Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Kubrick's penultimate film is a harrowing, foul-mouthed and violent Vietnam War drama that begins with a long training camp sequence before moving to a bombed-out Vietnamese city. Its message is simple but its technique is extraordinary, with superb performances especially from Lee Ermey, Vincent D'Onofrio and Matthew Modine.

The film is divided into two distinct halves and finds Kubrick on inconsistent form, powerful in the boot camp but frustratingly unengaged once in Vietnam. R. Lee Ermey’s performance as the drill sergeant is singled out as staggering.

The first half focuses on the dehumanising Marine training programme before switching to Vietnam, where black irony, madness and bigotry abound amid a muddled moral message; Kubrick's direction is steely cold and manipulative, and the recruits remain distant and unengaging despite gripping moments.

The critic praises the film as one of Kubrick’s grittiest and most resonant works for its unflinching look at the duality of man and the mythologies of war-making. He highlights the two-part structure, strong performances (especially Modine and Ermey), and effective photography that puts viewers in the line of fire.

The critic calls the film a didactic, static harangue and massive artistic misfire, criticizing its overly composed scenes, talky political discussions, and predictable training sequences. He singles out the shrewd use of '60s pop music and some savage black irony for praise.

The critic finds Kubrick's film a harrowing, beautiful, and eccentric Vietnam drama that will puzzle and fascinate audiences. It is compared favorably in spirit to Apocalypse Now for its antagonistic and elliptical narrative style drawn from the source novel.

Kubrick's film is described as an intense, schematic, and superbly made Vietnam War drama divided into boot camp and combat sections. The script's vivid military vernacular and strong performances, especially by Matthew Modine, are highlighted as key strengths.