Thread: Full Metal Jacket - LGK Movie Discussion #1

The problem is, it's structured to play a little bit like all of those and maybe it's supposed to be. But in any case, the resolution doesn't make sense. If he was just a giant f*** up the entire time, well, then s***, yeah he'd be miserable and off himself under the pressure. Or if he were full of bad wiring, I'da thought you'd've seen that from the beginning. But as the segment goes on, he improves. He gets to be better physically. He becomes a better soldier. He begins to find his place as a soldier. And one would think that the pressures he was under at the beginning were relieved.

But instead, when the pressure is off, that's when it goes to s***. I can't find a particularly good explanation for that. If it's just supposed to be a tragic thing, then what the hell was all that build up for? It was just a cop out, storywise. If it was to show how brutal training could be, then give me someone strong who's broken down. Or at least someone with a fully developed brain. Even if it is gonna get splattered on a bathroom wall.

I took all this as the great de-humanizing effect that basic training has on the malleable mind.
After saying that, my dumb ass STILL joined the Corps on my 18th. mainly because of this film and my perception that it would be the ultimate kick in the rear for a ****bird teenager (me).
I think this encapsulates PERFECTLY what USMC basic training is all about. When you come to realize that the drill instructors are basically screaming an oral history tradition at you all the time, it makes it a little less scary, but not much.
Years after this film came out, they still had to tell us to not even THINK about throwing a blanket party for under-performing platoon members.

The problem I had with the second half of the film is that I never believed that Joker would have ever joined in the middle of Vietnam. I don't think I needed a bunch of backstory, I think Modine never made us feel like he WAS a Marine. He always seemed to be along for the ride, and I just don't know why a fairly educated, jokey, not-intense-at-all guy would throw in with the Corps in the late 60s.

p.s. Not a big deal, but how are most of you deciding what war films are "more realistic" ??

I guess it's now or never!

I finally re-watched the film about two days ago and I have to say that my attitude towards the film has changed over the years (I first saw the film when I was a kid, lol).

It is very hard to not see this film as two films. Hell, there are a lot of Kubrick's films that seem like two films (e.g. A Clockwork Orange, Paths of Glory, ect.). However, I do believe that A Full Metal Jacket is arguably the Kubrick film where the two halves seem the most distinct.

I agree with a lot of what has been said in regards to the first half of the film as standing out in the sense that there really isn't that many movies that seem to stretch the training camp sequence that long. And what is unique too is that a lot of war movies tend to show a veteran going nuts after he has come back or perhaps during the war while this film has it during training camp, which yeah, seems convenient, but is obviously arguing that there are some people who should never be drafted and can end up cracking during the pressure. I really didn't see Gomer Pyle has having some form of mental illness, personally, but rather being the dorky overweight kid who was bad in sports and got teased in High School. In military camp, his physical incompetence comes into play, gets harassed, and goes nuts. However, I do have a problem with the fact that he finally gets and starts doing well. Was it a matter of time that the film is trying to say? Or that someone just has to stop giving a **** before they finally buy into the system? I don't know, but the film does seem to make too strong of an argument that training camp is done to dehumanize and break people, which is something that Kubrick was obsessed with as a theme. I don't think any branch of the military wants to send people who are completely nuts out to fight.

The second part does have some great black humor, however, that I didn't enjoy or get when I first saw it as a kid, lol! All that movie did back then was freak me out, at least, the first part.

The second part, in my opinion, is not as good, but it does add to the first part and I really couldn't see a movie that revolved around solely the training camp experience. It shows people who made it and didn't go nuts or simply failed training camp. The second part is far from the best collection of Vietnam battle scenes to appear in a film, and while the sets are impressive, one can tell that it's not Vietnam or a similar area. I wasn't surprised that it was film in England, but again, considering that, it does have enough of a South East Asian atmosphere to make it work. I like the overall camera work and scenes, and I loved the final sniper scene, which is just as powerful as anything else in the film.

As for the way that Kubrick sets up his shots and does it far from a distance in order to show a both the top and bottom and wideshots, well, I guess that's a personal taste. I personally like the manner that he shoots and how he makes the film seem like a series of pictures. Lol, on the A Clockwork Orange DVD, Malcom Macdowell, said that he asked Kubrick why he shoots in a way that shows way too much of the sky? Hahaha!

The music does work and it is probably the one Kubrick film that uses the most Pop Music. Kubrick did like to use music that was already written, however. Obviously, he relied on classical music mostly.

Overall, it is an interesting film and it does work as a Vietnam film, but it's not my favorite Vietnam film and I think I like Paths of Glory more as a Kubrick war film.

Long winded, I know.

Originally Posted by Noble Savage

The problem I had with the second half of the film is that I never believed that Joker would have ever joined in the middle of Vietnam. I don't think I needed a bunch of backstory, I think Modine never made us feel like he WAS a Marine. He always seemed to be along for the ride, and I just don't know why a fairly educated, jokey, not-intense-at-all guy would throw in with the Corps in the late 60s.

Um... the draft?

I don't really understand the questions concerning Leonard's breakdown.

There is no standard procedure for a human being to go off the deep end. With some it happens slowly, others, quickly. Others, somewhere in between.

Originally Posted by Winsomemore

I don't really understand the questions concerning Leonard's breakdown.

There is no standard procedure for a human being to go off the deep end. With some it happens slowly, others, quickly. Others, somewhere in between.

Exactly. And it's symbolic because he ended up being exactly what he was trained to become. Is there a template that's easy to understand for an emotionally cracked killer?

Okay...break in.

How satisfied are you guys with this concept? My opinion, it's ok...but because FMJ is a good movie there really isn't that divisive argument that YEAR ONE generated. Thoughts? Ideas? Although it did not win the vote, Zach & Miri generated a LOT of pre thread buzz.

my proposal, we try a new set of five...not so universally loved flicks. Not outright bad movies, because that will handicap the discussion too. But movies that you love, that you can admit...aren't technically good, but, when they come on...you can't change the channel. Z&M is one example...I share the same perverse love of Down Periscope with at least one other LGK'r(you know who you are). You may have your own, and I hope that you do.

So those are my thoughts. Since this was always intended as a collaborative thread I offer it up to you. And yes, FIFTH ELEMENT(which has drawn SOOOOOOOOOO many requests) fits this bill, because I am sure that there are folks out there that have all kinds of problems with that movie.


Feedback folks...feedback.

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

Okay...break in.

How satisfied are you guys with this concept? My opinion, it's ok...but because FMJ is a good movie there really isn't that divisive argument that YEAR ONE generated. Thoughts? Ideas? Although it did not win the vote, Zach & Miri generated a LOT of pre thread buzz.

my proposal, we try a new set of five...not so universally loved flicks. Not outright bad movies, because that will handicap the discussion too. But movies that you love, that you can admit...aren't technically good, but, when they come on...you can't change the channel. Z&M is one example...I share the same perverse love of Down Periscope with at least one other LGK'r(you know who you are). You may have your own, and I hope that you do.

So those are my thoughts. Since this was always intended as a collaborative thread I offer it up to you. And yes, FIFTH ELEMENT(which has drawn SOOOOOOOOOO many requests) fits this bill, because I am sure that there are folks out there that have all kinds of problems with that movie.


Feedback folks...feedback.

I'm all for this, especially if it explains why I always watch Battlefield Earth when I come across it even though it sucks. There must be something I enjoy about that flick, yet I can not figure out what that is.

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

Feedback folks...feedback.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXkeFmQ52Yg"]YouTube - ‪JIMI HENDRIX- FEEDBACK‬‏[/nomedia]

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

Okay...break in.

How satisfied are you guys with this concept? My opinion, it's ok...but because FMJ is a good movie there really isn't that divisive argument that YEAR ONE generated. Thoughts? Ideas? Although it did not win the vote, Zach & Miri generated a LOT of pre thread buzz.

my proposal, we try a new set of five...not so universally loved flicks. Not outright bad movies, because that will handicap the discussion too. But movies that you love, that you can admit...aren't technically good, but, when they come on...you can't change the channel. Z&M is one example...I share the same perverse love of Down Periscope with at least one other LGK'r(you know who you are). You may have your own, and I hope that you do.

So those are my thoughts. Since this was always intended as a collaborative thread I offer it up to you. And yes, FIFTH ELEMENT(which has drawn SOOOOOOOOOO many requests) fits this bill, because I am sure that there are folks out there that have all kinds of problems with that movie.


Feedback folks...feedback.

i dunno....we nominate and you decide jd...it's all good.....