the story and cause the second half of the movie to seem even more dismal than it already is. The second act war scene, shot on a soundstage, should have been left on the cutting room floor.
If the viewer watches only the first half, he will be left with the impression of a pretty good remake of "The DI", or "Gomer Pyle, USMC", although no new ground is explored, except as I said, the murder/suicide, which adds exactly nada.
I will give the movie two stars, four stars for the first half and zero stars for the combat scene. The first half was good because of Ermey's strong performance in a role he could have sleepwalked through.
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