Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #881 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-06-01
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Dubbed, Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English, Vietnamese
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
One of a series of revisionist Vietnam cinema released in the late 1980s, Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket is essentially split into two stories linked by a number of characters. The film follows new recruit Joker (Matthew Modine) and his fellow soldiers through their basic training and into combat in Vietnam. The first half is a chilling portrayal of military brutality and de-humanisation, mainly at the hands of Sgt Hartman (played at a level of staggering intensity by ex-Marine Lee Ermey), that centres around the tragic character of Private Pyle, a young man pushed to the edge of his endurance. The tone of the film is no less harsh when transported to the combat zone as we see the results of the training process in action: the young men turned into unquestioning killing machines. Joker is perhaps the one exception, a soldier with "Born to Kill" written on his helmet who also sports a peace sign on his lapel. But the film finds itself caught in the trap of many of the war movies of the time--how to create audience empathy with characters who are essentially in the wrong. It's a dilemma that Full Metal Jacket never really solves, although as a spectacle the film is a masterpiece. Made in the days before CGI became the norm, the battle sequences--filmed, rather bizarrely, in London's Docklands before its redevelopment--are hugely realistic and are perhaps the key moments of the movie, heightening the disorientation and fear felt by the soldiers. By offering no more than a snapshot of the Vietnam conflict (the action deals with one individual skirmish), Kubrick cleverly leaves any judgement on the war to the audience, although clearly attempting to influence them. The fate of the characters who survive is also left in the balance, but we can perhaps imagine what awaits them.

On the DVD: Part of a series of Kubrick DVD reissues, Full Metal Jacket has been treated to the full remastering and restoration treatment. The battle sequences have benefited the most, gaining a new audio and visual crispness and clarity that adds to their already impressive sense of realism--you can almost feel the heat searing from the screen and the explosions detonating around you. Maybe not the best war film ever made, as some may claim, but certainly one to take you right to the heart of the action. --Phil Udell

Special Features
DVD Technical Information:

• Languages: English, French, Italian
  
• Sub-titles: English, French, Italian, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Romanian, Bulgarian; English for the hearing impaired

Synopsis
In this riveting look at military life during the Vietnam conflict, Stanley Kubrick, who made the powerful antiwar classics PATHS OF GLORY (WWI) and DR. STRANGELOVE (the cold war), once again explores the behavior of men in battle. FULL METAL JACKET, adapted from Gustav Hasford's novel THE SHORT TIMERS, is broken down into two very different parts. The first half of the film focuses on the training of a squad of Marine grunts on Parris Island, and more specifically on the troubled relationship between the brutal drill sergeant (a frightening Lee Ermey) and an oafish misfit (a brilliant Vincent D'Onofrio) who just happens to be a sharpshooter. The first half ends with a devastating, unforgettable scene, leading into the second half, which takes the grunts to Hue City, the climactic battle of the 1968 Tet Offensive and the turning point of the Vietnam War. The story is told through the eyes of Private Joker (Matthew Modine), a cynical aspiring photojournalist who is soon forced to fight for his life and the lives of his fellow recruits. The sniper scene, which takes place amid bombed-out buildings (rather than in the familiar jungles), serves as a microcosm for the Vietnam War--as well as war in general. FULL METAL JACKET is an unrelenting, intelligent, and challenging examination of war told by a master filmmaker.

Customer Reviews

Fine film, with a superb performance
I've finally got around to watching this film, the first 45 minutes were excellent, this covered the training of the recruits who were being prepared for their stints in Vietnam, this concentrated on 2 characters in particular, Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (R Lee Ermey), both put in fine performances, especially R Le Ermey who's in superb form, in a way it comes across as more a comedy than anything else during this time, but there's no harm in that.

We then follow the recruits as they go to war, I felt a little let down by this part of the film, it's still good and well worth watching, but maybe it did not feel totally real at times.

There's also some really good music throughout the film.

This is a worthy addition to my film collection and I'm very pleased to have finally purchased this, it's still not as good as Hamburger Hill, but it does come pretty close all the same.

Very Poor War Movie
I found this film terribly boring/. The majority of the film is about the units training at the barracks..... I found nothing interesting or entertaining about this part. The next part was when they had gone off to vietnam. There was one battle which was nothing compared to other way films ive seen. The most amusing part for me was when a prostitute was trying to sell herself to the soldiers!

These are just my opinions and i realise that many people dissagree, but if you are wanting a war movie with great battles and realism, this is not for you.

good/bad
Full metal jacket is another of a fairly long list of vietam war movies of the mid to late 80s,and it is very highly rated,some say it is the best of them all,certainly director kubrick gives the film something that few can rival but this is a film split in two and the second half is pretty average and at times very poor,the first half and we all agree on this is masterful,comical,cruel,brutal,raw and appears to be very real looking and sounding from what i understand.
The first half deals with the training in drill camp of several young men and their drill commander played with a glowing brilliance by r.lee ermey,he is quick witted,nasty,razor tongued but above all he wants the best for these lads as they face an uncertain future should they be drafted for war,these parts as i have said live long in the mind and contain some very memorable dialouge.
The second part features the war,this is when the film suffers,trying to pass across some badly thought out message with characters who you dont really care for,there is no real depth to many featured in the second part and this holds the film down.
This is an uneven film so my rating of 2.5 will serve as a reminder that a film can be good and bad.