Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 anti-war film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on The Short-Timers, a 1979 semi-autobiographical book by Gustav Hasford. Regarded as one of Kubrick's finest later films, most professional critics state that it is among the greatest and most accurate films of its genre. The title of the film refers to the full metal jacket bullet used by infantry rivalmen.
Summary[]
In the heat of the Vietnam war, three privates, J. T. "Joker" Davis (Matthew Modine), "Cowboy" Evans (Arliss Howard) and Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio) are brutalized by their drill instructor, Gny. Sgt. Hartman (R. Lee Ermey) at a boot camp in Parris Island. After Pyle and Hartman are killed, Joker and Cowboy reunite in Vietnam and realize the true horrors of the Vietnam War.
Plot[]
During the Vietnam War, a group of recruits arrive at Parris Island to become Marines. Drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman uses harsh methods to turn the recruits into combat-ready Marines. Among the recruits is the overweight and dim-witted Leonard Lawrence, whom Hartman nicknames "Gomer Pyle", and the wisecracking J.T. Davis, who receives the name "Joker" after interrupting Hartman's introductory speech with an impression of John Wayne.
During basic training, Hartman names Joker as squad leader and puts him in charge of helping Pyle improve. One day, Hartman discovers a jelly doughnut in Pyle's footlocker, blames the platoon for Pyle's infractions, and adopts a collective punishment policy in which any infraction committed by Pyle will earn a punishment for everyone else in the platoon. One night, the recruits haze Pyle with a blanket party, in which Joker reluctantly participates. Following this, Pyle appears to reinvent himself as a model recruit, showing particular expertise in marksmanship. This pleases Hartman but worries Joker, who believes Pyle may be suffering a mental breakdown after seeing Pyle talking to his rifle. After the recruits graduate and the night before they leave Parris Island, Joker discovers Pyle in the bathroom, loading his service rifle with live ammunition, executing drill commands, and loudly reciting the Rifleman's Creed. Hartman attempts to intervene, but Pyle shoots and kills him and then commits suicide.
By January 1968, Joker is a sergeant and is based in Da Nang for the newspaper Stars and Stripes alongside his colleague Private First Class Rafterman, a combat photographer. The Tet Offensive begins and Joker's base is attacked, but holds. The following morning, Joker and Rafterman are sent to Phu Bai where Joker searches for and reunites with Sergeant "Cowboy", a friend he met at Parris Island. During the Battle of Huế, a booby trap kills the squad leader, leaving Cowboy in command. Becoming lost in the city, the squad is ambushed by a Viet Cong sniper who kills two members. As the squad moves in on the sniper's location, Cowboy is killed.
Assuming command, squad machine gunner "Animal Mother" leads an attack on the sniper. Joker locates her first, but his M-16 rifle jams, alerting the sniper to his presence. As the sniper opens fire, she is revealed to be a teenage girl. Rafterman shoots her, wounding her mortally. As the squad converges on the sniper, she begs for death, leading to an argument over whether or not to kill her. Animal Mother agrees to a mercy killing but only if Joker does it; Joker shoots her after some hesitance. Later, as night falls, the Marines return to camp singing the "Mickey Mouse March". A narration of Joker's thoughts conveys that, despite being "in a world of shit", he is glad to be alive and no longer afraid.
Cast[]
- Matthew Modine as Private/Sergeant J. T. "Joker" Davis, a wise-cracking young Marine. On set, Modine kept a diary that in 2005 was adapted into a book and in 2013 into an interactive app.
- Vincent D'Onofrio as Private Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence, an overweight, slow-minded recruit who is the subject of Hartman's mockery. D'Onofrio heard from Modine of the auditions for the film. D'Onofrio recorded his audition using a rented video camera and was dressed in army fatigues. According to Kubrick, Pyle was "the hardest part to cast in the whole movie"; Kubrick, however, quickly responded to D'Onofrio and cast him in the part. D'Onofrio was required to gain 70 pounds (32 kg).
- Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, a harsh, foul-mouthed and ruthless senior drill instructor. Ermey used his actual experience as a U.S. Marine drill instructor in the Vietnam War to ad lib much of his dialogue.
- Adam Baldwin as Sergeant "Animal Mother", a combat-hungry machine gunner who takes pride in killing enemy soldiers. Arnold Schwarzenegger was first considered for the role but turned it down in favor of a part in The Running Man.
- Arliss Howard as Private/Sergeant "Cowboy" Evans, a friend of Joker and a member of the Lusthog Squad.
- Kevyn Major Howard as Private First Class "Rafterman", a combat photographer.
- Dorian Harewood as Corporal "Eightball", a member of the squad and Animal Mother's friend.
- Tim Colceri as Doorgunner, a ruthless and sadistic helicopter door gunner who suggests Joker and Rafterman write a story about him. Colceri, a former Marine, was originally slated to play Hartman, a role that went to Ermey. Kubrick gave Colceri this smaller part as a consolation.
- Ed O'Ross as First Lieutenant Walter J. "Touchdown" Schinoski, the first platoon leader of the Lusthog Squad.
- John Terry as First Lieutenant Lockhart, the editor of Stars and Stripes.
- Bruce Boa as a POG Colonel who dresses down Joker for wearing a peace symbol on his lapel.
Awards[]
Full Metal Jacket was nominated for eleven awards between 1987 and 1989. These included an Academy Award (and Writers Guild of America Award) for Best Adapted Screenplay, two BAFTA Awards (Best Sound and Best Special Effects), a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor (R. Lee Ermey), and Best Foreign Language Film from the Awards of the Japanese Academy. The five won included the Best Director and Best Supporting Actor (awarded by the Boston Society of Film Critics), as well as the London Critics Circle Film Award for Director of the Year and two foreign awards: the David di Donatello Award for Best Producer - Foreign Film and the Kinema Jumpo Award for Best Foreign Language Film Director.
Gallery[]
Promotional stills[]
Behind the scenes[]
Set designs by Nigel Phelps[]
