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Full Metal Jacket (1987)

16 | | Drama, War | 10 July 1987 (USA)
A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.

Director:

Writers:

(novel), (screenplay) | 2 more credits »
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Popularity
328 ( 64)
Top Rated Movies #91 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 11 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Gny. Sgt. Hartman (as Lee Ermey)
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...
Lt. Touchdown
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Kieron Jecchinis ...
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Tim Colceri ...
Jon Stafford ...
Doc Jay (as John Stafford)
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Ian Tyler ...
Lt. Cleves
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Storyline

A two-segment look at the effect of the military mindset and war itself on Vietnam era Marines. The first half follows a group of recruits in boot camp under the command of the punishing Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The second half shows one of those recruits, Joker, covering the war as a correspondent for Stars and Stripes, focusing on the Tet offensive. Written by Scott Renshaw <[email protected]>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

An Epic Story of the Vietnam War [Australia Theatrical] See more »

Genres:

Drama | War

Certificate:

16 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

|

Language:

|

Release Date:

10 July 1987 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Nacido para matar  »

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Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,217,307, 28 June 1987, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$46,357,676
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

R. Lee Ermey was involved in a jeep accident during the making of the movie. At 1:00 a.m. one night he skidded off the road, breaking all the ribs on his left side. He refused to pass out, and kept flashing his car lights until a motorist stopped. In some scenes you'll notice that he does not move his left arm at all. Stanley Kubrick claimed in an interview that it took four and a half months before Ermey could return to work in which production simply had to be suspended since he was involved in all the remaining scenes. See more »

Goofs

When Pvt. Pyle is on the range, the bandage keeps changing between being on his right wrist (close-up, when shooting) and left wrist (camera pulled back, re-loading). See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor. From now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be "Sir". Do you maggots understand that?
Recruits: [In unison in a normal speaking tone] Sir, yes Sir.
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Bullshit I can't hear you. Sound off like you got a pair!
Recruits: [In unison, much louder] SIR, YES SIR!
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: If you ladies leave my island, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon. You will be a minister of death praying ...
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Looking: Looking for Results (2015) See more »

Soundtracks

These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
Written by Lee Hazlewood
Performed by Nancy Sinatra
Courtesy of Boots Enterprises, Inc.
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
A film of two halves
9 September 2013 | by – See all my reviews

'Full Metal Jacket' was a film that I had been meaning to watch for a while after all the good stuff I had heard about it.

It really is a film of two halves, unfortunately I didn't like the 2nd half.

The 1st half at boot camp was excellent, we saw a lot of character development and emotion as well as a lot of humour and really serious issues. R. Lee Ermey and Vincent D'Onofrio were just brilliant.

The 2nd half I didn't enjoy as much, it looked great and there was a lot of action but it was just a bit boring and felt really dragged out, whereas the 1st part just had everything that you wanted.

Glad I got round to seeing it but wouldn't watch it again, slightly disappointed after a really good start to the film.

6/10.


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