Full Metal Jacket

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Full Metal Jacket

R

1987

1h 56m

War

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

88 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

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 Hue.

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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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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Sep 13, 2023

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

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

Dec 7, 2022

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.

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Peter Rainer

Los Angeles Herald Examiner

Aug 9, 2022

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

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

Sep 18, 2026

Full Metal Jacket initiates its viewers into the realities of war, which are also, supposedly, the realities of being a man.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 8, 2025

4/4

It still qualifies as one of Kubrick's most underrated pictures, and it's second only to Apocalypse Now as the best Vietnam War movie ever made.

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Branyan Towe

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jul 29, 2024

4/5

As Private Leonard “Gomer Pyle” Lawrence, D’Onofrio encapsulates the impact that military brainwashing can have on soldiers and their mental health in a way that is better than expected

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michael

Sep 2, 2026

weakest of kubricks masterpieces

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Craig P

@CraigP579 1 day ago

I know that the first half of this movie is a classic, but not the 2nd half. That is why I am giving this only a 2 1/2 stars. The acting and the plot shifts in the 2nd half and always find something better to watch after the first half,

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Geronimo G

@RT22671163 5 days ago

This movie is top 5 of best movie the crict the was most of the part and even this is better than the odyssey of the space

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Euler N

@RT78607452 Sep 17, 2026

I've heard that it's the best war film ever made. Quite disappointing. It's a pretty standard war film, showing us what we already know about war: soldiers going mad, racism, cruelty, authoritarian officials, etc. The acting is good, and the cinematography is excellent. But there are no lessons about strategy, no poetry, no deeper message, and no political criticism. Or, at least, nothing innovative about any of it. I can only recommend this movie to die-hard fans of war films.

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Christopher S

@megagoodtimes Sep 8, 2026

The ironically dark humor about war kubrick seems to convey to the viewer is classic. Portrays the systematic constructs and the frailty of human capabilties and the machine monster that pulls the strings. Crude, violent, and somehow disturbingly mysterious.

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Cole D

@RT78180295 Aug 25, 2026

One of the best war movies ever

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Stanley Kubrick

Director

Matthew Modine

Private Joker (Private

Adam Baldwin

Animal Mother

Vincent D'Onofrio

Private Gomer Pyle (Leonard Lawrence)

R. Lee Ermey

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Dorian Harewood

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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 Hue.

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

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