My friend from work, Nick, gave me a collection of Stanley Kubrick films: One that I will review by next week, and Full Metal Jacket, a Vietnam War film that I have heard a lot about, but have never seen. Although after watching it, I have heard a lot of it. I feel like this is one of the most quoted films I have seen, from R. Lee Ermey’s insulting rants to many of the monologues that are spoken during it. FMJ was one of those movies that, as I was watching it, I was really thinking about what it all meant. I took the time period into consideration, remembered what I learned about the Vietnam War during history and broadcasting classes, and really listened and dissected what I was hearing. It turned out to be a movie that I regretted not watching sooner, because of how much I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed it on a number of different levels as well.
The first ten minutes was a lot of fun to watch. While I understood the intensity and reasons for all the shouting going on, R. Lee Ermey’s Gny. Sgt. Hartman was really excellent. The insults, rants, and ways he said things really got me hooked. And again, while it wasn’t meant to be funny or anything, some of them elicited a chuckle. And then the intensity really ramped up in a big way. There is a certain part where the movie goes from watching some new recruits try to hack it in boot camp, to something far more deep. The movie almost feels like two separate films: Boot camp, and the war itself. But everything is linked together nicely, and Kubrick’s direction and (Oscar-nominated) screenplay really make you understand what is happening in some of the character’s heads. One line in particular really encapsulated the theme of the film, and you can see it on the poster above. I won’t explicitly say it here, in case you want to figure it out for yourself, but it, to me, was apparent. This one all-encompassing thought shows itself throughout the ending moments, and was a goosebump-inducing ride. The final monologue, combined with the visual and aural images really bring everything together, and I highly recommend you check this out so you can see what I mean. If you have seen FMJ, then maybe you already know what I am talking about.
The movie is a bit depressing, and I believe it takes a good look at what the troops thought about the situation they were in. It took a hard look at just what was going on during the war, which did not always go well. Actually, it rarely went well, as they even mentioned that legendary anchor Walter Cronkite called it “an unwinnable war”. There are some disturbing images, but I think it was an accurate portrayal. One of the men in master control even said that the boot camp scenes were completely accurate to the conditions they were in. This is only the second Kubrick film I have watched, the first being Dr. Strangelove. Like I said, I will watch another one soon, but I know I want to see some others like A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey. But next time I’ll watch The Shining so look out for that.
Michael Night's Miscellany 