The first part of the film Full Metal Jacket takes place on Parris Island in the late 1960s. A group of young men go through the Marine Corps training camp in which they endure both rigorous mental and physical training. The men are commanded by Sergeant Hartman who acts rather bluntly and indecently trying to turn these boys into men. The film focuses on one soldier in particular named Joker. Joker is one of the best in his company which is recognized when the Sergeant makes him the head of his squadron. Later on Joker is assigned to work with a struggling company member named Pyle. As the two work together, Pyle becomes better at his daily tasks. However, he later snaps and kills the sergeant and then himself. This part of the film encompasses the life of a young man going through basic training during the time of the Vietnam War. It was physically grueling and mentally challenging, but the boys had to be turned into men who were not afraid to kill.
The second part of the movie details Joker as a journalist for the Stars and Stripes in Vietnam. In one of the beginning scenes of this section, Joker and Rafterman are trying to be picked up by a Vietnamese prostitute. This shows how people were just trying to survive in Vietnam, even if that meant selling themselves for sex. At this point in time Joker does not fight in war, but writes about soldiers’ kills and the good things happening in Vietnam. On his vest he wears a peace sign, yet on his helmet he has “Born to Kill” written. When asked by a Colonel what he was trying to suggest with both of those symbols Joker responds by saying that he was trying to “suggest something about the duality of man.” As the section progresses Joker is sent to the front lines to do some investigation for a story but he becomes encompassed in the fighting while there.
The third part of the movie focuses on the action in the front lines. While on assignment Joker meets up with a former Parris Island officer named Cowboy. The men go out for patrol, but quickly become lost. While making their way through deserted buildings Cowboy is shot by a sniper. It is here that Joker loses one of his best friends and realizes that war is not a game. The doctor tries to save Cowboy, but he too is shot. Therefore, the rest of the platoon hunts out the sniper who ends up being a woman. Once found, she is shot several times, but is killed only when Joker delivers the final shot. It is here that Joker loses his boyish persona, and becomes a man who is born to kill.
These three sections explain the various parts of war, but when combined they chronicle the story of one man and his brotherhood. In Sgt. Hartman’s final speech to his men he says, “Most of you will go to Vietnam. Some of you will not come back. But remember this: Marines die. That’s what we’re here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.” The Marine Corps is family and as long as the family remains the memory and story of all those fallen men are never forgotten.
In the last scene of the movie, the Marines are marching at night to find the enemy while singing the Mickey Mouse song. It is ironic because the soldiers are signing an American childhood song, yet they are going to kill the Vietnamese. War is dangerous and unpredictable, but this song allows the men to connect to a time where their lives were predictable and safe.
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The first part of the film Full Metal Jacket takes place on Parris Island in the late 1960s. A group of young men go through the Marine Corps training camp in which they endure both rigorous mental and physical training. The men are commanded by Sergeant Hartman who acts rather bluntly and indecently trying to turn these boys into men. The film focuses on one soldier in particular named Joker. Joker is one of the best in his company and is recognized for this when the Sergeant makes him the head of his squadron. Later on Joker is assigned to work with a struggling company member nicknamed Pyle after the “slow” TV character Gomer Pyle. As the two work together, Pyle becomes better at his daily tasks. However, he later snaps and kills the sergeant and then himself. This part of the film encompasses the life of a young man going through basic training during the time of the Vietnam War. It was physically grueling and mentally challenging, but the boys had to be turned into men who were not afraid to kill.
ReplyDeleteThe second part of the movie details Joker as a journalist for the Stars and Stripes in Vietnam. In one of the beginning scenes of this section, Joker and Rafterman are trying to be picked up by a Vietnamese prostitute. This shows how people were just trying to survive in Vietnam, even if that meant selling themselves for sex. At this point in time Joker has not fought in the war, but chronicles the events of the war and makes other soldiers famous through his writings for the Stars and Stripes. On his vest he wears a peace sign, yet on his helmet he has “Born to Kill” written. When asked by a Colonel what he was trying to suggest with both of those symbols Joker responds by saying that he was trying to “suggest something about the duality of man.” This is ironic because the two symbols contradict each other, yet they show the complex emotions of those fighting in the war. Most people wanted the war to end, but at the same time they had been taught to kill because if they did not kill they would be killed. As the section progresses Joker is sent to the front lines to do some investigation for a story but he becomes encompassed in the fighting while there.
The third part of the movie focuses on the action in the front lines. While on assignment Joker meets up with a former Parris Island officer nicknamed Cowboy. The men go out for patrol, but quickly become lost. While making their way through deserted buildings Cowboy is shot by a sniper. It is here that Joker loses one of his best friends and realizes that war is not a game. The doctor tries to save Cowboy, but he too is shot. Therefore, the rest of the platoon hunts out the sniper who ends up being a woman. Once found, she is shot several times, but is killed only when Joker delivers the final shot. It is here that Joker loses his boyish persona, and becomes a man who is born to kill.
These three sections explain the various parts of war, but when combined they chronicle the story of one man and his brotherhood. In Sgt. Hartman’s final speech to his men he says, “Most of you will go to Vietnam. Some of you will not come back. But remember this: Marines die. That’s what we’re here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.” The Marine Corps is a family and as long as the family remains the memory and story of all those fallen men are never forgotten.
In the last scene of the movie, the Marines are marching at night to find the enemy while singing the Mickey Mouse song. It is ironic because the soldiers are signing an American childhood song, yet they are going to kill. This song pertains to the Mickey Mouse club, but the Marines are also an elite club, and much like its chant “Hoo-Rah” the song unites them in the present moment. War is dangerous and unpredictable, but this song allows the men to connect to a time where their lives were predictable and safe.