Many war films have pretentions of containing some deep, insightful critique on the horror of warfare as they regurgitate images of guts and explosions that would make Stallone blush, but Full Metal Jacket is one of the few films where this self-perception is accurate. It's a film that is as much an exploration of the effects of cynically participating in the systems of imperialism and exploitation and the limits of cynicism to defy the ruling social order, as it is the literal experiences of death, destruction, and mayhem of the urban combat of Hue.
