Synopsis, Structure
& Genre
Synopsis:
The protagonist of the film is Marine recruit J.T. 'Joker' Davis (Matthew Modine), who is part of
a group beginning basic training as a Marine on Parris Island, SC. The brutal command of drill
instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (played by former drill sergeant R. Lee Ermey, which
earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor) shows the harsh
indoctrination of the armed forces during the Vietnam War era. The drill is depicted as designed
to eliminate virtually all trace of the recruits' individual personalities and transform them into
killers (to "keep Heaven packed with fresh souls"). This first section of the film focuses largely
on how the brutal treatment of overweight misfit Leonard 'Gomer Pyle' Lawrence (Vincent
D'Onofrio) results in his losing his sanity, after which, despite Joker's attempts to intervene, he
murders the drill instructor, and then kills himself.
The second part then takes place in Vietnam, now focusing on 'Joker', who is now a Sergeant,
and a Stars and Stripes war correspondent, as he covers the Tet Offensive. The 'Joker' soon
becomes familiar with both the horror and the absurdity of the war. His helmet decoration – the
slogan "Born to Kill" – and the Peace symbol pin on his uniform exemplify his moral ambiguity.
In one particularly comic scene Joker is confronted by an Marine Corps Colonel (Bruce Boa),
demanding to know why he has a peace symbol on his uniform and "Born To Kill" on his
helmet. Joker attempts to explain the duality of man theory postulated by Carl Jung which is
obviously lost on the blustering colonel.
The film concludes with the soldiers' ironic rendition of the theme song to the Mickey Mouse
Club. Other songs used in the film are "Hello Vietnam" and "Patriotic Full Metal Jacket Military
Cadence." The film's end credits are accompanied by The Rolling Stones "Paint It Black."
(www.wikipedia.com)
