Full Metal Jacket

Honest response

Full Metal Jacket is a critically acclaimed film and I would have to agree with many of the reviews.  The transition between both halves of the film is done perfectly and every character in the film is portrayed right.  The character of the drill instructor is the undisputed most realistic and perfectly portrayed character in the film, through his extreme language he can occasionally seem a funny character- however it is dark humour at most as in the end it creates a monster that leads to his shocking demise.   The first half of the movie is almost perfectly executed. The 2^nd half slips a bit in comparison. It does not display the war; its chaos and horror as well as Apocalypse Now for example.  Also, in a film focuses on the transformation from new volunteers into trained killers, I thought the 2^nd half (minus the final scenes) did not include enough character development and changed more into a narration of a military units struggle in Vietnam, including characters we have had no back-story or information on. Despite this, the film is still excellently made and will leave audiences filled with emotions.  Stanley Kubrick should be proud of this film as the techniques involved make it one of the greatest war/anti-war films out there.

8/10

Cinematography - Full Metal Jacket

    Douglas Milsome is the man behind the Cinematography in Full Metal Jacket, he uses it to its full potential, it always reflects the themes, issues and the mood of the scene. However what is unique in this film is that the cinematography is completely different each half of the film- reflecting the change in the film of the Marines training to the Marines on the field, training.  

    In the first half of the film, the camera is generally neat and organised- representing the strict rules and tradition of the Marine training. This is shown in the marching scene’s, which is filmed continuously using a tracking shot, as to show the unit as one and to give no extra recognition to any main character. It moves as the same pace- as to show the order in the training.

 In fact the only time you see close ups of a lot of the characters in the first half of the movie is in the opening scene- showing their heads being shaved, representing their  rebirth into the marine court, where they are all completely equal.  A majority off the shots in the first half will be focused medium- long shots as to show the equality in the group, with the exception of the Sergeant Hartman, who will often get close ups and in one case gets a shot looking up at him to show his importance and authority.

   This order and neatness turns to chaos once the second half of the movie begins, in Vietnam. This is to show the Chaos and Horror of the War in comparison to the strict law in the Marine training. A good example of this is in the war Joker and the unit he is accompanying enter a town with armed VC in, the camera follows the soldiers in a rugged, not neat way to each bit of cover they got too, as if we were also in the unit. This can be compared to the tracking shot in the first half, showing the chaos now.  The bridge between these two different types of cinematography in the movie is the final Private Pyle scene, showing the transition from the order to the chaos. 

Edgar Wright

Director + Screen Writer 

Edgar Wright has directed some of my favourite films of all time, as well as Space- a great comedy show. To me what makes Edgar Wright my favourite director is his creativity. He creates nearly flawless films on a regular basis. He does this by utilizing every part of film-making in a superb, nearly unequaled level (at least in comedy)   This includes various camera techniques, set manipulation, audio queues and to me his signature move, quick and long cuts. Edgar Wright is extremely consistent with the level in each of his films, a fan knows when they go see a film directed by him they will come out laughing or wanting more.  One of the great things about his more independent films is the references he puts in for his fans, ranging from props, one- liners or cameos from actors from his older projects- this gives fans a reason to re-watch his films to see just how many are in there.