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R.Lee. Ermie is so good because he was a real Marine staff sergeant on Parris island, he wrote most of the insults himself and is the only Marine in history to be promoted to gunnery sergeant after being discharged in part thanks to his role in this movie.

"Is this a comedy?!" FMJ is one of Kubrick's darkest satires. Joker as our MC/narrator gives us a running commentary of sarcasm aimed at the military, war, our treatment of enemies, etc

Boot camp in the 60s was very different than it is today. First, it was wartime. Second, most of the recruits were drafted not volunteers. Finally, no one cared about your feelings back then.

R. Lee Ermey served two tours of duty in Vietnam, which was required for Drill Instructors. He also was a drill instructor after those two tours and helped to train new recruits in bootcamp. In this film he was only suppose to be an advisor, but Stanley Kubrick liked him so much he decided to have him play the part of drill instructor Hartman. The door gunner of the helicopter is the actor that was originally meant to play the role of drill Instructor Hartman.

Joker's war face emerges when he kills the sniper. Particularly stunning acting there.

Fun fact: filmed entirely in England. The palm trees were brought in from Spain and Gibraltar

“If God wanted you at the top of that obstacle, he would have Miracle’d your ass up their by now!!” That’s my favorite quote from the drill Sargent.

I am a USMC Veteran. I was not Drafted, nor am I a man who went through Boot during that era. Papa was. I learned many valuable things from him/his experiences. I volunteered, earned my Title, and Served two Tours. What I can relate to in this movie, is its authenticity. The D.I. in this movie was a REAL D.I./Marine, and he scripted his words for this movie. R.I.P. good Man!!! Marines are a special sort of insanity. Harnessed mayhem is about the most-polite sentiment I can apply to us. Release us against any enemy, and see the magic happen! What people fail to appreciate/respect is- Recruits during this time were being sent off to fight in real combat, and that doesn't allow kindness. Hard training was key to their survival in the field. Most of these Recruits did NOT join willingly, and that only added to the challenge to make them combat ready/efficient. Yes, it was harsh. Life often is.

Names to add to the catalogue: Vincent D'Onofrio (Private Pyle) - previously seen in "Men in Black" as Edgar the Alien Arliss Howard (Private Cowboy) - previously seen in "The Sandlot" as older Scott Smalls (the announcer at the end) Adam Baldwin (Animal Mother) - previously seen in "Independence Day" as Major Mitchell, and to be seen soon in "The Patriot" Ed O'Ross (Sergeant Touchdown) - previously seen in "Lethal Weapon" Stanley Kubrick (director) - also directed "The Shining"

The bootcamp scenes are funny, but when you’re there going through it, not so much. Aside from the senior drill instructor there are two other DIs who assist him. One of ours, Sgt. Battle was always coming out with the funniest shit and he always caught a recruit or two laughing and they paid for it. He caught me and a couple other recruits talking after lights out and threw us a “party”. He thrashed us for awhile. Ah, memories.

You reactions are priceless. “Ted?” “They’re just fireworks!”

In a Few Good Men the movie they called it a Code Red. In reality it's a Blanket Party

During boot camp, Joker never had the proper war face.......but right after he shot the sniper, you see his real war face.......

I went to Parris Island about 6 months after this movie came out in 87, and the Drill Instructors were still very much fired up. A few times as a Military Policeman, I was instructed to remind young Marines about respect and discipline by what we called a Tune Up. A few Pyles always made it through.

As a Marine during volunteer times, there were several recruits that couldnt hack boot-camp and were dropped. Gomer Pyle had the misfortune to be drafted when he was more a liability to himself and the other soldiers than he was worth, and should have been sent home. But...in boot-camp, everyone struggled with something at some point, whether mental or physical, some far more than others. I remember several fellow recruits that I was certain wouldnt make it through, that made a complete turn around and did great before it was all over.

I joined the military in 1990 (3 years after this movie came out) and the basic training scenes were definitely seen as a comedy by the guys I served with. This film was constantly being quoted during the first few years I was in and everybody just instantly understood the references. That's how iconic R. Lee Ermey's performance, as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, was.

3:21 in the marine corps “allowed” is a suggestion depending on who was watching 😂

As far as the shaving of the head during basic training, I don’t know about these days but I personally went through army basic training in 2006 and we had to do that and my brother-in-law went through basic training in the mid 2010s and he had to do that. It serves multiple purposes. It creates uniformity and eliminates potential problems between recruits because nobody can show off. Everybody has the same haircut same clothing. Also, it’s a lot easier to wash in the shower quickly when you can just use a bar soap on your whole body, head everything because you have no hair and can help prevent things like lice. The drill instructor was a real drill instructor for the Marines and this was his first big role.

This is based on a novel, "short timers" by Gustav Hasford. I read it just before the movie came out. When they came under fire from the sniper, I never understood why they didn't pop smoke and fill the area to negate the accuracy the sniper relies on. As i recall that was the SOP in our unit.

Probably an unpopular opinion, but this movie is so highly regarded because of the first half.

That scene was the video photographers interviewing the guys that was actually Stanley Kubrick

The Dirty Dozen (1967) should also be on your list. More of a mission training and team building movie than a boot camp movie.

Glory, Jarhead, and Hacksaw Ridge all spend a significant portion of the movie in boot camp. Tigerland takes place entirely in an army boot camp, a couple of years after Full Metal Jacket. In The Dirty Dozen they take a bunch of death row convicts and spend most of the movie training them for a high-risk commando mission.

I'm not sure if someone already answered this; when he said "two-five" it wasn't distance. It is the shorthand for "2nd Battalion, 5th Marines", usually written as "2/5". I was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Marines or 1/1.

My father was in the Army in Alaska, too. They were not allowed to sleep under the covers. They had to sleep on top.

The Fairy Quack Godmother is funny in its own right lol

Fun trivia: the voice of "Murphy" on the radio was performed by Stanley Kubrick himself 😎🤓👍

R. Lee Ermey... originally he was brought on as a technical advisor, but being a real-life drill instructor, he fit this role so well. His audition actually involved other cast members throwing tennis balls and oranges at him while he hurled insults at them, and never repeated himself ONCE. Kubrick liked his auditions so much he allowed Gunney Ermey to write and improvise his own dialogue, and his scenes usually only took 3 takes, highly unusual for a Kubrick film. EDIT: The sock scene I was told was called a "sock party". Everyone else in the barracks rolled up a few bars of soap into either a sock or a cloth of some kind, and would then beat the guilty party for about 30 seconds, or until they felt better.

Years ago, one of the places we did on-site work had a former Drill Instructor (Marines) working there. He'd been one for a good while in San Diego... he looked the part, too... basically a fire hydrant with a bulldog's face. He was a really nice guy and very well spoken. We'd all make sure to eat lunch and take breaks with him every chance we got so he could tell us stories from this DI days. Sometimes he would have us literally crying and weak in the knees from laughter with some of his stories.

You Have Seen Vincent D'Onofrio (Private Gomer Pyle) in Men in Black. He played the Head Alien. Stanley Kubrick directed The Shining.

They weren't allowed to hit recruits by December 1977 and we had the M16 by then but other than that it was EXACTLY like boot camp at Parris Island. Btw you would not be laughing if you were there. I was a tough kid and a joker, but I didn't crap the first two weeks I was there I was so scared. And, 1st and 2nd battalion wore tennis shoes to run but my 3rd battalion (3339) wore boots always

My dad was a Marine Drill instructor on Parris Island from 1955 to 1960 or so. He was before this movie takes place and said this was a slightly exaggerated.

This movie is good but I always liked the first half of it the best with the drill instructor. 🤣

I'm from a military family & my nephew is currently serving. Once my dad got out of the Army & went to the police academy. While he was there 1 of the trainers thought my dad was a little chubby, so he made my dad bring donuts in every day for all the other cadets.

A few of my friends are ex-Marines and even after 20-30 years everyone of them can recite the "Rifle Prayer".

The original script explained why Pyle became suicidal. He had fallen in love with his rifle which he named Charlene. After he graduated from boot camp they would take Charlene away and it drove him over the edge. While dying Hartman (named Gerheim in the script) was proud that he had turned Pyle into a killer.

Plenty of great _war_ films. However, you ask someone to recommend you a great film about _boot camp_ the answer will *always* be "Full Metal Jacket"

This is an unflinching look at the dark hearts of men and the institutions of violence and depravity they create. Joker's character detaches himself with sarcasm to deal with it, until the horror is shoved in his face and he has to act. It was a mercy kill so there's that. Its hard to say how Joker was changed by this, whether it was good or bad. I wonder what other's think of Joker's arc. His last lines "im in a world of shit but I am alive," harken back to private pyles line that he's in a world of shit. I suppose one thing that is meant by those last lines is that he understands now how Pyle felt, but, unlike Pyle, he is alive. Thank you for watching this brilliant, yet harrowing film!

Private Pyle was a comentary on Project 100,000 where about 300,000 people that failed the minimum requirements either mentally or physically were used anyway. They died at 3xs the rate of other soldiers. Really dark stuff.

I saw a great interview with RL Ermey talking about marine training and how the demands of the war in SE Asia meant that the length of recruit training was halved. He emphasised that they need to hold each other accountable (hence collective group punishement), and that little mistakes when on tour of duty mean that people get themselves and/or their comrades killed (so reprimands and punishments needed to be _extremely_ ... erm, "memorable" to the recruits to have the desired effect of teaching the lesson when training was so short).

12:05 They call it a blanket party

My favorite scene is still the barber shop in the beginning. I was a Navy Barber for the last year of my service. I loved scalping heads. Yes Basic Training, (for all the Branches) was very old school on those days. Forms of hazing rituals did exist well after Vietnam. In the Navy "Crossing the Line" (aka reaching and crossing the Ecuador). Meant some crazy stuff at Sea. Some War movies are better than others. Full Metal Jacket is one of the tops. Two others I would highly recommend for later dates. The Longest Day 1961-A very well made in depth look at all side during the D-Day invasion. All Quiet On The Western Front 1930- Still stands the test of time as maybe the best of them all.

Bootcamp isn't just about physical fitness.It's a mind game too.

I was in the Army in the early 90s, and I’ve always said my experience was a cross between FMJ and Stripes. The aloof, comedy of stripes and the ugly, brutal reality of FMJ. It was quite the experience. To all the old times who said boot camp was much harder back then forget to tell you duty stations got tougher. The military went from work hard, play hard, to work hard, play nice.

R Lee Ermy who played the drill instructor and was a drill instructor in the Vietnam War said, while striking a recruit was not officially allowed, in Vietnam the time in boot camp was reduced from 12 to 8 weeks so shortcuts were taken to get the point across as quickly as possible.

"Are they allowed to do that?" Evidently. Best. Mike.

Great reaction James to a kubrick classic very uncomfortable to watch in parts but essential viewing Great reaction

Oh boy...welcome to the Kubrick insanity version of Vietnam...it definitely makes an impression, doesn't it? 😎 I have never seen it specifically stated by Kubrick anywhere, but Private Pyle is a clear representation of a real program that the Defense Department ran in the 1960s. It was called "Project 100,000" and it was a test to see whether the mental and physical parameters for serving in the US military could be widened to make the pool of potential service people larger. Between escalation in Vietnam and all the other military commitments of the Cold War in those days, the military was concerned about a shortage of people to serve. So they started testing whether recruits who were normally just a bit below the normal standard for IQ, or emotional stability, or physical fitness could be turned into effective military personnel. The same program probably would have led to Forrest Gump being recruited and serving in Vietnam. The program had various nicknames including "McNamara's Misfits" and "McNamara's Morons" in honor of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.

They played this movie on my bus ride to Marine Corps Boot Camp. The nerve...lmao Semper Fi!

They absolutely shave your head day 2 at the reception station.

19:45- yeah this is covering the "Tet Offensive" of the Vietnam War (it's in "Good Morning Vietnam" w/Robin Williams too.) Pretty noteworthy part of the actual war for exactly why Kubrick explained it too; nobody expected it.

One of my favorite lines: "You climb obstacles like old people f*ck" 😂 BTW: The ending to that line is "Slow and sloppy". My father used to scream that in traffic about other people's driving. 😂

Vincent D'Onofrio gained 70 pounds to play the part of Private Pyle, the most weight an actor has ever gained for a role in the movie. He is also a method actor. In the scene where Hartman slaps him for placing the gun on the wrong shoulder, he asked R. Lee Ermey to slap him for real to make the scene more authentic. He didn't know that Kubrick was notorious for doing multiple takes of single scenes. And by "multiple takes", I don't mean 5 or 10, I mean 50's or 100's. so there's no telling how many times his face got slapped.

This was an outstanding movie. I was in Navy Boot camp and I have had dril Sargent like him. Plus my dad was one in the army. They are just like that. At first you want to laugh but then you stop. Lots of push ups.

The Marine Corps is a branch of the Navy and back then we wore Boondockers. That's what those boots that look like tennis shoes are 😊

Imo the best boot camp section of any movie I've seen, and one of the most intense. Great reaction as always

I just love you, man! I can't tell you how much I appreciate GENUINE REACTIONS to awesome US movies! This is an absolute classic, lines from this movie are part of the cultural lexicon now, and the drill instructor's insults are absolutely hilarious (in the darkest of ways)! I'm so glad you got to see this, and that we get to watch along with you!

I went to USMC boot camp in 1988, and because of this movie, this is exactly how boot camp went!

It was estimated US troops fired 50,000 rounds of M-16 ammo for every confirmed enemy kill. This movie does a good job of showing that.

Hi James! Gonna drop another suggestion for you.... "Heartbreak Ridge". Another movie along the lines on Full Metal Jacket, but not quite as "harsh" (Also, this one is about Vietnam, and Heartbreak Ridge is loosely referencing the "incident" in Granada, not a full on war, just a "rescue operation"). It stars Mario Van Peebles and Clint Eastwood. I've known a lot of Vietnam vets in my lifetime, and while they are all hesitant to talk about their experiences in the war, they all agree that this movie shows a realistic side of things (as does Platoon). R. Lee Ermy was originally going to be a consultant for the Drill Instructor, but no one could do the part justice, so he did it himself. 5:00 - They were back then. 15:40 - You probably know this already, James.... but you always assume that they are live rounds. Just like you always assume a gun is loaded until you verify that it isn't. 16:40 - Bad advice, there, my friend. A sudden move like that would likely have "triggered" (pun intended) Pyle to shoot Joker out of reflex. By staying calm, and talking in a hushed tone likely saved Joker's life. You can tell by looking at Pyle's eyes that he had already checked out and was unpredictable. The last thing you want to do when you see someone like that, is do anything sudden, even if its "run away". 17:40 - "TET" Holiday. Up until this one, there was always a cease fire to celebrate it. The "Tet Offensive" as it's now known as, took the US by surprise, and got a lot of Americans killed because they weren't prepared for it. In effect, it turned the tide against the US and South Vietnam. 25:35 - Fun fact: The cameraman in this scene, is Stanley Kubrick himself. 27:10 - Nope. Korea was a technical "tie", Vietnam was a straight up loss. 33:10 - Not quite. A younger teenage girl. The Viet Cong were notorious for training kids to fight (as you saw in Good Morning Vietnam), and it didn't matter which gender they were. In fact, younger females were often undetected as "the enemy" until they actually struck. It was this kind of fighting that the US was completely unprepared for. Up until then, wars were fought much like WWII, with organized armies confronting one another on a battlefield. Vietnam was a whole different kind of warfare. Guerilla tactics, surprise ambushes by children, booby traps the likes of which would give you nightmares..... basically, every "rule" of warfare was thrown out the window. I don't remember how old you are, James, but I was still a child when Vietnam ended. I still remember seeing the evening news back in the early-mid 1970s, where footage was shown to keep the public informed about the war. They didn't give a warning about sending the kids out of the room, they just showed it. Pieces of bodies laying around the blood soaked mud, the wounded being tended to, and even footage of villages that had been wiped out searching for VC that were allegedly "hiding among them". I was 8 years old in 1975, and I remember seeing (again, on the news) how the soldiers were treated at the airports upon returning home. I was too young to fully understand, but it bothered me (coming from a military family) seeing our troops being treated like that. It wasn't until I was much older did I understand the intricacies of why the war was so unpopular, and the reasons they were treated like that (right or wrong).

What did the Army think? They didn't give a sh*t. These men were Marines. Semper Fi.

The Tet offensive was a major turning point in the war. Although it was a technical victory for US forces, it was viewed as a disaster by the American public and the support of the war and faith in public officials crumbled.

Parris island, marine corps boot camp location

You exclaimed "DUMMY!" at all the correct times.

"Early morning dew" means exactly what you think it means. Lol

R.Lee Ermey had to explain to Stanley Kubrick what a "reach around" was. Oh, you can expect a lot a angry comments from a bunch of Army veterans...lol

James, I feel you 😊 I'm 65 grew up on a ranch/farm with only 3 channels and no time to watch them 😂😂😂 Up and done with breakfast and out the door before the sun hit the Barn

Awesome Movie and Work Bro, Thanks, Greetings from Helsinki,Finland🇫🇮🇺🇸

This is a great movie. Now you need to watch “Platoon”. Another great movie about Vietnam with an incredible cast. I do have to say that with all your knowledge on things that you never heard of The Tet offensive. That actually shocked me. You might like another Marines movie starring Clint Eastwood called “Heartbreak Ridge”.

Since you're a book lover, James, read "The Short-Timers". This movie is based on that book & mostly written by the book's author.

I can only speak from post-Vietnam US Navy. 1. There are always more than one CC in boot camp (at least in the Navy) where partially recruits can't be abused. Verbal abuse is one thing but physical was a NO GO. 2. Vincent D'Onofrio played the Bug in MIB and had to put on 50lbs for this role 3. Hardman was out of control. Others outside his recruits would have noticed and he would have been held accountable. 4. "I don't know, but I've been told. Eskimo pussy is mighty cold." was used in my Navy recruit company in 1981. 5. In the US Navy real live ammo was always accounted for, and Pyle wouldn't have had it on his person in the head. 6. The lights in the head are always lit. (lighting I suspect). 7. "Blanket parties" were a real deal. We didn't have one because we didn't have a Gomer Pyle. 8. The hooker in Saigon is just distracting them so the motorcycle guys can steal the camera. I saw that happen in the Philippines. 9. "I wouldn't shit you, you're my favorite turd" I've used that before. 10. Even by Hollywood standards, Kubrick went overboard with excessive bloodletting. Note: Close-cut hair is part of being UNIFORM.

The character's name is not actually Pyle. That's a reference to the 60's TV comedy called Gomer Pyle USMC, about a hapless marine.

This is my first video I have viewed at your channel and you are completely awesome to watch you. Remind me of myself I laughed so hard.👍👍

They probably can’t physically touch recruits anymore but they certainly did before Great reaction They are talking about Tet… The Tet Offensive

In 1985, I was at recruit training command, San Deigo. UNITED STATES NAVY. And Yes, if you failed to properly state your 12 general orders, if your cot was not 4-0, or you failed your freedom run, you were targeted by other naval recruits, & or by your RED ROPERS. Today, in the 2020's, I don't know the protocols of Naval bootcamp.

They're not allowed to do that. A drill sergeant is not allowed to physically touch any of his recruits. R.Lee Ermey said he was trying to show how not to be a drill sergeant. He also said any drill sergeant would have been able to tell that Private Pyle was going insane.

R Lee Ermy was a real life Marine Drill sergeant. He was the only person that the Director didn't screw with.

Drill sergeants did get physical back then but they're not allowed to do that these days.

R. Lee Ermey is pure genius....He was brought in as an advisor, but was so good he got the part..

something often overlooked in most movies depicting Marine Corps boot is there is often this idea they have only one DI. This is one of the few movies to show other DI's going about their duties behind hartman.

He was a real drill seargent in the marines

Awesome US movie - filmed in the UK.

It was called Blanket Party back in the day.

The "island" Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Paris Island, S. C., this is were recruits go to become Marines. The Marine Corps is a part of the U. S. Navy. They are an elite fighting force and the smallest branch of the U. S. armed forces. Boot camp was just like that during the Vietnam War, the armed forces had to take civilians, most of whom had never held a weapon, never been in a fist fight for their lives and always had their parents to do and look after them and turn them into bringers of death and destruction in 21 or 8 weeks, depending on what year you enlisted. There were very few draftees in the Marine Corps. The only branches that men were drafted into were the Army and Marine Corps. 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed were volunteers. 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were Black Americans, 1.2% were other races. 7,484 women served in Vietnam, of whom 6,250 or 83.5% were nurses. Peak troop strength in Vietnam was 543,482, on 30 April 1969. The Tet Offensive, in 1968, was a U. S. victory and a disaster for the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. The Viet Cong were decimated following Tet.

Best boot camp movie is American Sniper! My favorite boot camp is Hacksaw Ridge 😂

You always cheer me up James, I’m in hospital from near death but I always watch your reactions. You seem to be a very nice guy, I wish could known you in a different life. Going to watch the reaction now thanks buddy 👍🏽😎

Executing the girl was the pinnacle scene in this film.

The Marine Corps has two enlisted boot camps Parris Island South Carolina and Marine Recruit Depot San Diego

A super movie. You should see Memphis Belle. It’s a WWII movie but most movies are about fighter planes but this one is about boomers and it stars Mathew Modine!

15:41 Roll Credits!

So you definitely do know the guy playing Joker (Matthew Modine) he played Papa in Stranger Things

This movie was filmed in the UK, hard to believe but true.

Yes "me love you long time" is from this film and was used in the hit rap song by 2 Live Crew in 1989. Was very controversial.

i went to Parris Island in 1981, and although the 'abuse' wasn't allowed it did happen from time to time. And blanket parties happened as well, both in recruit training as well as in the Fleet. FMJ style training doesn't happen these days- I probably caught the last few years of the more extreme era.

The movie’s characterization of the Tet offensive is somewhat misleading: it was a Pyrrhic victory for the Vietcong as they did overrun most American holdings in Vietnam, but the American retaliation was overwhelming and annihilated the Vietcong as a major fighting force very shortly after the offensive. It did have a devastating affect on American morale, though.

Late in the war, mental and physical standards for the draft were reduced. Pyle is probably a representation of that aspect.

“Are they allowed to do that?” It depends on what is meant by “they.” In fiction, all bets are off, such that Bambi can even speak English.

First 10 minutes of Tribes was pretty good.

James, your fresh reaction to this movie was entertaining. 🙂