Full Metal Jacket

Review from Movies.com

Divided into two sections, Stanley Kubrick's film tackles dual ideas — how a man becomes a soldier and how that mentality becomes part of his identity. The first half of the film deals with the severe harshness of basic training as Joker (Matthew Modine) and the rest of the boys become fighting men under the relentless, profane Gunnery Sgt. Hartman (Lee Ermey). Once the story moves to Vietnam, the film takes on a more abstract, fatalistic tone as it moves to a harrowing conclusion.

My take

I guess this movie is a victim of its time. This was made in 1987 by Stanley Kubrick, but since then better war movies have been made. This was making me want more, but it did not deliver. Still this is worth watching for R. Lee Ermey's gunnery sergeant Hartman, which brings all your BMT nightmares to shocking life.
The fat boy they called Gomer Pyle (actual screen name Leonard Lawrence) for his ungainly impression shows us what our teasing of the 'butt' of the jokes can drive them to do. He eventually shot and killed Hartman and then himself. Tragically so, as I think Hartman really believed he had motivated Pyle to become a Marine rifleman with his harsh, cut-to-the-bone words.
But Pyle's (Vincent d'Onofrio) eyes as he loaded his rifle with a full metal jacket, lingo for a full magazine of live rounds, was chilling. Imagine if the guy we teased in Hawk Coy Platoon 4 had done that.