R. Lee Ermey was a real former drill instructor and was originally just an advisor for the movie. He came in and ad-libbed 30 minutes of insults and Kubrick decided he should be in the movie. The helicopter door gunner was originally cast as drill instructor.

Fun fact: after Ermey said the “reach around” line, Kubrick said cut and asked Ermey what a reach around was. Ermey told him and Kubrick just laughed and told him to say it again. 😂😂

I swear that the boot camp portion of this movie is the greatest thing ever put on film. Absolute perfection. And nobody can roast like a drill instructor. Gunny was a legend.

The first half of the movie was exactly the boot camp I went to in 1980. I think I heard every one of those lines from the drill instructor. Even the late night blanket party was real. My buddy was 6'5" and 260 pounds, and the drill instructors absolutely hated that he was bigger than them, but he didn't have a mean bone in his giant body, so they used to beat on him like this movie showed with Private Pyle. When I saw this in the theater, it was so realistic that I could smell my boot camp barracks...not even joking.

18:50 Did you notice where Private Pyle got his live rounds from ? Go back to the rifle range scene and watch how he unloads his 'empty' magazine - you'll see there are actually still rounds in there. Pyle was collecting those over time and sneaking them back into the barracks. He knew exactly what he was going to do once he had been pushed over the edge. Love Kubrick's attention to detail.

The buzz cut serves several purposes in the military. It is hygienic, easily maintained and more comfortable. Also its for safety purposes so hair doesnt get caught in equipment and headgear fits better, especially when gear like masks require a tight seal. It also serves as a symbol of discipline, uniformity and commitment. Finally, if you are engaged in hand to hand combat, your enemy wont be able to grab your hair and have control of your head.

7:27 "This is my rifle, this is my gun." Military terminology is taught as soon as you get to basic training. Most recruits are fresh out of high school and call every firearm a gun. In this scene, somebody must've messed up and called his rifle a gun, and the drill instructor is using this insane illustration to make it stick.

The first half of this movie is almost universally loved by vets for how accurate its basic training scenes were, R Lee Ermey wasnt even supposed to play GSGT Hartman at first but he was so good as an advisor for the film they just let him play the character. R Lee Ermey was a real Marine and legend, RIP.

The entire production of Full Metal Jacket took place in England. The bombed-out city of 'Hue' in 'Vietnam' was famously filmed in the vast abandoned gasworks at Beckton, on the north bank of the Thames just to the northeast of what is now London City Airport. The industrial site was dressed as the Far East by designer Anton Furst and planted with palm trees.

"I'm going to rip your balls off, so you don't contaminate the world." Pure gold - writing, directing, and acting.

Lee was a family friend for over 30 years. He promoted me from E5 to E6. On and off camera, he was the same man. He was pure. When I became a drill sergeant, I was amused by how many of my peers tried to be him. BCT is similar, even to this day…minus the physical contact. But this is fairly accurate to what BCT is like.

My friend who was there said the battle of Hua City was very realistic in this movie. He was a highly decorated platoon sergeant brought home some war trophies including a pistol from an NVA officer he killed. He died last year from Covid. RIP James Curry.

Trivia time: Kubrick was a known perfectionist and control freak. He was a big "We either do it my way or no way!" kind of guy. However, R. Lee Ermey, the actor playing Hartman who used to be a drill sergeant, came up with the creative little insults so nicely that Kubrick agreed to let him do his thing. You know you did something when you got the king of perfectionists to let you improvise.

I feel like the point of this movie is that, no matter how harsh the training, you will never be prepared for the craziness of war.

My father was a Marine Corp drill instructor during the 50’s and 60’s. R. Lee Ermey is the real deal.

The disconnect you felt at b oth halves of the movie was done by Kubrick on purpose. The first half was to show those that have never been in the military what basic training, boot camp etc was like, what the men went through in training, how they were treated and what they were forced to endure and lastly, how they were trained to become soldiers, men capable of killing without hesitation. How the men were transformed from normal young men into killing machines. The second half was to show you that no matter how much training soldier get nothing prepares them for what actual war will bring. Nothing can really ready them for the brutality of it. The training is only there to help them say alive longer but even the training cannot assure your going to survive combat, it just gives you an edge. The disconnect is a VERY important part of the story of this movie and why both halves make sense and provide context. I first saw this movie back in 1987 - the same year I myself came out of boot camp and I could relate to the first half 100% - thank god in my service I never had to endure combat but I have a deep respect for those that did have to fight and go through it. For a soldier that has trained, and then served, both halves of this movie make PERFECT sense.

R. Lee Ermey is an absolute legend. The first 45 minutes of this are gold.

Matthew Modine (Joker) was a friend of Vincent D'Onofrino, who was working as a bouncer at the time and convinced him to audition. It was the turning point for his acting career.

Watching it in the theatre, it felt like two different movies to me at the time. I also liked the first half better. The mid 80s saw several good films dealing with the Viet Nam War in different ways. Oliver Stone's "Platoon" was very good but very "Hollywood", and a tiny budgeted little film called "Hamburger Hill", which was largely overlooked, was outstanding as well.

The Vietnam war had started, my uncle and his classmates had just graduated high school. In the parking Lot they had taken off the caps and gowns and taking pictures etc. The buses were there waiting to take them to boot camp. When this movie came out we went to see it. He couldn't even sit through 10 minutes of it. It just brought back such horrible memories for him

For the head-shaving, it actually does have a function. Especially in the past, it used to be common for lice to be spread amongst the new recruits. This reduced the problem drastically and has now just become tradition.

Kinda funny how the second half of the film has more action than the first and yet almost every person who has watched this movie finds the first half more epic. Simply the power of filmmaking.

You spoke about how brutal the basic training was. Yep, it is. I was DS (directing staff) on a number of recruit courses in the Canadian army. We often quoted the Romans; "Bleed in training, sweat in battle."

The racism and insults aren’t out of anger. It’s the instructors jump to try to break you and get all notions of emotional outbursts out of your system

My uncle enlisted during the Vietnam War. R. Lee Ermey was his drill instructor and when I showed him this movie in theaters I asked him how he was in real life. He said that R. Lee Ermey was pretty tame in the movie then in real life. My uncle said he was a hard ass. But my uncle said that all di's were pretty close to this. It was during the Vietnam War and the Marine Corp. Just like all the branches of military were getting mostly draftees and boot camp time was shortened to eight weeks. There was a lot a stress to get the privates out on the battlefield. The movie is really well done. One of my favorites. Showing us how pretty close things were during that era.

The first half is amazingly organized. It shows you what it's like to be trained to be part of a unit. Teaching people to work together as a team. And to be tough. The second half of the movie does exactly what it should do, because once you go from the organized world of being on a base getting trained, you switch gears to being in the field. When you're in the field it isn't always changing chaos. They showed us the chaos of what was happening by the story being disjointed in chaotic. I think that absolutely is the point. And you get to see how chain of command works. You get a promotion cuz the guy who is right on top of you just got killed. I think the second half is very effective. And it is very relevant to the first half of this ridiculously organized life that they were living right before this. And it also shows the defect in the training.

When it comes to the shaving of hair question, I saw an ex-chinese soldier explain that they always kept their hair shaved to be able to quickly identify head trauma during a battle, since if you had hair it’s much harder to see what happened. However the way my grandfather explained it (who worked his way up to Major in the Marines), the US did it mainly as a way to standardize them, to make them almost “reborn” as shaved like a baby & being baptized in fire & trauma like Marines boot camp is. To make them one, in a way.

With regard to shaving the heads, it does "standardize" recruits, but it also makes it easier to spot and assess head injuries.

About the Blanket Party scene (that's what those were called, back in the day), you mentioned "the bruises it will leave". But the reason that soap bars wrapped in towels were the "weapon of choice" was because they tended NOT to leave much bruising. The company could dish out a lot of pain to the "foul-up" of the group, and not leave much evidence. DI's knew about these things back then, and while they usually didn't openly encourage blanket parties, they didn't do much to stop them, either. The way they saw it, it was good for the men to take care of a problem recruit in their midst. Blanket Parties are officially banned by the DoD now, but they did indeed happen from time to time back when I was in.

You could not watch a better war movie !!!! R.lee ermey .. the Sargent was for real and Vincent d'onofrio was amazing . Such a great movie

I didn't watch this movie until 1995. I was already out of the Marine Corps and was watching this with my wife. I was laughing most the way through the boot camp part of the movie. My wife asked why it was funny to me and I replied that when I was in boot camp, it was exactly like that. USMC 1986 - 1994

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I saw an interview with a drill instructor (I forget if it was R. Lee himself) that really changed the whole context of the boot camp segment of this movie. He said that you have to remember that during Viet Nam there was a draft, and when someone like Private Pile would get drafted, and that they were as good as dead. The reason drill instructors would be so hard on them is that "they were trying to unsign their death warrants".

Some points: First, I really appreciate the empathy and outsider's perspective on both the experience of boot camp (which was highly realistic, by the way, except that it wasn't brutal enough) to that of combat (likewise.) Second, some critique - this also is probably inevitable with the outsider's perspective. One thing: every time you said "Army" or "Soldier," it was like fingernails on a chalkboard, because you never saw one trace of the Army or one Soldier. This was the Marine Corps and they were Marines - getting the two mixed up is like calling France Germany and French people Germans. They are different cultures with different histories, different ways of doing things, different identities. I'm a retired Marine. If you want to piss a Marine off, call him a Soldier (if you just want to confuse a Soldier, call him a Marine.) Also, you seemed to think that the disconnect between the two halves of the film was a weakness. I think it was deliberate, and realistic. Boot camp, hard as it is, is still very different from the real thing. It can't completely prepare you for the real thing. The first time you smell dead people and have to put them in body bags, the first time you realize that you are going to die - you don't know whether it will be in five seconds or five decades, and you don't know how, or how much advance notice you'll have - you feel conned, manipulated, cheated, and stupid. You realize that up to that point you thought real life was like the movies, and it's not. It is even more jarring than that transition from boot camp to Saigon was. Third, kudos on your noticing of the details - the growing precision and unity of the marching recruits as they progressed through boot camp (my senior drill instructor was fond of bellowing that he wanted to hear "ONE BIG BOOT!"; gallows humor is a vital psychological defense mechanism common to people in combat, cops, firefighters, EMTs, hospice workers, and others who have to work with stress and tragedy; it was unrealistic that Animal Mother didn't run out of ammunition for his machine gun in about twenty seconds. If this is a side of things you'd like to see more of, I strongly recommend "The Pacific" and "Fury."

This was Vincent's first major movie role, and only 4th time he had been cast. Phenomenal job.

I had a martial arts instructor in the late 80s who was a very good friend who had been a Marine Corps machine gunner in Vietnam in '67 who was in Tet as well. He said that for him this was the most realistic portrayal including the depiction of basic training he'd ever seen about the war.

I absolutely love watching movie reactions of Full Metal Jacket when the reviewers are not familiar with the movie. I honestly can say ya'll had the most genuine reaction I have seen. Yes this was Hollywood, but Ermy (a former drill instructor) brought you a taste of what every Marine goes through in recruit training. If it were easy then every body would do it. It's a special glutten of punishment that forms the Marines, SEALs, Rangers, and more. The scary thing is they (all of them) are your absolute best friend, and will give anyone the shirt off their back. BUT, they are the most terrifying enemy to have and anyone on the wrong side should not sleep well at night. Hooah, Hoorah, and most importantly Oorah M'r F'rs! Love it!

You hit it on the head, unintentionally. There are two distinct parts of the movie with two completely different feelings. Just as training for combat with simulated blood and death feels different from actually trying to kill the people who are trying to kill you. It's two totally different worlds, and I think Kubrick showed this in a masterful way

I've always felt like the second half is meant to feel so different from the first half because you are supposed to feel the lack of humanity that basic training instilled in the soldiers to enable them to kill other human beings. Just like the camera makes us feel like we are a soldier following them into the action without knowing where the next shot could come from, the music not seeming to fit the situation and the lack of character depth shown in the second half are trying to force us to feel as dehumanized as we can feel as a viewer. I also think this is the point of switching immediately from Private Pyle's death to Vietnam. There is no time spent mourning or processing what happened, which is also dehumanizing. It's straight from that tragedy to the war zone.

That's about how it was. I served 20 years in the Marine Corp and two combat tours in Vietnam. The first tour as a machine gunner (0331) in 1965-66 and the second as a Platoon commander (0369) in 1970-71. I retired after 20 years and had a 30 year career as a California police officer ( Marin County). What I learned in the Marine Corps has helped me all my life. I highly recommend it to anyone needing direction and wishing to learn self discipline . Tom Boyte GySgt. USMC, retired Bronze Star, Purple Heart

Basic training serves two fundamental purposes. 1. To learn, and acquire basic skills to navigate within the framework of the Marine Corps. 2. More importantly to break you down. To unlearn bad habits that can cause you to fail at the moment of truth. Your fight, or flight response is basically fine tuned so that you have the proper conscious reaction to fight, or run depending on a particular situation.Freezing is not an option, you freeze , you die, or your brothers die, and it will be your fault.

The door gunner on the chopper, he was the first choice for the Drill Instructor. But, when R. Lee (at this point he was just a military consultant for the film) saw/ heard the dialog for the scene he was not happy with it. R. Lee took it upon himself to get into uniform and do an impromptu scene for the boot camp part of the film... Kubrick was so impressed he gave him the Drill Instructor part immediately.

If you haven't, you HAVE to check out the rest of Kubrick's filmography. Dr. Strangelove is both relevant and hilarious. Barry Lyndon is simply stunning cinematography-wise. A Clockwork Orange is a tough one, I won't lie, but still worth a watch. I personally love his adaptation of The Shining, despite what Stephen King thinks. But you mustn't miss 2001: A Space Odyssey; it reinvented the sci-fi genre in more ways than one.

R.I.P. Gunny 😢🙏 I first watched R. Lee Ermy in the Boys in Company C and that was my first dive into war movies. Some people say it was somewhat factual but nonetheless I liked it. This movie is one of 3 movies, Platoon and Hamburger Hill are other movies that hopefully you guys react to. Great reaction and love your channel ❤

The movie's battle scenes were shot in Liverpool, England, amongst abandoned and dilapidated harborfronts-nowhere near Vietnam. I think you are right to feel this movie had two distinct parts. Kubrick (IMO) was trying to capture how we prepared young people for war but still dropped them unprepared for the way Vietnam was fought. And all the absurdities of those times and that conflict.

The boot camp scenes laid the foundation for the rest of movie. When scenes like this are unscripted, it brings such a genuine flavor to the mix. R.I.P. Lee Ermey. Also in regard to cinematography, the way you shoot a scene at certain angles can help convey the mood of the scene. In this case we are looking at symmetry in the barracks and in other scenes. This gives you a sense of order and conformity.

Man I remember just being in awe watching this for the first time, the time in basic training is incredible and R. Lee Ermey was absolutely iconic as Sgt. Hartman, he was a real drill sergeant and wrote most of his own dialogue if I’m not mistaken. Great reaction guys!

My late father was a green beret in the Vietnam war. He was an explosives expert who did black ops with a small troupe, so they were usually on their own behind enemy lines, searching for and disarming enemy explosives and using their own when needed. He once told me a story about the marines this movie was based off of. He said that they were "...boisterous, loud,.... and stupid". (His words, not mine) So his troupe decided to teach them a lesson. One night while the marines were lying down and asleep. My dad and his men snuck into their camp, put knives against their throats, woke them up, and told them off for "...all the bullshit they were doing and being too damn noisy". He told the guy he was holding that if THEY could get that close to put a knife at their throats, then the enemies could too. It seemed like a harsh lesson, and really stuck with me of all the stories he told me about. I figure it stuck with those guys too, probably. Not many forget encounters with what they call "Spooks".

21:34 That song is by 2LiveCrew (1989) Best reaction to Full Metal Jacket. Much respect to you both.

This is the closest thing to Marine boot camp that I went through. Difference being there are 4 Drill Instructors, not just 1. R. Lee Ermy was just being himself. They stated 8 weeks long. I think that was just during the Viet Nam war. Boot camp was 16 weeks when I went through. The USMC is the most respected fighting force in the world. I find it interesting that you know so much about how to do things.

Shortly after this movie was released, R Lee Ermey was in another dark movie. He was in Mississippi Burning with Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, and Frances McDormand. It’s about a murder investigation during desegregation of the south (no spoilers). Great movie, just dark

I honestly like the way the movie was put together. No one just ends up in a Theatre of war and is expected to be a soldier. It has to be instilled in a person. You have to believe that you can do the things expected of yourself in a war. The thin Red Line covers this a lot more with the characters internal dialogue when encountering these types of situations. Pretty good Kubrick in my opinion. He just had a lot of good competition with Vietnam films in that decade.

Full metal jacket is the most realistic war movie ever produced! The setting was mid to late 1960's when President Johnson ramped up the need for boots on the ground in Vietnam. That meant the higher rise of draftees into military service mixed in with volunteers who received 12 weeks of military doctrine that was crammed into 8 weeks of boot camp. As you can see, D.I's used every means possible to get their message across to mainly highschool age thinking kids within a short period of time. In the ending, the platoon reverted back to singing children's age songs. In a controlled environment there's structure, in a uncontrolled environment there's a lack of structure. That's the 2nd half of the movie. It showed how quickly the PIC (person in charge) can quickly get replaced which actually happened a lot during the War in Vietnam. There's no Glory in war. Thats what sets this movie apart from others, because of the realistic destruction of life on different levels. Your forced to move on, realizing your just a number. Hope everyone understands that, that this is very similar to what soldiers went through who served in military conflicts the US has been involved with since a actual declared war by the United States Congress back in 1940's.

I highly recommend checking out Kubrick’s Paths of Glory, one of the best antiwar movie, and Kubrick at his angriest in theme, I love FMJ I think watching the movie again made me love the second half even more I think there’s so much depth in that second and I feel like it’s so much in the first viewing but I do think the first half is tighter and more focused

There is nothing that I can say that likely hasn't been said already! Kubrick's decision to use a real drill instructor made this movie....boot camp part of this movie is a masterpiece! It's amazing how the first half of the movie while literally nothing is happening beyond training is better than 99% of all other action movies!

R. Lee Ermey is the drill instructor, and he was a real life one during the vietnam era so he was perfect for the role. They initially only hired him as a consultant for the actor they were trying to use but when they asked him to "show" the actor how to be more authentic they saw right away how good he was and replaced the actor with him.

This is definitely the best reaction to FMJ I've seen so far. You did a great job not not only responding to the scenes, but also reading the intention behind the shots. Keep it up!

Vincent D’Onofrio, Leonard Lawrence, was especially amazing in the “The Cell.”

You guys did a great job at explaining why this movie is such a classic

Two reasons for the hair. One is that people use hair as an individual trait, and they don't want individuals. It's also part of the tearing down process before bringing everyone back up together. They want to build a team. And whenever a lot of people are living together, things like lice become a problem. Well-trained sniper. Very well played. Never kill if you can help it. Wound only, to draw out others. You see this in Pvt Ryan where the German sniper doesn't keep shooting Capparzo.

I never really felt any disconnection between the two parts of this movie. Once Joker was solidified as the pivot, it felt natural when the underlying theme remained exactly the same but the physical setting and all the pieces on the metaphorical chess board were more or less inverted from the first part. But very interesting to hear different perspectives - as is frequently the case with Kubrick movies 😄

My Grandfather was in Vietnam and to this day he never really talks about it. The only time I have ever heard him speak of it is when he is talking to other Veterans.

Loved the reaction you guys. I did see an interview with Adam Baldwin, the character "Animal Mother" some years ago about how it was to work with Stanley Kubrick. He talked about the scene where we first meet his character when he meets Joker and talking about ever seeing combat. Kubrick did take after take with Adam Baldwin changing it up slightly each time. Adam eventually got frustrated because it went on for quite some time and Kubrick wasn't giving him any direction on how to do the scene. He ended up muttering "what the hell does this guy want from me?" Kubrick leaned out from behind the camera and simply said, "Try better acting" and went back behind the lens of the camera. Adam was so stunned that he just kept going. Obviously he got it right because the movie was made. Kind of funny though. Again, thanks for the reaction to this one. It was great. Keep up the great work!

How cool to see Matthew Modine ( aka Private JT Joker Davis ) in this film. He is still acting in great roles … most recently as Dr Martin Brenner in Stranger Things ! Your commentary is always fantastic, thanks Media Knights !

Denise said, "I remember (boot camp) being portrayed differently in Forrest Gump". Both movies accurately portray the training of the 2 different services. Gump joined the US Army whereas Joker joined the Marines. In the real world, US Army basic training is markedly different than USMC recruit training. There are many videos on KZfaq that compare & contrast the two.

I think the two parts of the movie have a different pace in order to make you feel like the soldiers. In the first part everything is clean and ordered, everyone knows what they are doing and when. Then the second part mirrors the confusion of being shipped overseas. Now the disorder, random events boredom and loss are the normal, completely different to the boot camp life. It feels like two different movies because it is depicting two different realities, I think it works.

I'm a senior RAF Officer and have done this type of thing with SRR in conjunction with RAF, in Africa and Middle East and yes - combat and it's losses haunt dreams and affect behaviours in some - Everyone, really for times for each individual. However most of us can put it in 'the box' and seal it till the next time. This and Private Ryan are viscerally real. Love you guys.

This was the first war movie I ever sat down and watched. I remember being 8 or 9 and stealing my dads VHS out his bedroom to watch. I remember being scared of any and all war movies for damn years! Wasn't until I was 17 I sat down and watched the film again and appreciated just how excellent it is

2:15 Yes, there actually is a reason for shaving the head (beyond the uniformity and psych stuff for training): if a soldier has a head wound, it's easier to see, evaluate, and treat the wound without a bunch of hair in the way. Plus it makes it far less likely to have to deal with an outbreak of lice in a barracks, or to find ticks hiding on your scalp.

The music does match the tone because it’s the music from that era. The idea is to take you back to the 1960’s.

I've read somewhere that Stanley Cubrick doesn't like flying so he had loads of palm trees imported to the UK and filmed it under large flood lights to get the full moon night shots. Great reaction, thank you.

The shot that killed Cowboy hit his dog tags as it exited his chest. Animal Mother represents what Pyle could have become had he not lost it in boot camp, Gunny did say he was born again hard. Mickey Mouse is throughout the film. Gunny says “What’s this Mickey Mouse shit?!”, as he walks into the head before being shot by Pyle. Mickey is on a shelf or window in the press room. They sing the Mickey song at the end.

Can’t tell you how excited I was to see y’all reacting to this one. A surreal film for sure. Kubrick’s other war movie was one of his early ones - an anti-war film set in WWI. Paths Of Glory.

Years ago, when I was in the Marines from 1999-2007, R. Lee Ermey was the guest speaker for our Marine Corps Birthday Ball in San Diego. This was around 9/11, but most likely 2002. He used to visit our bases in Cali, and we'd get a chance to see him once in awhile. The Gunny is missed! Semper Fidelis!

Hell with breaking them down, these were insults we flung at one another as kids, and now words don't hurt anymore.

I think the pace of the movie mirrors a common theme in the military: hurry up, and wait. There is always a sense of urgency throughout training and preparation whether it be bootcamp, specialized training schools or academies. After that, life is slow and mundane until that SHTF moment happens!

The city battle scenes were filmed in an area of London, UK, called the Isle of Dogs, which was a huge abandoned area on the River Thames that was due to be demolished and be built anew on. Kubrick lit some smoke, put a few palm trees around, made buildings look shot up, put some appropriate damaged signage around the place and magically transformed it into a Vietnamese cityscape.

This is Kubrick's genius--they filmed the Vietnam parts in England.

Kubrick was a perfectionist and a genius.....EYES WIDE SHUTwas a favourite for me...the cine photography was amazing!

I dig y'alls analysis of the cinematography throughout the film

13:44 This (almost) exact scenario happened when I was in Navy basic training. During calisthenics, one of the guys was cutting corners a little, and another company commander (lovingly called Godzilla) happened to spot him and informed Chief Long (our CC). So Chief Long bought him a bottle of Coke and told him to sit down, tip his cap back, and enjoy that soda while we all worked out. And he better drink it slow. We were all pissed at the time, but later that day we all thought it was funny. Same guy during our final run fell way behind, so I dropped back and ran with him at his pace for a few seconds, and told him "We started this thing together, we're gonna finish it together. Let's catch 'em!" And that's what we did, and the whole company finished the run under time and as a unit.

Vincent D'onofrio is an outstanding actor!!

RIP R Lee Emery a true marine he was awesome

The basic training ground is an EX RAF airfield used as a real British Army Camp. The Extras were mostly real British Territorial Army Soldiers from the camp.

"Platoon" is another really good movie on the Vietnam war that released right around the same time as this one. The two approach the subject matter from completely different perspectives, but both are amazing works in their own right.

3 things you can be sure to notice in Stanley Kubrick: -Amazing cinematography combined with solid sets. -They love taking their sweet time. -They will leave you thinking for days.

I was in the Navy and the boot camp scene is very realistic, trust me

Marine Corps Recruit Training is in San Diego, CA and Parris Island, SC. R. Lee Ermey served in the US Marine Corps as a Drill Instructor during Vietnam. This was adapted from the novel "The Short Timers". I did my Marine Corps training in California and was stationed overseas

I’m pleased you guys reviewed this Kubrick gem. The second half was all practical and filmed on an industrial site that was being ripped drown. Alas old chemicals, asbestos etc contaminated the site making it somewhat toxic. However Kubrick had carte blance and could knock down walls or blow up buildings to his hearts desire and thus provide the setting for the strangely disjointed second half.

thanks for sharing your reaction to the movie, I saw it at the cinema when it was released, there was a fair bit of publicity and newspaper articles in the London press when Kubrick was shooting this movie because amazingly the whole Vietnam second half section of the film was shot in East London. Kubrick lived in England and he famously feared flying and travelling so any movie he made was going to be filmed near his house just outside London, so preferably at the film studios at Elstree near London which is where he created the interior and snow bound exterior of the Overlook Hotel for the movie The Shining. So for Full Metal Jacket Kubrick used a large piece of industrial land in East London which housed a derelict gas works and many of the industrial buildings there were dressed to look like Vietnam, real palm trees were imported and planted all over the set, the palm trees looked bedraggled as they did not survive so well but that added to the war torn effect and because the gas works buildings were due for demolition , Kubrick had free range to destroy them and set fire to them etc. The film is powerful and gripping, the visuals are stunning and Kubrick and his art director, cinematographer and production designers worked a total miracle in creating a very convincing war torn Vietnam on waste ground in East London!

As a US Vet, I can say that this is true. Boot Camp is an initiation into an elite group. And the training stays with you all your life. Also, the soap doesn't leave a bruise

Definitely watch The Thin Red Line!Amazing cinematography and acting.

To listen to two such intelligent people is such a relief. This movie is terrifying and wonderful. Great job.

The beating with soap bars-wrapped in towels? It’s called a “blanket party”.

The music was meant to be like this - it was music that came out at the time - while the soldiers were dying like this in war the civilians back at home were bopping along to this music totally oblivious to the death and destruction these men suffered. The music was chosen to show you the duality of war and modern culture back at home at the same time. How do I know this?: I was a kid when this all happened back in the late 60's and early 70's, we listened to this music in the comfort of our safe homes while the men in combat thousands of miles away were dying....

When you asked how much of it was realistic when he was chewing them up and down... Accurate AF! Joined in 96 and I can say for sure it's absolutely this intense. Very much the breakdown to build up method.

You guys continue to be great reactors, that was fantastic. I usually stop Full Metal Jacket reactions after they leave boot camp but not with yours. I always say the first half of Full Metal Jacket is Kubrick's last masterpiece! :D Every Kubrick movie is completely different from each other, but he did two other war movies that are essential: "Paths Of Glory" (his first undisputed masterpiece, incredible movie) and "Dr. Strangelove" (i'm sure you've heard of that one). Dr. Strangelove is a war comedy, a satire about nuclear war. Paths Of Glory is the most incredible WW1 movie ever, incredible (and short!). But the Kubrick movie I'm dying for you guys to see is "A Clockwork Orange", the demented, dazzling, disturbing dystopian masterpiece that will blow your minds and leave you with plenty to say and react to. PS: Amazing you got to meet Vincent D'Onofrio!!!!!! This was his first movie, this was what put him on the map!

If you search up Vietnam war music playlist, the songs in this movie are the kind of music you'll find amongst many others. It's what they had blasting on their radios and loudspeakers when they were over there. Many old songs you've heard before are indirectly or directly about the Vietnam war. It actually took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that, since I've always just vibed to good music.

Cutting your hair in boot camp was for a number of reasons. One reason was so that you didn't have to worry about your hair. The other was to reinforce that everyone is the same. When you're out of boot camp you can grow your hair back out, somewhat. There are still tactical reasons to keep it short, such as nothing for an enemy to grab.

If you enjoyed this movie, try to track down the boys from Company C from 1977. It’s a Vietnam film very similar to this one but more comedic and also features R Lee Ermey as their drill instructor. It’s a fantastic movie.