Plot Summary: Stanley Kubrick's take on the Vietnam War follows smart-aleck Private Davis (Matthew Modine), quickly christened "Joker" by his foul-mouthed drill sergeant (R. Lee Ermey), and pudgy Private Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio), nicknamed "Gomer Pyle," as they endure the rigors of basic training. Though Pyle takes a frightening detour, Joker graduates to the Marine Corps and is sent to Vietnam as a journalist, covering -- and eventually participating in -- the bloody Battle of Hué.
*Recognition: Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay (1988)
What is this movie is about?: An authentic look at the experience of soldiers in a meaningless war where the only way to win is to survive.
Best Performance: R. Lee Ermey/Vincent D'Onofrio
Best Minor Perform: Vincent D'Onofrio/Arliss Howard
Most Charismatic Award: R. Lee Ermey
Best Scene: Full Metal Jacket
Favorite Scene: Hartman's introduction/Stars and Stripes-Tet Offensive
Most Indelible Moment: Hartman's introduction/Full Metal Jacket
Best Line:
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Tonight, you men will sleep with your rifles. You will give your rifle a girl's name because this is the only pussy you people are going to get. Your days of finger-banging ol' Mary J. Rottencrotch through her pertty pink panties are over! You're married to this piece. This weapon of iron and wood. And you will be faithful.
Honorable Mention:
Private Joker: The dead know only one thing: it is better to be alive.
Funniest Line:
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: How tall are you, private?
Private Cowboy: Sir, five-foot-nine, sir.
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Five-foot-nine, I didn't know they stacked shit that high.
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Holy dog shit. Texas? Only steers and queers come from Texas, Private Cowboy. And you don't look much like a steer to me so that kinda narrows it down. Do you suck dicks?
The Stanley Rubric:
Legacy: 7
Impact/Significance: 5.75
Novelty: 8
Classic-ness: 7.5
Rewatchability: 3
Audience Score: 9.4
Total: 40.65
Remaining Questions:
How did Pyle get the rifle and magazine of full metal jacket rounds into the bathroom?