Full Metal Jacket

90%

Tomatometer

86 Reviews

94%

Audience Score

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 Hué.

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Full Metal Jacket

What to Know

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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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

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

Sep 13, 2023

Full Review

Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

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.

Dec 7, 2022

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Peter Rainer

Los Angeles Herald Examiner

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

Aug 9, 2022

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Andrew Pollard

Starburst

A hard-hitting movie laced with moments of dark humour and brimming with social commentary, Full Metal Jacket is viewed as one of the all-time great war movie.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 24, 2020

Full Review

Allison Rose

FlickDirect

Kubrick had a way of making the audience become invested in the characters of his films and created some truly memorable ones.

Rated: 4.5/5

Sep 22, 2020

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

It was a gross injustice that Ermey was not nominated for his tremendous performance.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 8, 2020

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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Tom G A painfully accurate depiction of the Vietnam War, with all of its controversies and misjudgements. Not Kubrick's best, as I did find the latter half a little on the slow side; but the messaging underneath it all is a powerful one, and to see Joker slip back into the regimented, robotic nature that he had been trying to forget since Pyle's situation is quite heartbreaking. Though, in terms of pure action, not much to sink your teeth into, which again may be something done on purpose. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/13/24 Full Review Ariel V My favorite Army film. Nuff said. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/02/24 Full Review Alec C War is not fighting for the good of humanity, but fighting with the lack of humanity! As the Vietnam War rages, we are taken to the training regiment that prepares them for the conflict and the battleground where it's fought, which makes it hard to tell which one is more brutal. Savage is the name of the game in this film, and the game is one where no one wins! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/03/24 Full Review Fraser C And then he full metal jackets all over the place! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/03/24 Full Review Jacob W Very thrilling movie! Really shows the horrors of war. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/05/24 Full Review Audience Member Full Metal Jacket is dark, gritty, and in your face. This is an unforgiving film which delivers a beautiful masterpiece both with the visuals and performances. Kubrick really knew how to craft a film and Full Metal Jacket is another great example of this. As the years went on after it's initial release it became more of a cult classic. Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, and R. Lee Ermey really bring powerful performances here that will stick with you long after you watched this movie. Now note this is not your typical war film and focuses more on character development rather then action. Full Metal Jacket gets a perfect 5 stars out of 5 from me. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/25/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Stanley Kubrick Director Matthew Modine Private Joker (Private Adam Baldwin Animal Mother Vincent D'Onofrio Private Gomer Pyle (Leonard Lawrence) R. Lee Ermey Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, Drill Instructor Dorian Harewood Private Eightball

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Full Metal Jacket

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

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Movie Info

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 Hué.

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Producer: Stanley Kubrick
Screenwriter: Gustav Hasford, Gustav Hasford, Michael Herr, Stanley Kubrick
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers, Natant
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)