"FULL METAL JACKET" LEARNING ENGLISH WITH MOVIES - ESL LESSON

 

FULL METAL JACKET

 

Welcome to learning English with movies.

 

1987’s war drama “Full Metal Jacket” was directed by acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick.

 

The film stars Matthew Modine and Vincent D’Onofrio and mainly focuses on their experience during boot camp as U.S. Marines as well as their platoon’s experiences during the Vietnam War.

 

Stanley Kubrick directed some of the most famous films in history and has been cited as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.

 

Some of his most memorable films include “2001: A Space Odyssey”, “The Shining”, “Dr. Strangelove”, “Spartacus” and “A Clockwork Orange”.

 

His last film, ‘Eyes wide shut’, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, was completed shortly before his death in 1999 at the age of 70.

 

The story of “Full Metal jacket” was based on the 1979 novel “The Short-Timers” and the title refers to the kind of bullet used by the U.S. Marines.

 

The production of the film is most notable for being shot entirely in England, transforming a disused British gas installation into a Vietnam War zone.

 

What makes the film unique, aside from Kubrick’s superb direction, is the film’s two-act story structure.

 

The first part of the film focuses on a group of recruits during boot camp during the Vietnam War.

 

Sergeant Hartman, the strict drill instructor, verbally and physically abuses the recruits during their training.

 

The movie follows two of the recruits and their experiences during their combat training; wisecracking Private Davis, nicknamed “Joker” and dim-witted Private Lawrence nicknamed “Gomer Pyle.”

 

Gomer Pyle was a comedic character introduced on the “Andy Griffith Show” and that appeared on his own show “Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.”

 

Private Joker tries his best to help Private Pyle, and is impressed by his improvement. However, Pyle’s infractions cause the entire unit to be penalized by the Drill instructor and he is hazed as a result.

 

One night, while on guard duty, Joker finds Pyle alone and talking to his rifle in the shower.

 

Everyone in the unit is woken up by the ruckus, including the drill instructor.

 

Pyle kills the Sergeant before putting a gun to his own mouth and pulling the trigger.

 

The second part of the film follows Joker, now a sergeant in the journalism department, and his unit in Vietnam.

 

After a successful battle, Joker and a team of news reporters enter the city to interview the Marines.

 

While patrolling the city, their squad leader is killed by a booby trap and they are ambushed by snipers.

 

After a deadly confrontation, they manage to wound one of the snipers. To Joker’s surprise, the sniper is a Vietnamese young girl.

 

The squad urge Joker to kill the wounded girl to stop her suffering.

 

After much hesitation, Joker shoots her and he is congratulated by his unit.

 

The surviving Marines march back to the base, singing the Mickey Mouse theme song while Joker is glad to be alive and no longer afraid.