The curse about having streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu is that there’s almost too many things to watch.

We’ve all had our own personal staring contest with the TV screen, searching for hours to find that one perfect movie, only to watch an episode of “The Office” for the fifth time.

But every once in a while you find that forgotten classic amongst a sea of anime and stand up specials. “Full Metal Jacket” is one of those films.

Legendary director Stanley Kubrick first came out with his spin on the Vietnam War, “Full Metal Jacket,” in 1987. The movie was met with mixed reviews, critiquing the fact that the infamous “boot camp” portion was much more powerful than the second half of the movie.

However, his film is a cinematic masterpiece, with phenomenal performances from Vincent D’Onofrio and R. Lee Ermey, which makes it one of the most compelling Vietnam movies ever made.

  “Full Metal Jacket” tells the story of James T. Davis (Modine), nicknamed “Private Joker” in the first scene of the film. The movie is about his experience as a new recruit in the Marine Corps, with the first half taking place in basic training. 

This is where most of the praise is given because of the relationship between Davis’ basic training companion, Private Leonard “Gomer Pyle” Lawrence (D’Onofrio), and their drill sergeant, Sergeant Hartman (Ermey).

What makes the first half so compelling is the evolution of the new recruit class of which Davis and Pyle are a part. Over the course of the first half, we see this group of 50 or so men go from complete strangers to brothers in arms, bonding over their hatred of Pyle.

About halfway through the first half, Hartman grows tired of Pyle constantly messing up and decides that instead of punishing Pyle after every time he messes up, he is going to punish everyone but Pyle. Davis is appointed Pyle’s personal helper.

He does his best to correct Pyle’s bad habits and turns him into a competent solider. However, this doesn’t exactly go as planned as Pyle is still a goof and the group is still punished. This is where they start to bond due to the one person they all hate, Pyle.

This speaks on one of the major themes of the first half and of the military, which forms a mob mentality over a common enemy.

Following basic training is Davis’ actual experience in the war. Critics of the film often point to this section of the film as the “Achilles heel,” when it is in fact a compelling portion.

What “Full Metal Jacket” addresses in this part is overlooked in other Vietnam films. It addresses the whole “war is hell” angle that other famed Vietnam movies like “Apocalypse Now” and “Platoon” address, but it also shines light on civilian casualties, prostitution, and mortality – themes that other war films failed to fully contemplate.

The real stars of this film are Vincent D’Onofrio and R. Lee Ermey. D’Onofrio plays the clumsy, dysfunctional recruit, Pyle, while Ermey plays a hardened drill instructor. Their character dynamics are a key staple in the first half of the film without it seeming overbearing, and their schtick never gets old. Kubrick, who was known to be a perfectionist and often took hundreds of takes for each scene, never took more than three or four takes whenever these two were in a scene together.

It is a Kubrick film, so it is stylized, but it isn’t hard to enjoy if you aren’t familiar with his other films. The colors in this film are by no means flashy or bright, but the help set the tone for the theme of the movie.

It is very hard to talk about the different plot points in this film without spoiling the entire picture. However, some of the scenes feel like they are only there to fill time, particularly in the latter half of the film.

While it isn’t perfect, and is by no means Kubrick’s best, “Full Metal Jacket” is still one of the best Vietnam films out there. Its pros outweigh the cons tenfold, and if you have a couple hours to kill and want to watch a great film, look no further.