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Full Metal Jacket

Play trailer 1:57 Poster for Full Metal Jacket R 1987 1h 56m War History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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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.

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Full Metal Jacket

Full Metal Jacket

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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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Critics Reviews

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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

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Kristofer K @kbkaizer 1d 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 Gog I @RT3467954 Apr 22 At that time, they made very good films about the war. See more Guilherme M @RT21202523 Apr 11 One of the best war movies out there. Depicts not only the horrors of war but actually tells the history behind its soldiers. Full Metal Jacket proves Staley Kubrick really can't make a bad movie. Even if it's not used his melancholic style, you can still see the iconic atmosphere and the slow descend to insanity that some may experience during war. Tough the ending doesn't feel like a actual ending, it's still a amazing movie that you should watch. Also props to Paint it, Black at the credits!! See more Horror fan 4 @Horrorfan4life Apr 4 What a unique and beautiful way to show how brutal war can be. Whether it's in boot camp or going overseas to fight a war we should've never been involved in. Private pile endures some of the most brutal things in boot camp. Private joker is my favorite character but the drill sgt steels the movie with his loud talking and brutal insults. Stanley did an amazing job with this classic movie. Tim Treakle See more Nicholas K @RT46419117 Apr 2 Must see war movie, made 2 hours fly by on the plane. See more Oliver C @slimjim123 Mar 15 Great movie! Loved both halves! See more Read all reviews
Full Metal Jacket

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Cast & Crew

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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

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, Drill Instructor

Dorian Harewood

Private Eightball

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Full Metal Jacket

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Full Metal Jacket

Full Metal Jacket (1987) Full Metal Jacket (1987) Full Metal Jacket (1987) Full Metal Jacket (1987) Full Metal Jacket (1987) Matthew Modine as Pvt. Joker in "Full Metal Jacket." (L-R) Matthew Modine as Pvt. Joker, Kevyn Major Howard as Rafterman and Adam Baldwin as Animal Mother in "Full Metal Jacket." View more photos

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)