Full Metal Jacket

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Full Metal Jacket

R

1987

1h 56m

War

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

158 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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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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Mike McGrady

Newsday

4 days ago

4/4

The picture of basic training and beyond is nightmarish, scathing, haunting, unforgettable, a brilliant piece of moviemaking you'll talk about for days and think about for weeks.

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Alexander Walker

London Evening Standard

4 days ago

Kubrick's latest and most disturbing work -- a tour-de-force of unforgettable film-making.

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Duane Byrge

The Hollywood Reporter

4 days ago

In Full Metal Jacket, Kubrick’s pre-filmmaking endeavors as a professional photographer and competition-level chess player are all too evident -- scenes are so overly composed they seem contrived and artsy.

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Hal Boedeker

Miami Herald

4 days ago

4/4

This is the one we've been waiting for. In a summer of mediocre movies, Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, a stunning Vietnam War drama, arrives to remind us what virtuoso filmmaking is all about.

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Stephen Hunter

Baltimore Sun

4 days ago

4/5

Kubrick is not a traditional storyteller, and he resists providing viewers with simple attitudes. His goal -- he achieves it magnificently, though at some risk and high cost -- is to provoke and confound; the movie leaves you in turmoil.

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George Williams

Sacramento Bee

4 days ago

4/4

With operatic fury, Kubrick lashes out at the Vietnam War in particular and at wars of all times in general -- and those who monger war may never recover.

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michael

Sep 2, 2026

weakest of kubricks masterpieces

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bob C

@RT46426964 2 days ago

Bizarrely wonderful.

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Craig P

@CraigP579 Oct 13, 2026

I know that the first half of this movie is a classic, but not the 2nd half. That is why I am giving this only a 2 1/2 stars. The acting and the plot shifts in the 2nd half and always find something better to watch after the first half,

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Geronimo G

@RT22671163 Oct 8, 2026

This movie is top 5 of best movie the crict the was most of the part and even this is better than the odyssey of the space

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Euler N

@RT78607452 Sep 17, 2026

I've heard that it's the best war film ever made. Quite disappointing. It's a pretty standard war film, showing us what we already know about war: soldiers going mad, racism, cruelty, authoritarian officials, etc. The acting is good, and the cinematography is excellent. But there are no lessons about strategy, no poetry, no deeper message, and no political criticism. Or, at least, nothing innovative about any of it. I can only recommend this movie to die-hard fans of war films.

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Christopher S

@megagoodtimes Sep 8, 2026

The ironically dark humor about war kubrick seems to convey to the viewer is classic. Portrays the systematic constructs and the frailty of human capabilties and the machine monster that pulls the strings. Crude, violent, and somehow disturbingly mysterious.

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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)

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