They disagreed on on Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket”. Gene thinks it’s brilliant, and Roger thought it had flashes of brilliance but was on overall disappointment.
Don't know about Full Metal Jacket specifically, but I do know, that Roger Ebert would often change his mind about movies, that he just didn't "get" initially years after reviewing them and admit, that he was wrong. I can respect him for that.
@@Bradgilliswhammyman today yeah but not in old times like the Vietnam era. It was beyond brutal and verbal , mental , and physical abuse were used to the mass extreme to determine who stayed in and who was kicked out. The last 35 years the military has pretty much went soft by banning all 3 from being used. Only thing that's allowed is yelling.
@@coldarmy2926 Went to Parris Island 1975. First we were told they weren't allowed to hit us or curse us. Then we got our regular DIs & they beat the crap out of us one at a time & called us everything they could dream up from then on;) They broke my glasses on the first day & I couldn't see sh!t for the first month.
I don't believe Ebert was saying the movie didn't depict real combat,or that it wasn't realistic. He was saying it's depiction of combat was cliche. I don't happen to agree, and certainly feel the same way Siskel did, but I don't know that Ebert's review was clueless.
@@jeffcanar7294 I think it's safe to say that this film was way above Roger Ebert's head... He seems to be almost obsessed with Platoon, which is a COMPLETELY different movie. While watcing Full Metal Jacket, I get the acute sense that every single scene has a real purpose, usually causing the viewer to think "what are we really doing here guys?" Platoon is just a entertainng war movie, it has great charachters, but really not much depth.
No doubt. By the time I went through Navy boot camp in 1987, the company commanders (the Navy term for what the Marines call drill instructors) weren't allowed to hit anyone or make any racial slurs, but all else that you see R. Lee Ermey put his men through in the movie is 100% authentic, right down to him getting mere inches away from his recruits' faces to scream at them. You learn to master the art of becoming an expert stoic in that situation...no laughing, no crying, not even moving your eyes when something happens that makes a commotion while standing in ranks, as with the one rather funny occasion when we were being inspected and one of our guys passed out from having locked his knees and collapsed onto the tile deck. Not one of the 80+ of us standing at attention so much as moved an eyeball, only knowing that he had gotten back after a minute when we could hear him slowly and (we assumed) sheepishly got back up onto his feet and right back at attention. True story
My dad is a career Marine and Iwo Jima vet, still kicking, and he hates the boot camp sequence because the sucker-punching and choking was illegal even in the "good old days". I think more modern vets who approve are responding to the way it conveys the atmosphere of total intimidation and control.
John Reece Well of course it's true that corporal punishment has always been a big no no, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Hell, when I went through Marine bootcamp in the early Nineties, a couple of my friends got smacked around a little.
I think the fat guy got triggered because the seargant picked in the fat guy in the movie. He's probably thinking about the line, "I'll bet you could suck a golf ball through a garden hose" the whole time he was giving his stupid review.
It’s an amazing film, but it’s nothing Stanley Kubrick didn’t already technically do in his previous movies. But Kubrick’s skills were in still in a class all by themselves even in his later years.
For the most part, yes! I agree.. for the most part. The part that I have a definite problem with, was the part where Gunnery Sergeant Hartman is talking to the recruits outdoors, as they sit on the Bleachers, and gives them two of the absolute worst examples of Sniper Accuracy that I've ever heard in my life! He talks about Charles Whitman, that killed innocent victims in the 1960s, by shooting them from the top of a building...and was hitting and killing at least some of them from a mile away. Then, of course, we hear him talk about Lee Harvey Oswald, who supposedly shot and killed President Kennedy from behind, firing 3 rounds in only 6 seconds, hitting President Kennedy with two of those rounds. One:As I said, these are two of the worst examples that he could've given those young recruits, because that's trying to make bad guys look like heroes! Two: The fatal shot that killed President Kennedy came from in front, and slightly to the right, of President Kennedy, who at that point was a sitting duck! As for the Warren Commission Report, it was full of lies and errors from start to finish! They tried to get the American Public to believe that one bullet did all the damage to President Kennedy and Governor John Connelly. As we say in the South: That dog don't hunt!
Have you ever seen Boys in Company C? Lee was in the Philippines taking acting classes and was cast as a junior DI. He was so much better than the other actor he was "promoted" and that helped him be cast in FMJ.
Don't know about Full Metal Jacket specifically, but I do know, that Roger Ebert would often change his mind about movies, that he just didn't "get" initially years after reviewing them and admit, that he was wrong. I can respect him for that.
Ebert was right that platoon was a better movie in most ways, more emotional with a better pay off. I love both movies but I often wonder what would have happened if FMJ had come out before Platoon.
a lot of the dark, ugly humor seemed to go right over ebert's head. all of the things he doesn't like are what make the movie great. he's looking for the classic cliche' war movie about war, and this movie is more about the other ugly stuff that goes with it, and less about the cliche' war stuff. he has it almost exactly backwards.
regardless of who likes or didn’t like the movie in the review, I miss such real and passionate reviews on television. There are some great RU-vidrs who do great reviews but nobody does such great debate better thank Siskel and Ebert
At times they disagreed...badly! Then, there were those times when they fully agreed with each other. Sometimes, the agreeing was basically...and at times, it was 100%! Any way that you slice it, it was still fun to watch... especially when they both got it wrong...or right!
kyokogodai lol! I love that whole scene in the movie! This movie came when was in the 1st or second grade and remember watching for time at the movies where my sister worked she was 16 she use take to work with i got to watch movies all day until she got off from work! And this is one of the movies i picked that day as a little kid and loved it and still do, that scene even as a little kid at the time made crack up laughing! Lol!
This is accurate. I don't like Platoon much, but I understand why it is beloved. FMJ is one of my favorite movies. That it in itself shows how they are completely different.
Spot on. But FMJ and Platoon are great, but they're really different types of movies. It's like comparing Interstellar and Gravity just because they both take place in space.
Agreed. Platoon is a moral fable about choosing between two father figures representing opposed moralities. It uses the Vietnam War as a backdrop. It’s well told and resolves itself nicely. It’s complete. FMJ is incomplete by design. It ends abruptly without a movie-style resolution (although it certainly has a culmination with the sniper, it doesn’t tell us what to do with it). The abrupt ending is foreshadowed by Leonard’s death. Leonard’s life is cut short. The movie is cut short. Real life doesn’t contain a 3rd act and neither does war. I dunno, I think that’s pretty genius. The culmination of the drama doesn’t feel like a resolution. The coda of the march back doesn’t help resolve what we think or feel about what Joker did.
This was released while I was doing my 3rd year in the Corps. This was so close to what Parris Island was I could smell the pine sol and brackish water. You learn to fear that drill instructor until one day you realize you respect the hell out of that man. You’ll remember him the rest of your life. Semper fu€king Fi!!!
"Semper fucking fi!!!" ? You also punch your gunny in the face for not respecting you? If everyone on who claimed to be military online was telling the truth you could build the Tower of Babel with DD214's
That's cuz he was at another level. It probably frustrated many a critic and movie goer not getting what they had just seen, or what its point was. Then they find out the movie is sinking into their brain slowly, and before they know it, they can't get its scenes out of their heads. Kubrick was a master.
Eric Wesson very true! I like his movies because every time I rewatch them, any of them, I get a different experience. Sometimes it’s a deeper experience or I get a different take on a scene. Kubrick is a master.
Eric Wesson , I will definitely check out that channel. Ever since I saw that Room 237 documentary about The Shining I was on a mission to study Kubrick’s films. I always enjoyed them even as teen and in my twenties but now I’m older and studying them is so rewarding.
I think they are both great-but as one of the critics pointed out one was shot in the stinking hot jungle and one was shot in an urban wasteland. So that produces a different way of looking at it. Either way, war is hell no matter where.
Durins Bane Actually FMJ was shot in cold England in a 6-7 story warehouse district, when Hue was a 1-2 story tropical hot city. Kubrick was too lazy to get himself to Asia to make it realistic. Platoon is about the Vietnam War, FMJ is more of an action movie. Kubrick didn't even have an ending planned hence the dumb mickey mouse ending. Ermey was so disappointed in Kubrick's depiction he made his own nam flick: Siege Of Firebase Gloria
I have to respectfully disagree. The second half and the depiction of the Marines is, despite the "action", a more subtle, but equally strong. 5 stars on both sides.
I'm an Army veteran. And my entire company saw this movie in basic training. Obviously these civilians have no clue. This movie is and was an instant classic. And became a cult classic due to R.Lee Ermy's performance.
@@residentgomez I was in Marine boot camp in 1998. We watched a movie in the base theater on thanksgiving, we watched Full Metal Jacket in the squad bay on Christmas.
I think you're wrong lots of great scenes and the second part , maybe after you eat the peanuts out of my shi-it, get some get some, this is a fine example of Louisiana black snake and it ain't too goddamn booku, is that a piece button on uniform and I guess you didn't hear the word the bird is the word baba baba baba baba baba baba baba baba baba baba baba baba baba bubba bubba bubba bubba bubba bubba
He has his your opinions you have yours... anyone who disagrees with you could say the exact same back. I for one loved it but don't take it to heart if he doesn't
I love his point of view when he doesn’t like a movie I love. But it sucks that he compared FMJ to Platoon. Two totally different statements on the military and the nature of war.
It should be understood that most Kubrick movies required a solid 15 years to age, like a fine wine. Personally, I’m a huge Kubrick fan and love everything he ever made.
When a reporter asked Kubrick if he was concerned about FMJ coming out at the same time as Platoon, he said something like 'Why should I be concerned? Platoon is a Hollywood war picture. If it was made 20 years ago it would have starred John Wayne and Frankie Avalon. No, I'm not concerned at all.'
Leftist narrative ? What are you talking about ? Or do you just love the fact that you know two big words so you like the throw them out when every you get a chance? Stone was in Nam so I guess he knows what it was like. How was the movie leftist?
Kubrick is a great director but that statement is asinine. Platoon would never have starred John Wayne . John Wayne would not have been in a war movie that portrayed the real attitudes and real abuses of the soldiers . He was very right wing and would not have touched Platoon . Interestingly Kubrick actually did asked Wayne to play the part of the B52 pilot in Dr. Strangelove but he turned the part down because he saw the film as "pinko." So it's rather odd that he would imply in a disparaging manner that Stone would do what he actually did do....Platoon is a superior film. The first half of FMJ is good but the second half is week
Tommy Haynes There is nothing superior about Platoon. At the very basic craft of film making, FMJ hovers above it. FMJ's Vietnam scenes are dirty, lived in, run down, and war scarred. The Marines in standard combat gear look disheveled and weary. Platoon's soldiers dressed in rag tag gear sometimes look as clean as if they are wearing inspection ready uniforms. The dialog is also theater stage level dramatic in Platoon. I know every moment that these are actors. FMJ's characters sell me as real troops. It's infinitely more immersive.
I've always respected Gene and Roger's ability to argue their points, even if I don't agree with them. The hilarious thing is immediately after this, Roger disagrees with Gene again and gives a thumbs up to Benji the Hunted. Gene looked like he was ready to leap out of his chair and strangle him.
Lol have u seen the home alone 3 review? Ebert said Home Alone 3 was 10,000 league's better than the ironic Home alone 1 &2 . Gene was so dumbfounded, as well as most of us were , he ended up speechless and wanted to walk out of the review.
Nothing. Maybe you confuse motion pictures with reality? Why exactly did you go ad hominem directly when discussing the qualities of movies? Because I do not like a movie you like? Geez. You like Platoon. I think it didn't age well and is very 1980s. What's your point with my "war experience"? So I can't have an opinion about Star Wars because I never fought for the rebellion?
@@OliverJWeber obviously, you need to re-watch platoon; If someone said "hasta la Vista baby" while discussing Terminator 2 you wouldn´t be a literal-jim about it.
I’m stunned at Ebert’s reaction to this movie. I wasn’t in the Marines, but I was in the Army and I can tell you - we were terrified of our drill instructors. Nowhere near as bad as FMJ, but pure fear nonetheless. Outstanding film.
Having rewatched both movies recently and having not seen Platoon in 16 years I have to agree that Full Metal Jacket is the better film. It is far more memorable. The first half just never leaves your mind thanks to Eremy and Vincent D'Onofrio. And while the second half suffers in comparison it is still strong. Platoon is excellent and had great acting as well as great war sequences but I agree with Siskel comparing the two is apples and oranges. Both films were made by acclaimed filmmakers and were both about Vietnam but otherwise they really have nothing in common. Platoon was about the Army and a civil war against members of the Platoon whereas Full Metal Jacket was about the transformation of turning Marines into warriors and the result of that. Platoon is great but you dont remember much about it after watching it. FMJ on the other hand is far more memorable.
Platoon has a satisfying resolution. It wraps itself up. It has a prepackaged message. FMJ is unsatisfying and feels incomplete-and that’s its genius. It’s what gives it its staying power. Think back to when you watched it and it ended. Was your first reaction, “Wait, is that it?” Ebert is correct that Kubrick used standard tropes of war movies, but then Kubrick turned them upside down, defying our expectations. I’m surprised Rodger didn’t examine why he didn’t like the movie, why he found it dissatisfying.
@@plasticweapon Yeah, OP is insane by saying FMJ is "FAR MORE memorable" and that nobody remembers Platoon after watching it lol. That's just bullshit, to be honest.
@@MarcosElMalo2 Platoon is a complete mess, and it's just a generic Hollywood war movie with stock characters you've seen before. And I never felt like the main characters were really in peril, because they were always running around out in the open and surviving, which really takes away any tension and is not convincing. Full Metal Jacket is a complete contrast, where everything is far more believable and convincing. There's no character surviving running out in the open in that movie.
Ebert couldn’t have been more wrong. This movie has stood the test of time. My friends and I quote from it all the time and have done, for over 20 years.
I think a movie like Caddy Shack is different because it’s a screwball comedy and humor changes between generations. Contemporary 20 year olds find Caddy Shack agonizing but I guarantee most would respond to Full Metal Jacket as audiences did back in the 80s. The themes explored are still important today and that’s the key to standing the test of time
mitch cumstein He actually improvised a lot of his dialogue. Ermey was originally hired to train the actors and keep the film true to life, but Kubrick was so impressed with Ermey's colorful persona that he became part of the film.
Ebert did a better job of explaining his disappointment with the film in his written review. He wrote that in its second act, "the movie disintegrates into a series of self-contained set pieces, none of them quite satisfying.” He acknowledged the great performances of Ermey and D’Onofrio, but said that was part of the problem with the film-that it “never recovers after they leave the scene." I’d have to agree. Modine did well, but Ermey and D’Onofrio’s performances were indelible.
Man, that line when the Lieutenant was trying to have his people come up with news that was fit to print, only to be disrespected by Pfc. Joker. That Lieutenant set him straight, right then and there! Then, he really got steamed at Joker! Lieutenant:"Joker! You're still here?!? Leave, most Ricky-Tick, and take Rafterman with you! You're responsible for him"!!! Good call for the Lieutenant right there. He took care of the problem (Joker), once and for all!!!
@@khav11 Sounds like Ol' Joker is struggling with reality here. GySgt. Hartman set him straight quick, fast, & in a hurry! Gunny Hartman didn't have time to put up with a bunch of nonsense.
Are you drunk? Platoon made for TV? Which parts? the rapings, the murders, the drugs, the racism, the constant swearing? FMJ was an action film, Platoon is the greatest war movie ever.
"blood and guts"? Riiight, I bet you loved batman vs Superman. Platoon is what's real; fraggings (if you know what that means) rapings, drugs, racism, etc... But oh wait they play some classical music in it. It must be a soap opera! FMJ is a mess of an action flick
You know there is more to a great war movie than just "blood and guts" If hollywood-action-horror-gore is all that mattered go watch that chick flick/horror movie "hacksaw ridge" for kicks.
Meh. I thought the second half was boring, unmemorable and looked kind of fake. Other than the great scenes with R. Lee and Donofrio I thought the movie paled in comparison to Platoon and Saving Private Ryan.
I was almost always online with Siskel, Ebert always had a bit more of a stuck up, over-analyzed look on things. When Cowboy got shot, I was just floored...that guy came up throughout the whole film, going through Basic, then all the guys go their separate ways, then suddenly we're reunited, you see him play soldier, then he's in charge by consequence, and then boom...the sniper clips him through a hole in the wall of all things...he's down, and he tries to tough it out, but his body just gives up and then you see Joker go into revenge-mode...The Marine takes over and the ending, wow, that creepy industrial score, the hunt, the visuals, the drama and the outro narration.... it's just brilliant.
I watch platoon once and never had the desire to see it again. Full Metal Jacket is Iconic and entertaining while still making its point. An all-time favorite.
I saw Platoon in the theater, thought it was amazing but oddly I have never felt the urge to watch it again (now nearly 35 years later and I still feel that way). FMJ I can watch again and again.
Yeah, the problem with FMJ was the timing in which it was released. Just a couple years earlier, Platoon was reaping huge acclaim and quickly becoming the next great Vietnam war movie after Apocolypse Now. FMJ was just one movie too much about Vietnam at the time, and the critics just couldn't agree that it was great, because it would appear to be critics just loving any war movie about Vietnam at the time. The '80s had tons of movies about Vietnam, and this was just lumped in with some of them at the time. However, as time passed, it really separated itself from the pack and became a much-loved movie based on what veterans themselves thought was the most accurate depiction of boot camp they'd ever seen in a movie. So it was the actual veterans that changed the minds of most critics about the movie years later.
I, personally, didn't care for Platoon. Saw it once. That was enough for me. I can't remember one line from the whole movie. Full Metal Jacket, I can watch again and again.
@chris younts Sheen was alright. I just didn't care for the movie. Modine wouldn't have been my first choice but overall I thought the movie was better.
Exactly, Platoon is a dim memory. FMJ is a classic. I can remember dozens of lines. Every expression and delivery of those lines. This movie is 10 times better than Platoon every thought about being.
It did feel pandering and ponderous. Films that try too hard to eek out sentiment instead of just letting the viewer get lost in the movie and decide for themselves. Like Kubrick does.
@@motorpsykler If I remember right, that was "Bunny" talking to Taylor, about the way he just killed that Vietnamese dude. That was definitely a kill that never should've happened. That poor guy didn't understand a word of English. Bunny was merciless to that poor guy...no mercy was shown to Bunny's victim at all.
Sorry Roger, I WENT thru basic training at Parris Island in 1972 and the first half of this movie is the closest you're ever going to get to the real thing without going back in time and enlisting and experiencing it for yourself and every Marine I've talked to has said the same thing. It was so real because Lee Ermy WAS a real Vietnam vet and USMC drill instructor. IT WAS THE REAL THING!! I know, I was there!!
Without Gunny it would have been mediocre. The first part of the movie is interesting as hell, then once they go to the Viet Nam scenes, I kind of lose interest. I think Platoon is a better film really.
@@richardbuse228 I disagree, the shock factor from the first act carries over to the Vietnam act as most of the characters in that act are basically reflections of the characters from the first act. Animal Mother's basically Private Pyle if his mind only cracked a little and he didn't kill himself as an example.
I personally like both movies equally...but that's just me talking. Not being disrespectful of your opinion, or anything like that... just evoking an opinion....
@@buzzytrombone4353 That, my friend, is an excellent point! Gotta say, though...Gunny Hartman pushed Pvt. Lawrence (Gomer Pyle), way too hard...and paid the price for it, with a bullet straight through his heart!
I saw FMJ and Platoon when they were new. Years later I can vividly remember many scenes from FMJ, but very little of Platoon. I liked Platoon at the time, but honest to God, it doesn't have the sticking power of FMJ.
Ebert so conceitedly dissing Full Metal Jacket came off sounding like a total head case. But then, this is the same guy who reviewed Scarface without ever once mentioning the pivotal, wonderfully played role of Paul Shenar as Alejandro Sosa.
While Platoon was Stone's view of the war Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket is really about young men being turned into killing machines which is really what the end of movie is about with the soldiers singing Mickey Mouse Club while Joker has his voice over. Kubrick was interested in something deeper and much darker than Stone when he made his movie. (Side note Path of Glory is Kubrick's anti-war movie).
Shows what a hack oliver stone was.. Kubrick had no military experience and Oliver Stone was actually a Vietnam vet but oliver stone's platoon is flaccid
@@stephennootens916 I will allow your opinion to stand however I watched platoon recently and it seems sappy, unnecessarily patriotic and the acting is not sincere. As you can see by other comments, platoon is scorned by vets.
Full Metal Jacket was an emotional, conscientious ride. It stays with you long afterward. Kubrick knew how to craft essential timeless iconic scenes and moments.
Having served in the U.S. Marines and spent 13 weeks at Parris Island SC, R. Lee Ermy's depiction of a Marine Corps Drill Instructor was as close to being there as it gets and the film was brilliant, though boot camp Platoons usually had 3 or 4 DI's, not just 1...... Semper Fi
What was disturbing to me, was the fact that the Sniper that they were up against, was a young lady, of all things! Then, after they find her and shoot her, she's laying there, mortally wounded, begging for them to kill her. That was such a tragic scene in that movie! I couldn't even hit a Woman, let alone kill her. I was raised with better manners than that, and yet...I don't know what I would have done, given the situation at hand. I probably would've gone against "Proper protocol", and at least have had enough mercy to, if she'd allow me, to hold her, and comfort her until she died, even if she could've even pulled out a weapon, and killed me for being an "Enemy"! I just don't have it in me to hurt a Woman-Ever!
@@ronaldshank7589 guess why drill camp's job is to break somebody down and build them back up? To get such stuff out. By doing what you said you might do, you endanger not only yourself, but also the rest of your squad and potentially a mission and civilians.
@@undertakernumberone1 True, that’s the why. Joker would have wasted the sniper right off if his gun hadn’t jammed. Rafter man shot her without hesitation. But when it came down to killing her, a young girl, it was a heavy moment. It’s the culmination when Joker pulls the trigger. Even to put her out of her misery (she was begging them to kill her), that act would stay with anyone for the rest of their lives. And I think it stays with us, the viewers. The desensitizing one receives allows one to act quickly and ruthlessly. But it doesn’t stop you from being human. It doesn’t stop you from feeling and thinking afterwards.
R Lee Ermey wasn't acting. As a former SDI he was just doing his old job on camera and he did it spot on! He so dominated that role that you don't notice that the other DIs are rarely seen and never say a word.
Because I don't have that much of a decent life- 'Siskel & Ebert' as a program was as though it was nearly a myriad of different things to me. This time that I write a lauding post is how the show has me feeling like how the two were our best friends in our teens together- and they f-ing give very intelligent, very cool and food-for-thought conversations on EPIC films! RIP to the both of them! :.)
Roger Ebert doesn’t deserve any of the reputation he received, the reputation of being the greatest reviewer Siskel on the other hand, clearly has a open mind and actually loves movies
I understand your sentiment, but I think that Ebert proved his love his movies over and over again. I will forever give Ebert credit for RAVING about "Boogie Nights," naming it as one of his 10 best films of the year, while Siskel could only compliment the (great) casting. Ebert was right on the mark with "Boogie Nights"--I agree!!!
I fully agree with you on that! A recruit needs to be strong not only physically, but mentally, too. Pvt. Lawrence (Gomer Pyle), wasn't strong enough, mentally and emotionally, and cracked like an egg under pressure! Gunny Hartman just didn't know when to stop egging this guy on...and paid the price for his bullying, with a bullet straight through his heart!
My Dad took me to see FMJ when it came out about a month before I joined the Army. He leaned over to me after the Drill Sgt punched Joker and said "Theyre not supposed to do that but they do. This is how it is." The 18yo me was like "oh -hit! What have I gotten myself into" Good times.
Yeah they haven't beat on recruits since Vietnam. Isolated incidents surely happen but if found out the DIs face stiff consequences. Army 84-87 and Marines 88-92. Semper Fi.
@@blondknight99 I went in at 17. Did Basic at Ft Sill in 84 and it wasn't too cushy back then. It was actually comparable to Boot Camp, just about 5 weeks shorter. It definitely primed me for the Marines and I loved my time in both branches. And yes, I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. Semper Fi.
na lol Ebert had it right.. ebert was the best.. siskel was always so clueless.. i mean he gave 'thumbs down' to predator, casino, the crow, dark city, boogie nights.. etc
@@junkymcjunkster It's odd because it captures the stress and fatigue of boot camp even though most of the things that are in the movie can't (shouldn't) be done anymore.
I agree with many others that the boot camp scenes and particularly those involving the the DI are remarkable. It is very close to the way it was (except Paris Island is hot as hell). The people in charge of that part of the movie must have first hand knowledge of the Corp. They got boot camp right or at least how it was in 1967 when I went thru. The second half of the movie must be how some Hollywood screen writer, who never got close to combat, thought it was. The combat scenes from Platoon were much more realistic as was the depiction of the grunts.
The first time I watched FMJ was with 5 marines when I was 10 years old. I watched it dozens of time growing up. When I was 20 I saw it in Brussels. They laughed so hard at the cannibals up the Congo joke so hard. Just go to sho how movies hit different based on your experience.
Man I forgot how great this show was. I love Ebert but on this Siskel was completely on point. Both really gifted writers and critics the likes of which we won’t see again. Alas
I see what Ebert means though. The film does drop off significantly in the 2nd half. I sort of get what he means also about the shots/sniper scenario being done before. Still a great movie. I think Ebert loved The Shining so much that this movie ended up disappointing unrealistic expectations. I'm guessing he was kinder in his review of Eyes Wide Shut
Don't know about Full Metal Jacket specifically, but I do know, that Roger Ebert would often change his mind about movies, that he just didn't "get" initially years after reviewing them and admit, that he was wrong. I can respect him for that.
This movie ages like wine,,, I’ve never been in the military but I’ve never seen a film on war (particularly Vietnam) that kept my interest and I can watch every day and never get bored with it,, I wonder if Gene S would have different opinions on it in the current day, about how much of a masterpiece this film really truly is
I loved that show when it was on. When Siskel died suddenly it took the heart out of the show. Ebert tried to carry on but the magic between them was just gone.
I love both of the movies that you mentioned here... especially Spaceballs! Talk about comedy hijinks comin' atcha' a million miles a minute...oof!!!!! Especially when Mel Brooks plays the part of the Great Know-It-All! That is such a cute, and very cool, sequence in that movie! Mel Brooks:"Merchandising-Where the real money's made"! That part, where he operates the Flame-thrower, is Classic! Such a fun movie to watch!
papa smurf You have to keep in mind that at the time, there were quite a slew of Vietnam films already made and Platoon was the one that was hailed as the great one at the time. It simply did not stand out at the time and it took years for Full Metal Jacket to really be fully appreciated. It's not one of Kubrick's best films and it's far from a bad film. He could still impress quite often, but Kubrick just already had made better and more unique films than this one.
Captain Beefheart Dude, thats REALLY fucked up. He died of cancer. I disagree with his take on FMJ, but I always appreciated his scholarly view, and telling us things, I didnt know. Ebert made my understanding of film, and its techniques, deeper. Im sure many others feel the same. I am appreciative of him, for that. RIP to both gentlemen.
I’ve rarely agreed with Gene and I used to watch every Sunday growing up but I agree now. This movie was amazing and the best parts were during boot camp. I’m unsure how Ebert could think that the boot camp scenes were cliche or disingenuous. The fighting in Hué City was so different that what we had come to know as the Vietnam war in 1987. And lest we forget that this movie launched the career of R Lee Ermey!
Ebert was judging the story, Siskel is judging the context. I loved how passionate they got in this discussion, and that's you know it's good. If it gets a war of words between Siskel and Ebert, it's worth noting.
Well, I went to see this with my firiend at a local cinema in 1987, just afer our military service… the opening and the rest of it was just too awesome..
Actually having gone through boot camp in San Diego I have never seen a better depitction than this movie of what boot camp was really like. The detail was perfect. So Roger, you didn't know what you were talking about when you called the boot camp sequences recycled. You, my dearly departed friend, were an over grown child who spent his life and career in a darkened room of fantasies.
