Full Metal Jacket has always been a decisive movie in Stanley Kubrick’s filmography. There has been never a dispute that the opening half of the film is a stone cold cinema classic with it’s view trained on a group of Marines in brutal basic training. The 2nd half of the film sees the results of that basic training as they find themselves in the Vietnam conflict of the late 60’s, where the lessons they learned during basic come into conflict with their natures, and reality.
The two halves are meant to expose the harshness of war, even as the military work to drive all emotion out of their recruits. However, that emotion and individuality still comes to the surface in characters like Joker (Matthew Modine), who on his helmet while at war bears a peace symbol next to the saying Born to Kill.. This displays 2 sides of his personality, in one interpretation or completely bleak humor in another.
Watching the film for the first time in over a decade I was impressed by how the 2 halves do end up working together, though the tones and styles to inevitably contrast with the opening half being much colder than the second half (until the conclusion). The film is pure Kubrick in its approach, methodical, calculated from its shots to its performances. The performances are truly career makers from the drill sergeant played by R. Lee Ermey and Pyle played to cold, insane, perfection by Vincent D’Onofrio. Matthew Modine’s Joker has a nice blend of steely coldness, and warm humor to make him relatable to the audience.
Warner Brothers brings Full Metal Jacket to UHD with a 2160p transfer restored from the negative. As with their other recent Kubrick 4k releases the results are uncanny (bring on Clockwork Orange!). Colors pop, detail is excellent, blacks are inky and deep. This just looks gorgeous. Audio is handled by a DTS-HD MA track in English and sounds crisp, clear, and without issue. Extras included a commentary by Adam Baldwin, Ermey, D’Onofrio, and Jay Cocks. There are more archival extras on the Blu-ray disc. HIGLLY RECOMMENDED.