Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Full Metal Jacket

Play trailer 1:57 Poster for Full Metal Jacket R 1987 1h 56m War History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
90% Tomatometer 87 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.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

Full Metal Jacket

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Pauline Kael The New Yorker 09/13/2023
What happened to the Kubrick who used to slip in sly, subtle jokes and little editing tricks? This may be his worst movie. Go to Full Review
Jay Scott Globe and Mail 12/07/2022
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. Go to Full Review
Peter Rainer Los Angeles Herald Examiner 08/09/2022
Kubrick is trying to make a movie about madness and chaos, but he won't give in to the chaos. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Nov 8
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. Go to Full Review
Branyan Towe Loud and Clear Reviews 07/29/2024
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 Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Michael S. @mavfan1 1d Haunting performance See more Tristan B @tristan3 4d [BOT] A bit overrated honestly. See more Jonathan S. @JonathanColeSpivey Jun 14 Full Metal Jacket (1987) directed by Stanley Kubrick (116 minutes) This Kubrick film explores the Vietnam conflict opening in a military barber shop for the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot of Paris Island in South, Carolina. The Vietnam war film was famously filmed in London England and the training sequences shot at Bassingbourn Barracks a British Army base in Cambridgeshire. Full Metal Jacket stars a young Mathew Modine and his actor friend Vincent D’Onofrio, both in their late twenties. Mr. D’Onofrio was asked to gain weight to portray Private Leonard Lawrence. After eating donuts, spaghetti and fattening foods, he topped at two hundred and eighty nine pounds and ended his Kubrick journey after his marine character, Private First Class Leonard Lawrence blows his brains out with a M14 rifle on a toilet in the head. Stanley Kubrick, the obsessed director of masterpieces like the 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971) Barry Lyndon (1975). (Cole Spivey at Facebook See more Christopher C. @RT39836430 May 25 This film is intense and provides insight into the horrors of war, especially when there are soldiers on the ground. It’s a blessing from God that we now have laser guided weapons amongst other tools to utilize so that the United States can protect its service men and women. Also, I have seen many times the enemy will put US service men and woman in a moral dilemma by using women and children to fight. In my eyes, there should be zero hesitation or regrets to blow these women and children away, the most important thing is that our service men and women return safely and that we achieve our objectives, even if it harms the environment. One American life is more valuable than all of our enemies lives so I pray we keep that in mind looking into the future. Amen. See more din D @L1J2K3 May 24 This movie just near perfect. Before diving deeper, I just want to go over that like usual with Kubrick the score, cinematography, and performances are pitch perfect and many memorable moments happen. It looks at the Vietnamese war in a much different way by not only looking at more city type fighting instead of jungle but going into the army camp life. It's disturbing although sometimes funny and it takes its time saving the true action sequences for the perfect moments. See more Kristofer K @kbkaizer May 13 Words can't explain the emotion this story brings as you tag along to experience the full lifecycle of war in this Kubrick masterpiece. See more Read all reviews
Full Metal Jacket

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING
Glory 95% 93% Glory Watchlist TRAILER for Glory A Midnight Clear 88% 79% A Midnight Clear Watchlist Europa, Europa 95% 90% Europa, Europa Watchlist The Thin Red Line 80% 80% The Thin Red Line Watchlist Rosewood 87% 83% Rosewood Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

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 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)