The following correspondence originally took place upon my Facebook wall, after I added information to the “movies I’ve watched” section of my profile…
Rayn: added Full Metal Jacket to movie’s she’s watched.
Brian J.: This is one of the more disappointing war films that I’ve seen, and it’s one of Kubrick’s weakest achievements. But it’s still a good film. The first half is a master class of filmmaking. But the second half felt like “Apocalypse Now” for stupid people. If you want great war films, I recommend “The Thin Red Line”, “Apocalypse Now”, and “Platoon.”
Rayn: There is definitely a large shift in pace between the first and second half of the film, but I still enjoy the piece as a whole, and will never turn down an opportunity to give it a watch, even over those others! 🙂
Brian J.: I just wasn’t impressed with the performances in the second half. And it felt like a lesser version of “Platoon.” But that first half is perfect.