Full Metal Jacket

Watch in the UK

Watch in the US

Data provided by

9 / 10

1 Review

Rate this movie:

9 Based on 1 Votes

10

0
9

1
8

0
7

0
6

0
5

0
4

0
3

0
2

0
1

0

Overview

A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.

Media

Full Metal Jacket - Official Trailer [1987] HD

Cast

Vincent D'Onofrio

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writer:

Gustav Hasford, Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr, Gustav Hasford

Release Date:

1987-06-26

Run Time:

117m

Tagline:

In Vietnam, the wind doesn't blow. It sucks.

Genres:

Financials and Popularity

Budget: 30,000,000.00$

Revenue: 46,357,676.00$

Vote Average: 8.1/10

Vote Count: 11404 Votes

Movie Popularity: 8.9823

Spoken Languages: English, Vietnamese

Review

View all reviews

Insomniacs Reviews
- 22 April 2026 at 8:11 pm

9 Based on 1 Votes
10

0
9

1
8

0
7

0
6

0
5

0
4

0
3

0
2

0
1

0
⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 9/10 THE SUMMARY Stanley Kubrick’s two-act nightmare starts in a Parris Island boot camp where R. Lee Ermey (as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman) spends 45 minutes inventing new and creative ways to insult your mother. The first half is a psychological horror story about turning humans into "killing machines," resulting in the tragic meltdown of Private Pyle. The second half drops us into the "Thousand-Yard Stare" of the Vietnam War, following Private Joker as he navigates the ruins of Huế, discovering that the real war is just as chaotic and nonsensical as the training. THE PROS The first half is arguably the most perfect 45 minutes of cinema ever captured. R. Lee Ermey wasn't just acting; he was an actual drill instructor who ad-libbed most of his insults, and the result is terrifyingly hilarious. Kubrick’s obsession with symmetry makes every frame look like a haunting painting. It avoids the "heroic war movie" clichés, instead focusing on the absurdity and the "Born to Kill" duality of the human brain. The final sniper standoff is a masterclass in tension, stripping away the glory to show the grim reality of combat. THE CONS The movie is famously "split-brained." The boot camp section is so legendary and high-energy that when the film shifts to Vietnam, the pacing takes a noticeable dip. It feels like two different movies stitched together by a combat boot. While the second half is brilliant in its own right, it struggles to live up to the pure, concentrated intensity of the first act. If you came for the shouting, the middle section might feel like a bit of a slow-burn slog. THE VERDICT A "Guaranteed Banger" and a 9/10 for being the most honest (and terrifying) look at military indoctrination. It doesn't take sides; it just shows you the machinery of war and the broken parts it leaves behind. It’s Kubrick at his most accessible, yet most cynical. INSOMNIAC TRIVIA R. Lee Ermey wasn't originally cast as the drill instructor; he was a technical advisor. But after he submitted a tape of himself yelling insults for fifteen minutes straight while being pelted with oranges—without repeating an insult once—Kubrick gave him the job. Also, Vincent D’Onofrio (Private Pyle) gained 70 lbs for the role, breaking Robert De Niro’s record for Raging Bull at the time. He actually tore the ligaments in his knee because the extra weight made the obstacle course scenes a physical disaster. THE VIBE Like a cold, steel helmet. It’s hard, heavy, and makes you feel slightly detached from reality. Best watched when you’re feeling cynical about the "system."

Videos

Full Metal Jacket - Official Trailer [1987] HD

Cast

Vincent D'Onofrio

Dorian Harewood

Kevyn Major Howard

Kieron Jecchinis

Related Movies To

Full Metal Jacket

La Haine

9 / 10

1 Review

After a chaotic night of rioting in a marginal suburb of Paris, three young friends, Vinz, Hubert and Saïd, wander around unoccupied waiting for news about the state of health of a mutual friend who has been seriously injured when confronting the police.

Run time: 98m Tagline: How far you fall doesn't matter, it's how you land… Release: 1995-05-31

Director: Mathieu Kassovitz

Stars: Abdel Ahmed Ghili Héloïse Rauth Hubert Koundé Joseph Momo Laurent Labasse Olga Abrego Rywka Wajsbrot Saïd Taghmaoui Solo Vincent Cassel

Oldboy

10 / 10

1 Review

With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.

Run time: 120m Tagline: 15 years of imprisonment, five days of vengeance. Release: 2003-11-21

Director: Park Chan-wook

Stars: Choi Min-sik Ji Dae-han Kang Hye-jung Kim Byeong-ok Lee Seung-shin Oh Dal-su Oh Tae-kyung Yoo Ji-tae Yoo Yeon-seok Yoon Jin-seo

Remarkably Bright Creatures

A lonely elderly widow named Tova forms an unlikely friendship with a curmudgeonly cephalopod octopus named Marcellus, but unbeknownst to her, Marcellus is on a mission to solve a mystery that will heal the widow’s heart and lead her to a life-changing discovery.

Run time: 0m Release: 2026-05-08

Director: Olivia Newman

Stars: Alfred Molina Beth Grant Colm Meaney Donald Sales Joan Chen Kathy Baker Laura Harris Lewis Pullman Sally Field Sofia Black-D'Elia

Sarah’s Oil

7 / 10

1 Review

Sarah Rector, a Black girl born in early 20th-century Oklahoma Indian Territory, believes there is oil beneath the barren land she’s allotted, and her faith proves right. As greedy oil sharks close in, Sarah turns to family, friends, and some Texas wildcatters to maintain control of her oil-rich land, eventually becoming among the nation's first Black female millionaires—at eleven years old.

Run time: 103m Tagline: Inspired by a true story of faith and fortune. Release: 2025-11-06

Director: Cyrus Nowrasteh

Stars: Adyan Copes Bridget Regan Garret Dillahunt Jonathan Lipnicki Kenric Green Mel Rodriguez Naya Desir-Johnson Sonequa Martin-Green Stelio Savante Zachary Levi

Rise of the Conqueror

7 / 10

1 Review

In the 14th-century, as the Silk Road crumbles and rival factions tear the land apart, fearless warrior Timur emerges from exile. Stripped of everything, he fights to unite the fractured kingdoms, using strategy and sheer will to carve an empire from chaos. Undefeated in battle and widely regarded as one of history’s greatest military leaders and tacticians, not to mention one of its most brutal, Timur would found the Timurid Empire, which ruled over modern-day Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia.

Run time: 119m Release: 2026-04-09

Director: Jacob Schwarz

Stars: Arazou Baker Aziz Beyshenaliev Christian Mortensen Dulguun Odkhuu Joshua Jo Mahesh Jadu Maruf Otajonov Paul Marlon Sanzhar Madi Yulduz Rajabova

Collections

Full Metal Jacket

This movie is not part of any collection.

Reviews for

Full Metal Jacket

Comment (1)

Insomniacs Reviews
- 22 April 2026 at 9:11 PM

⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 9/10
THE SUMMARY
Stanley Kubrick’s two-act nightmare starts in a Parris Island boot camp where R. Lee Ermey (as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman) spends 45 minutes inventing new and creative ways to insult your mother. The first half is a psychological horror story about turning humans into “killing machines,” resulting in the tragic meltdown of Private Pyle. The second half drops us into the “Thousand-Yard Stare” of the Vietnam War, following Private Joker as he navigates the ruins of Huế, discovering that the real war is just as chaotic and nonsensical as the training.
THE PROS
The first half is arguably the most perfect 45 minutes of cinema ever captured. R. Lee Ermey wasn’t just acting; he was an actual drill instructor who ad-libbed most of his insults, and the result is terrifyingly hilarious. Kubrick’s obsession with symmetry makes every frame look like a haunting painting. It avoids the “heroic war movie” clichés, instead focusing on the absurdity and the “Born to Kill” duality of the human brain. The final sniper standoff is a masterclass in tension, stripping away the glory to show the grim reality of combat.
THE CONS
The movie is famously “split-brained.” The boot camp section is so legendary and high-energy that when the film shifts to Vietnam, the pacing takes a noticeable dip. It feels like two different movies stitched together by a combat boot. While the second half is brilliant in its own right, it struggles to live up to the pure, concentrated intensity of the first act. If you came for the shouting, the middle section might feel like a bit of a slow-burn slog.
THE VERDICT
A “Guaranteed Banger” and a 9/10 for being the most honest (and terrifying) look at military indoctrination. It doesn’t take sides; it just shows you the machinery of war and the broken parts it leaves behind. It’s Kubrick at his most accessible, yet most cynical.
INSOMNIAC TRIVIA
R. Lee Ermey wasn’t originally cast as the drill instructor; he was a technical advisor. But after he submitted a tape of himself yelling insults for fifteen minutes straight while being pelted with oranges—without repeating an insult once—Kubrick gave him the job. Also, Vincent D’Onofrio (Private Pyle) gained 70 lbs for the role, breaking Robert De Niro’s record for Raging Bull at the time. He actually tore the ligaments in his knee because the extra weight made the obstacle course scenes a physical disaster.
THE VIBE
Like a cold, steel helmet. It’s hard, heavy, and makes you feel slightly detached from reality. Best watched when you’re feeling cynical about the “system.”

Leave a Review Cancel reply