Full Metal Jacket
1987 · Movie · R · 117 min · ★ 8.1 · 84% critics
A young Marine watches how brutal training turns recruits into hardened soldiers, then follows them into Vietnam as the war’s chaos tests what’s left of their humanity. Split between boot camp and urban combat, the story focuses on the psychological toll of violence and the uneasy mix of dark humor and horror.
Based on The Short-Timers
Also known as Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket
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Details
- Years
- 1987
- Release date
- 1987-06-26
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Critic score
- 84/100
- TMDB rating
- 8.1/10 (11,476 votes)
- Box office
- $46,300,000
- Budget
- $30,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a blunt, unsettling Vietnam War story that contrasts harsh training with chaotic urban fighting, similar in spirit to Platoon or The Pacific; Not for you if you dislike intense cruelty, graphic violence, or abrasive language.
Pros: unforgettable boot camp intensity; memorable lines and moments; haunting war atmosphere | Cons: uneven two-part structure; second half feels slower; some vulgar scenes
Themes
- rescue
- sniper
- vietnam war
- suicide
- vietnam
- helicopter
- army
- prostitute
- based on novel or book
- propaganda
- war correspondent
- journalism
- +24 more
Awards & recognition
- Boston Society of Film Critics Award — Best Director · 1988
- Boston Society of Film Critics Award — Best Supporting Actor · 1988
- David di Donatello — Best Producer · 1988
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1988 · nominated
Cast & crew
Matthew Modine
as Pvt. Joker
Adam Baldwin
as Animal Mother
Vincent D'Onofrio
as Pvt. Pyle
R. Lee Ermey
as Gny. Sgt. Hartman
Dorian Harewood
as Eightball
Kevyn Major Howard
as Rafterman
Arliss Howard
as Pvt. Cowboy
Ed O'Ross
as Lt. Touchdown
John Terry
as Lt. Lockhart
Kieron Jecchinis
as Crazy Earl
Directed by Stanley Kubrick