The big homies on Patreon have given us Full Metal Jacket, a movie that was nothing I expected but enjoyed a lot! Patreon: / octokrool Twitter: / octokrool
R. Lee Ermey has said that his character was a terrible drill instructor, as a competent one would have recognized the warning signs Pyle was giving and gotten him out before something like that happened.
"You don't scare me. Work on it." I've been a Marine since 2004 and NO ONE talks about that line. It's hands down one of the most authentic moment to me, personally.
I was going to say everyone laughs at the warface and warcry but they would shit there pants with someone or a marine with a rage angry face screaming like they are going to kill you moments before and during the process of attack its very effective psychologically. Semper fi gents
Kubrick was usually an extreme control freak who insisted all the actors do exactly what he told them. But R. Lee Ermey, a real life former drill instructor, was so good at coming up with his own colorful insults that Kubrick mostly just let him do his thing for all those scenes. Apparently the tipping point was when Kubrick didn't understand the line "without the goddamn courtesy of a reach-around," and when Ermey explained it, simply replied "Do more of that."
If you check out the beginning of the book, The Short-Timers, much of the Sarge's rap is straight out the book, but some was indeed Ermey. Not that much tho.
Kubrick was what I'd call a mad genius. He was really good at getting into the characters' heads and showing the psychological effects the situations had on them.
Same. I watched this with my dormmates in college and we didn't know what reach around meant so we asked one of the gay guys on our floor. It was very enlightening and he thought it was hilarious that we didn't know.
@@porkfrog2785 This movie was actually made almost exactly like the book Sand in the Wind although got no credits because the actual writers of Full Metal Jacket and Sand in the Wind were both Marines who fought during TET and there time parralleled each other. I believe they went to court and maybe a settlement was reached.
It's called a blanket party. And yeah, it's as fucked up as it looks. They don't condone it anymore, if ever, but when I went through almost 30 yrs ago... It was a different time. Side note: I met gunny a number of years ago before he died, he couldn't have been more humble, soft spoken and kind. He was more interested in my military service than talking about his. He was a great man. RIP Gunny.
More than don't condone it. We sent two Reserve Marines to the DB at Leavenworth for holding a blanket party while they were on annual training. Got something like 10 years. They really messed up the guy who they thought was slacking off.
You have to keep in mind, in the mid to late 1960s Marine Corps boot camp was only eight weeks. It was particularly brutal because they had such a short time to prepare recruits for what they would deal with in Vietnam.
Tsogo Bauggi The difference is necessary, the first part is the Drill Sergeant doing what he can to make them capable of facing (and surviving) what they will be facing in Vietnam.
The book was written in three main parts. Part two and three was boiled down to part two of the movie, with a lot of characters mashed up from two or more from the book. As with most of Kubrick's movies, he wrote the script with the help of the original author. Too bad most books need to be simplified so much to make it into a good movie. But Kubrick usually did a great job with that too.
The same look on your face of laughing at what The drill instructor is saying and then the expression of horror seeing Private Pyle get choked is exactly how you feel in boot camp. That sudden realization that this is not a joke is shocking to experience.
@@bearculb7717 who cares soldiers don't fight in the United States army anymore we have drones robots and super weapons now we don't need stupid programmable humans anymore
Platoon is the greatest Vietnam war movie ever! Period. I don't understand why more reaction channels don't do it. It's also a great insight into the inner workings of an infantry platoon, being that it was based on Oliver Stone's own personal army experience.
nobody wears a bright red bandanna ,like sheen did, in combat. that was so bogus i could puke. platoon was not good, only authentic parts were the personalities under stress.
Let me fill you in on Marine boot camp. My platoon didn't really have any fat bodies, most of us were fitness guys or athletes. The physical part was tough, but nothing we couldn't handle. The REAL issue was the recruits mental toughness. A physically fit recruit who can't handle the stress of the DI's being in your grill all day and night will get himself, and other Marines in his unit killed. Combat is no joke, everyone will break at some point if left in the combat zone long enough, under constant fire and other factors. So if they can't handle bootcamp, they won't be able to handle the stress of combat, so the DI's "weed" out those who can't hack it right off the bat, and will be discharged out of the Corp.
I was going to explain that but I’m glad you did. Those who have never experienced military service will never understand the commitment of those who have. Semper Fi. 1993-1999 (Paris Island, 1st Battalion, Alfa co., Platoon 1077)
I went to boot camp in 1980 and we only had one fatbody. He ended up being sent to what they called the Pig Platoon, some sort of training platoon for people who needed to lose weight. He didn't rejoin our platoon until close to the end of boot camp and I swear to god he looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger by then. Totally fucking rock hard. We did have one nutbag who went AWOL while we were up at Pendleton, but everybody knew he was probably going to try. They basically told the firewatch to just let him go if they saw him get up in the middle of the night and that's what happened. They did eventually catch him a few weeks later up in Los Angeles wandering around, but we were all glad to be rid of him.
During the Viet Nam war the DI's didn't try to "weed" out those who coudn't hack it right off the bat, and few were discharged. They needed every man they could get and even relaxed the IQ minimum to get conscripts like Pyle. The DI's methods were intended to drive out the recruits' civilian mentality and and toughen all of them up. Towards the end of training the narator says that the DI's were proud to see the recruits growing beyond their control. If they couldn't shrug off the pressure of a DI's hazing, how would they handle VC who are killing them?
Ditto my time in the Navy. Some absolutely brilliant material, but when it was aimed anywhere near you....the heartrate started increasing more and more.
@@themidsouthcyclist8880 Though I have to say, one of the most terrifying things I seen in life was a small, black, female DI who was chewing on a male recruit who had a minor infraction. It was impressive.
Same. Lol nearly half a century later I still occasionally cadence my walk with 'A yellow bird, with a yellow bill..' hahaha. All these years later I still remember my senior drill instructor drill Sergeant Burleson and all the things we learned under his Fierce tutelage LOL
Called a blanket party for soldiers lagging behind in everything that could get a fellow soldier killed in combat. Soap bar doesn't leave a bruise. Great reaction!
Yeah, boot camp was rough on bearing. My brother went in a year before me(we both went in after high school in the early 90's). He gave me the best advice ever: 1. keep your eyes forward and focused on foreheads 2. Whatever you do, don't get yourself noticed for anything; be invisible. 3. Never laugh. Well, I failed miserably. Lol. But damn, it was a great time. I look back on it now and then, and I truly wish I could do it again. I even still remember the names of my DI's. Good times.
Welcome to the old military we all got pushed to the limits. We had soldiers do the same as scene in bathroom, have others try any different means to end their life because their limit was broke. My drill instructor slamed me against the wall. I went to Basic training 1986. You had to have a strong mentality
I know this doesn’t even matter. But my best friend lived in upstate New York and worked at target. Vincent D’Onofrio used to come in and shop with his kids. She worked the check out and said he was the nicest guy and just normal. 🤷🏽♀️ I thinks that’s cool.
I actually watched "Full Metal Jacket" for the first time with a group of around 20 other people the night before we all shipped to boot camp (August 2005 -- the height of the Iraq War). The day before you take the oath of enlistment and ship out, the US government puts you up in a hotel nearby the military processing station. And there was about 20 of us and we watched this movie in the hotel lobby or common room, whatever it was. We laughed our asses off at the first half, but at the same time, there was this pervasive thought of "oh sh*t, is this what boot camp is gonna be like tomorrow?" And yes, it is very accurate-- aside from the drill instructors beating the recruits, they can't do that, at least not anymore. Yea, this movie is not like most war movies. There's no real plot or "mission" that needs to be accomplished. It's more of a psychological character study of the dehumanization effects that war can have on the human psyche-- as we see what happens to Gomer Pyle in basic training. And then later in the second half, we see how actual combat can turn men into sociopathic monsters, like Animal Mother. Can you imagine what Animal Mother will be like when he reintegrates back into society?
I had the converse experience. On our liberty day before graduation, 1987 we reconvened, got marched to chow, marched back, and marched to the Depot theatre for a movie (Yay! More snacks! And a real movie!). Guess what the fuck was playing . . . We felt robbed. Would have killed to see Spaceballs, even Dirty Dancing, FFS. Classic Marine Corps dick move.
This movie was filmed entirely in London England, Kubrik didn't want to go to America to film so found locations around London all within 30 miles of his house. The barracks scenes were actually an army barracks in real life but the other scenes were dressed up to look like Vietnam. The final sniper scene was filmed at a disused gasworks which was due to be demolished, it used to be the largest gasworks in the world when it was established. That's why it was so convincing as the place was huge,and gave Kubrik alot of room to play with.
Everyone needs to see that movie just so they can get the millions of pop culture references they’ve been making for decades. Sometimes there are films that become such a part of our culture, that you NEED to see them just to be able to understand parodies and jokes for the rest of your life. This one, and casablanca for sure. Lol.
I was in the Army and my girlfriend and were watching this movie. I realized how some people,through no fault of their own,come from a completely different world when she asked,”How does that man keep his job acting like that?” I decided not to try to explain it
Of course. Boot camp is mostly a mental challenge. More so than a physical one. There are smart recruits too, but some are just dumbasses. Just like in life.
You also have to remember the time frame in which this move is set. During Vietnam the military had a short time frame in which to turn draftees into troops and since pain retains the drill instructors had a little more room to do their jobs including beating the shit out of recruits in some cases.
The crazy guy machine gunning people from the helicopter was originally cast to play the drill instructor. Lee Ermey was hired as a consultant to coach him to play the role (he was a former drill instructor) but Kubrick liked his work so much he decided to cast him in the role.
Drill instructors are usually pretty astute in figuring out who the weak link is and who wouldn't be able to hack it in the field. They make them the goat and try to drive them out by breaking them. Some people will get other's killed in the field because they either don't have the mental fortitude to operate under the extreme stress they are going to be facing or they just don't have the mentality to function in the military well enough to do their jobs. The DI's know they shouldn't be there. Most try to force them out instead of reverting them to another recruit platoon and making them the problem of someone else.
The bunny is what the Viet Cong used to call "Keep sake, lose hand". Booby traps were everywhere, and everyone was paranoid about them. You didn't dare touch anything.
I was in the USMC shortly after the Vietnam era. I can vouch that the Boot Camp part of the film is 100% accurate; including the “blanket party” beating that Pyle got. This movie always gives me nightmares.
Dudes! I love watching you guys. I lost my brother in 79 as a baby. When I see brothers in real life, it makes me wonder about what might have been. Take care of each other.
Watching civilians watch this movie vs veterans is so damn telling. Nothing against you guys but not having been through this and understanding the reason for all of it, leaves your commentary so amusing to those of us who have been through it. I actually enjoyed watching this. Especially the blanket party scene. As he said, he is there to weed out all those who can't hack it. If you can't handle this, combat will crumble you, and then people die and not just the weak link.
28:24 It was, Vincent D'Onofrio, he was also the sugar craving alien in an Edgar suit, in Men in Black. He gained a whole lot of weight to play Pyle. Matthew Modine was Joker, you'd remember him last as the police lieutenant in the Batman films. 29:42 It's not bullying, the army literally deconstructs you and reconstructs you as an automaton, a fighting machine. That's why Drill Sergeant's will tell you that you're useless, you're nothing, because they haven't moulded you yet.
Exactly. The harsh reality is words are not weapons. You're better off knowing the actual difference, which many seem to forget today. Much harder to defend yourself from a physical, potentially deadly threat than a verbal insult. Whole different ball game. They're trained to work as a unit and you're only as strong as the weakest link in the chain. You don't feel sorry for that person; you motivate them to reach their potential for the sake of themselves and others, even if it's not using a Disney level method.
Not the Army, not a "Drill Sergeant." This is about the Marine Corps, and they're called "Drill Instructors." And it is absolutely bullying, because it's *_necessary_* bullying. The enemy you need to be prepared for, and remember your training for, in the middle of chaos is a *_much_* bigger "bully".
I was in the US Navy during Vietnam. They didn’t yell at us quite as much as the Marines, but there was some of that. Our boot camp in San Diego was right next to the Marine boot camp and we could see them over the fence. I can remember thinking it’s bad here but thank God I’m not over there.
Full Metal Jacket is my favorite war movie. I love how the 2nd part is completely different from the beginning of the movie. I think it's intentional. And I love that. The mickey mouse song in the end is a beautiful scene. Loved your reaction.
The difference between the control and discipline of the first part, and the chaos and disorder of the actual war...is stark indeed. This is the genius of Kubrick :)
You both had the same response to this movie as I did the first time. The uncomfortable laughter leading to the inevitable psychological break of Pyle, to Joker's "murder face" with a kill shot on a child. You're both thoughtful people.
I have to admit, I found some of the shocked reactions to be almost as fun and funny as R. Lee Ermey as the Drill Instructor. Especially the blanket party part (Is that bar of soap a weapon?!) lol Yes, those things really did happen. I heard a few blanket parties take place while I was in Basic Training... the soldiers who received it didn't cry like a baby when it was over, though. They just rolled over and went back to sleep lol. One of the guys that got one was a guy that slept in the bunk next to mine, be was on the bottom bunk, I was on the top bunk, so the racket woke me up and I could see it happening. The next morning he (his last name was Rash, don't remember his first name), he was laughing about it. He said it didn't hurt, he was just pissed at being awakened at 2 or 3 am out of a sound sleep (sleep is always a precious thing in Basic Training).
The training needs to be worse than the real thing to washout those not mentally and physically tough enough. If you can't take bullying or name-calling, then you can't take an enemy who wants to kill you. Being nice to them does not do them any favours.
This has nothing to do with washing out people. This is about shaping people into what is needed, at any cost. No matter the consequences. No normal human being would go to a war. I mean they have to tell themselves some bullshit stories about defending their country to justify it to themselves.
R. Lee Ermey the Drill Instructor was an amazing guy. He got the role from a friend who he use to give shit too from what I heard. they were like "This guy was a staff sergeant in the marine corps. He can shit talk people into uncertainty." And he got the role even though rumors said he didn't wanna do it.
OctoKrool, enjoyed watching vid. with you. I joined U.S. Marine Corps 1963, Parris Island, honorable discharge 1967, Viet Nam 66-67. This movie was the closet made to what actual boot camp was like, while it seems harsh that training was what kept you performing in combat, you learn to make fear work for you along with the high level of discipline you were trained for. I was platoon sgt., 32 Marines in my platoon along with 1st lt. as platoon leader. It took me many years to speak about the war, I guess when in my mid 50's i was able to understand the guilt was not mine. Too many combat vets take on a sense of guilt, why them not me, could I have done something different? etc., etc. War is complexed, war is truly hell, take it from this 77 y.o. Marine, thank you guys, Ed.
First off, let me say that I loved you guys reaction to this masterpiece of a film. You guys are genuine and come off as having a real, actual reaction to what you are watching. It’s not fake, or forced. That being said..... I’m seeing a lot of soy. What you need to understand about the first part of the film is Kubrick wanted the viewer (you) to be in the shoes of the cadets. They where shoved into an extremely high stress situation. And it’s the drill instructors job to weed out those who cannot handle extreme stress. Private pile needed to be coddled and babied in order for him to learn. That is NOT what you would want fighting next to you in the trenches. The point of boot camp is to put you under stress to prepare you for war. The point Kubrick was making in the first part of this film is the stress of boot camp is NOTHING compared to the stress of actual combat. And if you can’t hack boot camp, then you have no place in war. Your only as strong as your weakness link. Soft, weak people like pile will get people killed in a fire fight. The United States marines can’t use gummie bears that need a softer teaching method. They need cold, hard killers. Warriors that can operate under extremely stressful situations. Kubrick masterfully illustrated that the war fighter needs to be a stone cold killer, and the marines are willing to push you past your limits to get you there.
I agree with everything you said. So much soy! I liked their reaction too, but they seemed more upset over way-cist words and bullying than the actual war stuff. Good times create weak men. We all know what comes next. Prepare yourself.
You didn't get the movie. In the first part Kubrick's point was to show the brainwashing and dehumanization that happens in the military. Other than the insults etc he literally praises terrorists just because they were marines and nonchalantly promises the recruits that they will eventually be able to do the same things. When Joker start teaching Pyle personally it serves to show that the method is wrong because he starts to improve only at that point (whether in real life this is good or not is beyond the intention of the movie). In the second part of the movie you see a lot of sick personalities who are the ones who came out of boot camp. Kubrick shows that they had no idea why they were in Vietnam but they were there having fun killing. This part of the movie is a collection of quotes from people whose ability to understand context is compromised. This movie was not an ode to the US Marines, as many former and current marines like to think. It was made to throw shit on the military in general.
@@andrewcrenshaw2904 Soy causes estrogen to rise in males. That's why the term "soy boys" is used for snowflake Liberal males who take perceived offense to others just like emotional girls do.
You completely didn't get it. The war was pointless and to cross that line into making people into soldiers destroys their humanity. In 9 out of 10 situations of life Pyle's sensitivity would have been an asset, but he got drafted and abused by the supposedly "christian" drill instructor to fight a pointless war that even the south Vietnamese didn't want. Yes of course once you do cross that line into war you want people who can hack it, but to go to war you have to assume a lot of things first. I think in your mind "soy" means not proscribing to the nationalist jingo pro-war bullshit taught in schools and promoted in most action/war movies. Wars mostly serve the rich classes interest and they have to promote a bunch of propaganda to get support for wars.
The little bit of the war this showed was during the Tet Offensive. The part at the end, that was in Hue City, toughest battle the Marine Corps fought in the entire war.
“what is your major malfunction, numbnuts” has been one of my favorite movie lines since i first saw this film at 12 years old. i still say it to this day 😃
You can never comprehend military training or war unless you've been there. That's why most military bonds are so strong. I am still friends with my battle buddies...30 years later.
No the events, people and even brutality of it all is well documented throughout time. I get experiencing it is far different than just observing but it's more than enough to form an opinion
IT's been nearly 20 years since I was in boot camp and this still gives me goosebumps. The Drill Instructor has to break down the civilian before they can build the Marine. I ran into my DI after Fallujah when I was leaving Iraq and he was just getting there. His voice alone got me to snap to. We laughed and then he asked me what the hell I did over here (in Iraq). Told him I kicked down doors in Fallujah. He smiled and said it was good to know one of his recruits did something worthy of the title of Marine. Besides marrying my wife and having our sons, getting my Eagle Globe and Anchor and proving myself as a Marine to the man who I thought would kill me was the greatest moments of my life.
I agree with you Mr.Brown. The logic of the process of boot camp is,if you can’t handle having a person messing with you all day and all night and possibly a little hit every now and then,how will you be able to handle being shot at? Seeing friends of yours injured and killed? Although when it was the weeks where we had live ammo and were throwing grenades,ect the drill sergeants were noticeably nicer 💯
This is one of my favorite war movies. Vietnam was no joke guys it's a war that many ppl feel it's was unjust. I'm an army brat both my parents were in the military and the levels of mentality in basic training is no joke. Hear this from my parents
FMJ was one of the first films that made me realised how horrendous war would be. It definitely wouldn't be allowed these days, it hits too close to the mark and doesn't glorify war enough. It horrified me as a teenager but I intend to make my nephew watch it along with other war films that at least give a glimpse into the truly awful s##t that goes on during war.
This and Saving Private Ryan set the standard. Now you can't make a war movie without making it this real. It would get laughed out of the theatres, so I'm kinda surprised you said, "It definitely wouldn't be allowed these days". It is more than allowed, it is demanded.
I recommend the movie "Come And See" directed by Soviet filmmaker Elem Klimov. It shows the war highly accurate and drastic from eastern europe perspective through the eyes of two children.
Stanley Kubrick is one of my all time favorites. I know this movie scene for scene , damn near word for word lol. 1st time I saw it I was a kid, never forgot it. Back when cable was still new. HBO only showed Rated R film "Only at night". Watching your reactions brought memories for me. 👍🏽
love your reactions, i heard that the draft had instructors rush basic, they had less time to teach. on band of brothers, they were elite because they had more time. Ermey, i heard checked on who survived from his grads. it must have been tough to read those names.
Despite how some might defend the severity of the training, the drill instructor here clearly failed. Other people who have had experience with such things, including other drill instructors have analyzed his performance, and they claim he seriously failed as a teacher. He failed to recognize the signs that Private Pyle was going to break, and he should have been removed beforehand. His methods were too severe.
One of the things I love about this film is how it's shot. The scenes in the city has so much depth that you don't usually see in movies, especially war films. When 8-Ball jumped over the wall and ran 100 yards (or whatever) away from the scene it just made it look so real. It doesn't look like a movie.
The negatives are competing channels with fake accounts. They could at least be creative, especially since they spent the time to come over and comment...
The actor who was the crazy door gunner was actually set to play the drill instructor. There's a video out there, an interview I think, that details how this guy was often trying to save his yelling voice during rehearsals. Plus I think there was some other bad luck. Lee Ermey managed to come in as a consultant and impress Kubrick enough with his DI yelling and dialogue that Kubrick handed the role to Ermey. No doubt Ermey played the role brilliantly, but the other actor had some bad luck. That said, there are times Kubrick made last minute changes to his movies that turned out to be brilliant moves. Kubrick was a genius.
I know that you guys mean well but listening to you; you have no idea how war or the military works. With your level of knowledge now, you criticize the Marine Corps recruit training process, but based on your remarks and reaction, you wouldn't make very good Marines nor Soldiers. Based on your viewpoints, you would surely get lots of Marines killed. Men and Women such as those have been serving and protecting us for thousands of years. We should show a bit more appreciation. Just because you don't understand certain aspect of their training and leadership operations, doesn't mean it not right, necessary or important. Durning recruit training many times, there will always be Pvt. Pyle. We had one in my class; but he made it through bootcamp training. Drill Instructors are well trained, everything they do is planned out and follows SOP. If a person can't follow the rules or learn the ways of becoming/being a Marine or Soldier, there are several way they can say this is not for me and get released from the Corps. They really don't have to stay there if they feel it's not for them.
I bet the people in Iraq love the American military as much as you do. But who am I kidding? It's not like you have the capacity to sympathise with other cultures.
"That's very kind of him," helping Pyle. No, it isn't. Joker was made squad leader, and he's smart enough to know that not helping Pyle will incur Hartman's wrath.
The scene where the private was beaten in his bed by the other troops shows what actually happens. It happened to someone when I was in basic training in the Army. It was called a "blanket party" when I was in the service.
You guy just don't understand the military or Marine Corps. The actor portraying the Sr. Drill Sgt. is actually a real Marine/Drill Sergeant, prior to acting. Also, prior to the late 1970s Drill Sergeants were pretty much like that. However somewhere around the late 70s Congress and the military things changed. America switched to an all voluntary military.
Come and See is the best war movie ever imo, but also the most horrifying. The recommendation must come with a warning that it shows the worst aspects of war.
I'm a person of color. I think you can ABSOLUTELY make this movie now with slurs and all. And I agree you can use the slurs when it's realistic for the time period. I think what you can't make is movies where you present the slurs and oppression as good and acceptable, which is how many older movies did. For example, there's classic movies of the past where they are rampant with approval and acceptance of homophobia, slurring gay people, making fun of people. In the past nobody batted an eye and it was presented as it was acceptable. I think you can't do that now. If the character is supposed to, for example, be a homophobe, well then it fits the story. But I don't think you could do what was done in the past and have the character who is supposed to be the good guy dishing out slurs and homophobia etc and have it viewed as an acceptable story. Another prime example is a scene from, I think think think the first James Bond movie, Dr. No, where he slaps a woman that is hysterical. Like you couldn't do that now. You can't have a modernJames Bond beating women, or presenting a narrative that the acceptable response to a crying woman is to beat her. That wouldn't fly today.
It's easy to see Gunny Hartman as an evil prick in FMJ. Most non marines don't see the bigger picture. The drill instructor has to maintain a very rigid training tempo. He's got a very short time to turn these kids into hardcore devildogs. And in kubricks movie, he aptly highlighted the horrors they were being prepared for. Another thing that most non marines have a hard time visualizing, are the horrors that a marine rifleman is exposed to while fighting a war. The Corps does not bend to you, you bend to the corps. You accept that your life is going to be hard, you accept that you signed a blank check, for an amount up to and including, YOUR ASS. If you aint packin the gear to be a marine? You need to accept it and pop smoke and save everybody the trouble of tagging your bodybag or the bodybags of the people they get whacked. Its a dirty business my friends. It aint for everybody. And marines didnt draft people during vietnam. Guys would get drafted into the army and THEN join the marines, like my dad, but you gotta want to be a marine. I tell everybody who is considering it "Its gotta be in your heart to do, or you may not do so well." Once some of these guys see the intensity of being a marine, they just wanna move to the woods and live with bambi an shit. Lol. Best wishes gents. Semper fi.
