Full Metal Jacket

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1:57

Full Metal Jacket

R

1987

1h 56m

War

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

87 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Stanley Kubrick's take on the Vietnam War follows smart-aleck Private Davis (Matthew Modine), quickly christened "Joker" by his foul-mouthed drill sergeant (R. Lee Ermey), and pudgy Private Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio), nicknamed "Gomer Pyle," as they endure the rigors of basic training. Though Pyle takes a frightening detour, Joker graduates to the Marine Corps and is sent to Vietnam as a journalist, covering -- and eventually participating in -- the bloody Battle of Hue.

Critics Consensus

Intense, tightly constructed, and darkly comic at times, Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket may not boast the most original of themes, but it is exceedingly effective at communicating them.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

09/13/2023

What happened to the Kubrick who used to slip in sly, subtle jokes and little editing tricks? This may be his worst movie.

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

12/07/2022

Full Metal Jacket is violent, caustic, ironic, and cold, an amoral object formed from a camera gliding majestically across slow-motion carnage while refusing to blink an eye or shed a tear.

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Peter Rainer

Los Angeles Herald Examiner

08/09/2022

Kubrick is trying to make a movie about madness and chaos, but he won't give in to the chaos.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 8

4/4

It still qualifies as one of Kubrick's most underrated pictures, and it's second only to Apocalypse Now as the best Vietnam War movie ever made.

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Branyan Towe

Loud and Clear Reviews

07/29/2024

4/5

As Private Leonard “Gomer Pyle” Lawrence, D’Onofrio encapsulates the impact that military brainwashing can have on soldiers and their mental health in a way that is better than expected

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Gog I

@RT3467954 Apr 22

At that time, they made very good films about the war.

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Guilherme M

@RT21202523 Apr 11

One of the best war movies out there. Depicts not only the horrors of war but actually tells the history behind its soldiers. Full Metal Jacket proves Staley Kubrick really can't make a bad movie. Even if it's not used his melancholic style, you can still see the iconic atmosphere and the slow descend to insanity that some may experience during war. Tough the ending doesn't feel like a actual ending, it's still a amazing movie that you should watch. Also props to Paint it, Black at the credits!!

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Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Apr 4

What a unique and beautiful way to show how brutal war can be. Whether it's in boot camp or going overseas to fight a war we should've never been involved in. Private pile endures some of the most brutal things in boot camp. Private joker is my favorite character but the drill sgt steels the movie with his loud talking and brutal insults. Stanley did an amazing job with this classic movie. Tim Treakle

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Nicholas K

@RT46419117 Apr 2

Must see war movie, made 2 hours fly by on the plane.

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Oliver C

@slimjim123 Mar 15

Great movie! Loved both halves!

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Steven F.

@SteveGotScored Feb 19

Definitely one of the best War movies of all time!

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Stanley Kubrick

Director

Matthew Modine

Private Joker (Private

Adam Baldwin

Animal Mother

Vincent D'Onofrio

Private Gomer Pyle (Leonard Lawrence)

R. Lee Ermey

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Full Metal Jacket: Trailer

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Synopsis

Stanley Kubrick's take on the Vietnam War follows smart-aleck Private Davis (Matthew Modine), quickly christened "Joker" by his foul-mouthed drill sergeant (R. Lee Ermey), and pudgy Private Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio), nicknamed "Gomer Pyle," as they endure the rigors of basic training. Though Pyle takes a frightening detour, Joker graduates to the Marine Corps and is sent to Vietnam as a journalist, covering -- and eventually participating in -- the bloody Battle of Hue.

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Screenwriter: Gustav Hasford
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Natant, Warner Brothers
Rating: R
Genre: War, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 1, 1987, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $42.9M
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)