The 1987 war film is directed and produced by legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and is considered to be one of the greatest war films of all time – now it’s on Netflix.
A 1987 war film – regarded as one of the finest ever made – is now available to stream on Netflix.
Helmed and produced by the legendary Stanley Kubrick, Full Metal Jacket draws from Gustav Hasford’s 1979 autobiographical novel, The Short-Timers, with a screenplay crafted by Hasford, Michael Herr, and Kubrick himself. The film’s title refers to the full metal jacket ammunition used by military personnel. It marked the final picture from the visionary director to be released during his lifetime.
Working with a production budget of $16.5-30 million, Full Metal Jacket raked in an impressive $120 million at the worldwide box office. Garnering extensive critical praise, the war drama secured an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, alongside two BAFTA nods.
The official synopsis reads: “Stanley Kubrick’s take on the Vietnam War follows smart-aleck Private Davis, quickly christened “Joker” by his foul-mouthed drill sergeant, and pudgy Private Lawrence, 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.”
Full Metal Jacket features Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, Arliss Howard, and Dorian Harewood. During casting, Kubrick employed videotapes for auditions, attracting over 3,000 submissions. Following his team’s initial screening, he personally examined the final 800 recordings to select his outstanding ensemble.
The film’s principal photography occurred across Cambridgeshire, the Norfolk Broads, and various East London locations including the Isle of Dogs, Millennium Mills, and Beckton Gas Works in Newham, reports the Express. Boasting a 94 per cent audience score and 90 per cent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Full Metal Jacket achieved remarkable success with both reviewers and audiences alike.
One critic said: “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.”
Another reviewer added: “Full Metal Jacket, produced, directed and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, is not an easy film to watch, but from the first frame to the last, it is a riveting one.”
A third assessment wrote: “Visually poetic, darkly humorous, uncompromisingly brutal, and subversive in every way, Full Metal Jacket is easily one of the best war movies without being remotely similar to your standard issue war flick.”
One enthusiast couldn’t contain their praise for the film, saying: “In my opinion, it’s the best movie I have ever seen so far in my life. Its ability to portray the nature of war is unparalleled to anything I have ever seen. Brutal, visceral and raw this movie has all the components necessary for a spectacular war epic.”
Another viewer wrote a glowing review, saying: “The most I can describe it as is an absolute masterpiece. I understand where some of the negativity comes from, and the movie is definitely not perfect but I genuinely could not look away from the screen when watching.
“The portrayal of war in this movie genuinely shocks me in the same way Saving Private Ryan did, both of them being great movies. If you ever get the chance to, please go watch this movie.”
And one fan simply summed it up as: “Cinematic brilliance and it will stick with you the rest of your life.”
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply