The career of Stanley Kubrick seems to be him taking on a popular genre and blowing the competition out of the water. 2001 was his answer to the sci-fi films of the 1950's and '60's. A Clockwork Orange defined the ultra violent films that would follow it during the 1970's. The Shining was his attempt to make a good, psychological horror film. Full Metal Jacket follows the line by tackling a genre that exploded during the mid 1980's: the Vietnam war film. From Platoon to Rambo the topic had been tackled, starting with glorious fare like Apocalypse Now and the Deer Hunter. Now it was Kubrick's turn.
The film is unlike other war films. Instead of taking you straight to the "shit" it opens with a group of recruits in the Marine Corp going through basic training. Each character is given a new name by the drill sergeant (played by the incredible R. Lee Ermey) that they go by throughout the rest of the film. The narrator is Private Joker, a name given for being a smart ass on the first day. Joker is almost like a modern day John Boy Walton thrust into the Vietnam era equipped with all the cynicism that writers had during the era. The other character that Kubrick pays particular attention to is nicknamed Private Pyle (Vincent D'Onofrio) for being what Sgt. Hartman (Ermey) calls a "disgusting fat body!". Pyle is a screw up, only being good with his gun. otherwise he is a failure at discipline who incurs the wrath of Hartman and the other members of the platoon.
The main reasoning for basic training is explained by the sergeant early on. He's there to train killers. His job is essentially to put them through hell and weed out the failures and push on the killers into the jungles of Vietnam. Consider his job as quality control. As an example when Hartman announces the assignments for the recruits he announces that Joker is going into military journalism, leading Hartman to explain that he's not Mickey Spillane. He's a killer. Of course quality control fails sometimes...
The film shifts gears during its second half, almost becoming another movie. We still follow Joker into the jungles of Vietnam, but it's vastly different from Paris Island. Buzzed hair and pristine uniforms have given way to shaggy hair, untucked shirts, and insubordination to his superiors at times- something that Hartman would have kicked the shit out of him for. Set during the Tet Offensive Joker is sent out with a new photographer to follow the carnage during Tet. He stumbles onto a buddy from boot camp Cowboy (Arliss Howard) and ends up following his platoon into some heavy "shit" in small urban eras throughout Vietnam.
The film is a question: Did Hartman create killers? Through all the screaming and war faces was he able to turn average boys into hardened killers to be dropped into the jungle and kill everything they see. You get your answers throughout the film, realizing that every one of these men had a Hartman pushing them to kill, kill, kill. We find out the answer to that question numerous times. Some men had it in them and some men didn't. What's striking is that in the end the boys haven't really gone considering the song they all sing together to close the film.
Kubrick creates a great atmosphere considering he never left England to make it. Casting the film with relative unknowns, including Ermey who was only an advisor before being picked by Kubrick to take the Hartman role, Kubrick created a film filled with what could be called the boys next door. They could be our sons, brothers, nephews, paperboys, or the kid that mows our lawn. Boys thrown into hell. Kubrick shoots the film in a style that feels guerrilla compared to Kubrick's other work, which is high end compared to most directors. He directs the film with basic military precision except for two shots that will remain in your head, each one coming from one of the halves of the film. The first is a view of Hartman shouting at you while your on your knees from a nice gut shot. A grisly shot that shows an animal hovering over you. The second is the view from a Vietnamese snipers nest. Kubrick crafts the shot so well you feel like you're in the head of the sniper.
Full Metal Jacket is another masterpiece from Stanley Kubrick. It's a well produced war piece that was a breath of fresh air compared to Rambo and Missing in Action. In many ways it's superior to Platoon in that it gives us more explanation in the demeanor changes of men in war time situations. It's also well paced and doesn't drag in any parts as compared to a few parts of Platoon.
I've often said that directors fall into two categories: Hitchcock and Kubrick. Hitchcock directors can take the same basic premise and make a masterpiece over and over again. Kubrick directors can make a different film every time and still create a masterpiece. That fits Kubrick to a tee.
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