Full Metal Jacket

La première partie du film, qui nous plonge dans l’entraînement des Marines, est excellente. En fait, il ne s’agit de rien d’autre que d’un sergent hurlant et terrifiant qui pousse les soldats au bout de leurs limites physiques et mentales. Cette partie ne vous laissera pas le temps de respirer : ici, on ne fait que travailler et on n’a même pas le droit de renifler sans permission. Parmi les recrues, il y a le soldat « Grosse Baleine » qui, bien qu’il soit assez lent et toujours à la traîne, a toute mon admiration, car au cours d’un tel entraînement, je me serais évanouie au bout de deux heures, et encore je me vante… Mentalement cependant, il ne s’en tirera pas. L’expression vide et maniaque de son visage me hantera longtemps. Il est juste dommage que le point culminant de cette intrigue n’ait pas pris plus d’essor, cela aurait pu être un excellent sujet pour un autre film. La seconde moitié de Full Metal Jacket ralentit et devient un peu ennuyeuse, mais une fois que l’on entre dans le combat, c’est à nouveau du très bon spectacle. La seule chose étrange, c’est que le film dure un peu moins de deux heures, et bien que je n’aie pas trouvé qu’il traînait en longueur (contrairement à 2001 : l’odyssée de l’espace, où le rythme est plus lent), j’ai eu l’impression qu’il faisait 3 heures environ. Mais peu importe, je l’ai tout de même apprécié. (05/09/2018)

Kubrick does attempt to push the boundaries of the genre once again, but in the war film, it did not work out for him. Despite the surprising first hour, Full Metal Jacket has become the director's far most unpalatable piece (and therefore considerably un-Kubrick-like), which kills the impossibility to identify with any of the characters. (15/03/2006)

Honestly, it’s no wonder Stone's Platoon did better in its day... Kubrick's Vietnam is less attractive to the viewer's eye, more urban (we don’t get to see any cramped jungles), less action-packed, more protracted and broadly conceived. Yet it is impressive, although dehumanized and cold for my tastes. I consider the introduction and ending of the film to be the best – the marine preparation consists of the constant shouting, the numbing drill and the singing of celebratory songs. All this in the traditionally inventive visual presentation made in Mr. Kubrick (the scene of checking trimmed nails with a double row of privates on boxes is unforgettable). The final sniper scene, on the other hand, is the most personal thing that makes monstrous sense to everything seen so far, and it is one of the most drastic things ever seen in this genre. I consider the most problematic feature of Full Metal Jacket to be the characters, who are too schematic and inconspicuous, but this makes the sheer absurdity and dehumanization of the war stand out all the more. And, of course, Kubrick's sense of the drama of the situation and its visualization. The "period" song soundtrack is also excellent. In summation, Full Metal Jacket is among the films that have a "less attractive" Vietnam for viewers, but in terms of ideas it is among the most interesting. (19/10/2004)

The first half is amazing, it has an incredibly fast pace for a war film. Towards the end it relaxes a little, but then the director shows a bit of real war action, so I’m satisfied overall. Kubrick masterfully handles the psychology, which he focuses on more than grand action scenes. (16/02/2004)

The green-brain one-man-show in the first act is perfect, but as soon as the plot shifts to Vietnam, the film starts to creak. Actually, nothing important happens during those two acts. There is no deeper thought, nothing that would leave me with an emotional experience, which I would expect from a Kubrick film. Moreover, the "Vietnam" locations are rather unconvincing and Kubrick can't do battle scenes. I know better films about the Vietnam war. (24/08/2003)