Full Metal Jacket

This is a really intense film, especially the first part, which leaves a big impression on you. It's loud, it's a real drill, but it beautifully shows how crazy the military can be. However, it needs to train people who are capable of killing, who are capable of going into battle and shooting. In the end, it turns out that even so, it is not easy. Even the second part is strong, when you see the soldiers, how everything is completely distorted. (03/04/2015)

Honestly, it’s no wonder Stone's Platoon did better in its day... Kubrick's Vietnam is less attractive to the viewer's eye, more urban (we don’t get to see any cramped jungles), less action-packed, more protracted and broadly conceived. Yet it is impressive, although dehumanized and cold for my tastes. I consider the introduction and ending of the film to be the best – the marine preparation consists of the constant shouting, the numbing drill and the singing of celebratory songs. All this in the traditionally inventive visual presentation made in Mr. Kubrick (the scene of checking trimmed nails with a double row of privates on boxes is unforgettable). The final sniper scene, on the other hand, is the most personal thing that makes monstrous sense to everything seen so far, and it is one of the most drastic things ever seen in this genre. I consider the most problematic feature of Full Metal Jacket to be the characters, who are too schematic and inconspicuous, but this makes the sheer absurdity and dehumanization of the war stand out all the more. And, of course, Kubrick's sense of the drama of the situation and its visualization. The "period" song soundtrack is also excellent. In summation, Full Metal Jacket is among the films that have a "less attractive" Vietnam for viewers, but in terms of ideas it is among the most interesting. (10/19/2004)

The first half is amazing, it has an incredibly fast pace for a war film. Towards the end it relaxes a little, but then the director shows a bit of real war action, so I’m satisfied overall. Kubrick masterfully handles the psychology, which he focuses on more than grand action scenes. (02/16/2004)

Stanley Kubrick does attempt to push the boundaries of the genre once again, but it doesn't work out for him in a war film. Despite the surprising first hour, Full Metal Jacket has become by far the director's most unpalatable piece (and therefore considerably un-Kubrick-like), which is killed by the impossibility of identifying with any of the characters. (03/15/2006)

The green-brain one-man-show in the first act is perfect, but as soon as the plot shifts to Vietnam, the film starts to creak. Actually, nothing important happens during those two acts. There is no deeper thought, nothing that would leave me with an emotional experience, which I would expect from a Kubrick film. Moreover, the "Vietnam" locations are rather unconvincing and Kubrick can't do battle scenes. I know better films about the Vietnam war. (08/24/2003)