History
Action drama
Full Metal Jacket (1987): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 action drama directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey and Vincent D'Onofrio. It runs 1 hour 56 minutes and earned $50.2 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. It was nominated for 1 Oscar. Critics gave it 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and 78 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.2/10.
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- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 56m (116 min)
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Original language
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English - Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Budget
- $30M
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
The story
What Is Full Metal Jacket About?
The premise of Full Metal Jacket without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Stanley Kubrick's intense film depicts the Vietnam War through the experiences of two Marines. "Joker" Davis, played by Matthew Modine, and his fellow recruit, "Gomer Pyle," endure the harsh and dehumanizing process of Marine Corps boot camp. The film follows their transformation into soldiers, highlighting Pyle’s disturbing psychological breakdown and Joker’s subsequent deployment to Vietnam as a journalist, where he confronts the brutal realities of combat.
Full Metal Jacket Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- vietnam war
- u.s. marine
- military
- drill instructor
- boot camp
- u.s. marine corps
- vietnam
- tet offensive
- 1960s
- basic training
- war correspondent
- voice over narration
+38 more Show fewer
- hazing
- humiliation
- obstacle course
- female sniper
- shot to death
- mental breakdown
- group punishment
- suicide
- murder
- verbal abuse
- title spoken by character
- nickname
- profanity
- man wears eyeglasses
- u.s. military
- military training
- parris island south carolina
- military base
- marine corps sergeant
- suicide by shooting oneself in the head
- ambush
- friendship between men
- vietnamese woman
- combat
- sniper
- violence
- murder suicide
- bathroom
- guerrilla warfare
- mercy killing
- three word title
- slow motion scene
- gun battle
- blood splatter
- blood
- long take
- year 1968
- year 1967
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Cast & crew
Full Metal Jacket Cast
Matthew Modine leads the cast, with R. Lee Ermey and Vincent D'Onofrio. Directed by Stanley Kubrick.
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Director Stanley Kubrick
From the director
More from Stanley Kubrick
More films directed by Stanley Kubrick, best-rated first: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Paths of Glory, The Killing and Barry Lyndon.
Ratings
Full Metal Jacket Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Full Metal Jacket 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and 78 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.2/10.
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IMDb 8.2 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 90% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 94%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 78 Metascore
User score 8.4
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 81% User score
See on TMDB
Plot
Full Metal Jacket Plot Summary
What happens in Full Metal Jacket from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In 1967, amidst the tumult of the Vietnam War, a fresh group of recruits from the United States Marine Corps arrives at Parris Island to undergo rigorous basic training. Upon having their heads shaved, they are introduced to their fierce Senior Drill Instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermey), who uses extreme methods to mold the recruits into battle-ready Marines. Among these recruits are Privates “Joker” (Matthew Modine), “Cowboy” (Arliss Howard), and the corpulent, clumsy Leonard Lawrence (Vincent D’Onofrio), who earns the mocking moniker of “Gomer Pyle” as he consistently incurs Hartman’s wrath.
Full summary
The whole story of Full Metal Jacket, scene by scene
Box office
Full Metal Jacket Box Office & Budget
Full Metal Jacket grossed $50.2 million worldwide on a $30 million budget, 1.7 times what it cost. $46.4 million came from the US and Canada and $3.8 million (8%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$50.2M
1.7× its budget
- US & Canada
- $46.4M
- International
- $3.8M
- Budget
- $30M
US & Canada 92%
Rest of the world 8%
Awards
Full Metal Jacket Awards & Nominations
Full Metal Jacket was nominated for 1 Oscar. The 4 nominations come from 3 ceremonies, the most at the BAFTA 1988.
4 nominations3 ceremonies
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BAFTA 1988 2 nominations- Nominated Best Sound
- Nominated Best Special Visual Effects
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Golden Globes 1988 1 nomination- Nominated Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture (Supporting Actor) – R. Lee Ermey
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Oscars 1988 1 nomination- Nominated Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium)
Videos
Full Metal Jacket Trailers & Videos
11 videos: 4 trailers, 5 clips and 2 featurettes.
- Trailer Full Metal Jacket - Trailer
- Trailer Full Metal Jacket | 4K Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment
- Trailer 35mm Original Theatrical Trailer [4K] [FTD-0596]
- Clip Pray
Quiz
How Well Do You Know Full Metal Jacket?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What nickname is given to Leonard Lawrence by Gunnery Sergeant Hartman?
Cars
Cars in Full Metal Jacket
23 cars on screen, including the Cadillac M41 'Walker Bulldog' and the 1964 Citroën Type HYP.
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Cadillac M41 'Walker Bulldog' Minor role -
1964 Citroën Type HYP Minor role -
1966 Honda Super Cub Minor role -
1955 Peugeot 176 TC4 Minor role
Details
Full Metal Jacket Also Known As
31 alternative titles, including “Pelny magazynek” and “Olovni kovčeg”.
- Also known as
-
- Pelny magazynek
- Olovni kovčeg
- Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket
- Nacido para matar
- Ամբողջապես մետաղական թաղանթ
- La chaqueta metálica
- Цельнометаллическая оболочка
- Full Metal Jacket - Nascido Para Matar
- 全金属外壳
- Pełny magazynek
- Olověná vesta
- Бојеви метак
+19 more Show fewer
- Acéllövedék
- Μέταλ Τζάκετ
- フルメタル・ジャケット
- מטאל ג'אקט
- Пълно бойно снаряжение
- Platoșa de metal
- 풀 메탈 자켓
- Nascido Para Matar
- Цілісно-металева оболонка
- Metalinis apvalkalas
- Cara de guerra
- 金甲部隊
- غلاف تمام فلزی
- 烈血焚城
- เกิดเพื่อฆ่า
- Pancirni metak
- Áo Giáp Sắt, რკინის საფარი
- La jaqueta metàl·lica
- Olovená vesta
Seen Full Metal Jacket?
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Movies Like Full Metal Jacket
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Jarhead, The D.I. and Platoon.
From the blog
Articles About Full Metal Jacket
Our article about Full Metal Jacket: “The Evolution of War Movies: From Propaganda to Realism”.
FAQ
Full Metal Jacket FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Full Metal Jacket, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Full Metal Jacket?
Full Metal Jacket runs 1 hour 56 minutes (116 minutes).
When was Full Metal Jacket released?
Full Metal Jacket was released on June 26, 1987.
Who directed Full Metal Jacket?
Full Metal Jacket was directed by Stanley Kubrick.
More films by Stanley Kubrick Who is in the cast of Full Metal Jacket?
Full Metal Jacket stars Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey and Vincent D'Onofrio.
How much did Full Metal Jacket make at the box office?
Full Metal Jacket grossed $50.2 million worldwide ($46.4 million domestic, $3.8 million international) on a budget of $30 million.
How is Full Metal Jacket rated?
Full Metal Jacket has 8.2/10 on IMDb, 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, 78 on Metacritic and 81% on TMDB.
Was Full Metal Jacket nominated for any awards?
Full Metal Jacket received 4 nominations across 3 ceremonies.
Does Full Metal Jacket have a post-credit scene?
No. Full Metal Jacket has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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