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Thu. Feb. 22, 2001
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Art & Culture > Movie &Theatre > Archive
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Movie Review: Full Metal Jacket - An American Classic to Consider
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Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket is an exquisite film about the mental evolution of a young Vietnam War soldier. Its depiction of the psychological torment of that war and its impact on the minds of the soldiers is filled with horrific reality.
We see the war through the eyes of Private Joker (Matthew Modine), beginning with the institution of military training and its hypnotic effects where soldiers are drilled to repeat - over and over in complete unison with robotic gestures - mere slogans such as "This is my rifle. My rifle is my best friend. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me."
The film opens with everyone getting his head shaved so that they all look similar. Bluntly put, both psychological and physical conformity is demanded; uniformity and repetition are the military's codes of conduct, leading up to the ultimate institutionalizing of 'doing what you are told to do.' No one is allowed to question authority - if they show any sign of challenging it whatsoever, they must drop down and give 25 pushups.
The drill sergeant (Lee Ermey) provides a spectacular representation of that bold and authoritative, rude and dehumanizing, symbol of power. Everyone else, however, is a low-down, worthless, dirty, rotten worm not even worthy of being called human.
Although he demeans everyone, it stands out that Ermey regularly picks on one soldier (Vincent D'Onofrio) who is overweight and slow. He is consistently behind in the exercises, and is the reason the drill sergeant makes everyone else do extra laps and exercises. Eventually, his fellow soldiers ostracize him, and later gang up to beat him. There is a climatic scene involving him and the drill sergeant.
While the first half of the film shows the institutionalization of military training, the second half illustrates the cruel horrors of war itself.
Afterwards, Private Joker sets off for military combat. Standing alongside other soldiers, he is confronted by a higher-ranking officer who questions his wearing a helmet, bearing "Born to Kill," along with a peace button on his shirt. Private Joker replies that he wanted to show something about the duality of man - peace and violence existing simultaneously. On the one hand, the soldiers have been trained to kill and destroy while on the other hand, they are being told that they are in Vietnam to make peace.
The violence becomes so engraved in the thought processes of the soldiers that they totally lack compassion. At one point while Private Joker is aboard a helicopter, we see a fellow soldier yelling, "Get some," while shooting at unarmed Vietnamese villagers who are fleeing. Private Joker dares to question how he can kill women and children, to which he replies that it is easy.
In the final horrific sequence of events, a sniper threatens the squadron - hitting many of the men. We see the accumulation of the systematic institutionalization of the military mindset and the psychological effects of the war. War changes the human mind and destroys humanity.
The film culminates into a depiction of the constant duality inherent in mankind - with the soldiers trying to conquer peace with violence. The young soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War did not really understand what that war was all about. They were merely trained to do their job, to follow orders without ever questioning them. In this world of horror, truth was masqueraded by more appeasing notions.
Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket is one of the best war films ever made. His political message is clear: the Vietnam War created a desensitized viciousness in each soldier, leading him to kill.
The film provides an appalling, yet realistic, portrayal of war - from a talented filmmaker who very effectively conveys what he wishes to convey. The acting is superb, and the cinematography is filled with reflective sequences that enhance our understanding of the film's message.
Although the film is filled with graphic violence, that violence is essential in imparting a realistic perception of the Vietnam War in particular and war in general.
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