Almost everyone here mentions how the first and second half of FMJ are completely incongruent with each other. Their observations are correct. It would be better to find a viable reason why this story decides to jump from a Barrack's tale to a Battlefield tale almost without any coherent story line preparation.
We first witness the relentless abuse and torture, almost exclusively, from a real-life Drill Instructor played by R. Lee Ermey (Sgt. Hartman) in his first big screen role at the age of 43 but looking closer to 60. I guess military life hardens and ages the hardcore types. His target is played very well and convincingly by Vincent D-Onofrio, Private Pyle. Since Ermey is the Real Deal, we can assume his performance is authentic, albeit over the top, with his histrionic cursing and hollering. As Pyle endures the (In your face) and our faces, brutal conditioning, we are wondering where this is leading. The outcome is inevitable, but where is the payoff? Based on the following half of the film we aren't sure why we even sat through the rest of this drawn-out familiar scenario. All the other soldier characters, including the supposed lead recruit, Matthew Modine (Joker) are all interchangeable without any likable or unique characteristics. The whole scene where they sneak up on a sleeping Private Pyle with Towel wrapped soap bars taking pot shots at his abdomen in single file with each only striking one blow, looks farcical and contrived. I could see maybe two guys doing a midnight beating with the rest quietly watching on, but this looked ridiculous. And to have a hesitant Joker, suddenly strike several blows at the behest of his fellow recruit jars against his supposed jocular nature and his previous state. I couldn't figure out the Joker guy. Is he a hero? A two-faced chump? I guess I don't like Matthew Modine as an actor. A thin, rangy and bespectacled guy with a simpering grin is not a guy I take a liking to.
The rest of this film treads on familiar ground with routine battle scenes, a few 1960's pop songs, a funny Vietnamese hooker scene and some childish locker room trash talk. Movies like Apocalypse Now, An Officer and a Gentleman, Lords of Discipline, The Deer Hunter and Gardens of Stone did so much better at this and were more involving, because they drew us into the characters and helped us invest in their plight emotionally.
FMJ will score points with the unsophisticated males who want to shove this film in other's throats, but as for a good War film, you can find much better. I swear Stanley Kubrik was a downright Pervert with homosexual tendencies. He likes to display men grabbing their crotch as well as them grabbing other's crotches. He's done this in several of his movies including this one. It's unnecessary and obscene stuff. Rot in Peace, Stanley!
We first witness the relentless abuse and torture, almost exclusively, from a real-life Drill Instructor played by R. Lee Ermey (Sgt. Hartman) in his first big screen role at the age of 43 but looking closer to 60. I guess military life hardens and ages the hardcore types. His target is played very well and convincingly by Vincent D-Onofrio, Private Pyle. Since Ermey is the Real Deal, we can assume his performance is authentic, albeit over the top, with his histrionic cursing and hollering. As Pyle endures the (In your face) and our faces, brutal conditioning, we are wondering where this is leading. The outcome is inevitable, but where is the payoff? Based on the following half of the film we aren't sure why we even sat through the rest of this drawn-out familiar scenario. All the other soldier characters, including the supposed lead recruit, Matthew Modine (Joker) are all interchangeable without any likable or unique characteristics. The whole scene where they sneak up on a sleeping Private Pyle with Towel wrapped soap bars taking pot shots at his abdomen in single file with each only striking one blow, looks farcical and contrived. I could see maybe two guys doing a midnight beating with the rest quietly watching on, but this looked ridiculous. And to have a hesitant Joker, suddenly strike several blows at the behest of his fellow recruit jars against his supposed jocular nature and his previous state. I couldn't figure out the Joker guy. Is he a hero? A two-faced chump? I guess I don't like Matthew Modine as an actor. A thin, rangy and bespectacled guy with a simpering grin is not a guy I take a liking to.
The rest of this film treads on familiar ground with routine battle scenes, a few 1960's pop songs, a funny Vietnamese hooker scene and some childish locker room trash talk. Movies like Apocalypse Now, An Officer and a Gentleman, Lords of Discipline, The Deer Hunter and Gardens of Stone did so much better at this and were more involving, because they drew us into the characters and helped us invest in their plight emotionally.
FMJ will score points with the unsophisticated males who want to shove this film in other's throats, but as for a good War film, you can find much better. I swear Stanley Kubrik was a downright Pervert with homosexual tendencies. He likes to display men grabbing their crotch as well as them grabbing other's crotches. He's done this in several of his movies including this one. It's unnecessary and obscene stuff. Rot in Peace, Stanley!