4K Blu-ray Review: Full Metal Jacket

Synopsis: Stanley Kubrick's take on the Vietnam War follows smart-aleck Private Davis (Matthew Modine), quickly christened "Joker" by his foul-mouthed drill sergeant (R. Lee Ermey), and pudgy Private Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio), nicknamed "Gomer Pyle," as they endure the rigors of basic training. Though Pyle takes a frightening detour, Joker graduates to the Marine Corps and is sent to Vietnam as a journalist, covering -- and eventually participating in -- the bloody Battle of Hué.

Main Features: "Full Metal Jacket" is one of those notable, memorable films that I have trouble watching all the way through. it is not because of the subject matter, but I've always found the opening boot camp series to be visceral, impactful, and engrossing. Once the crew goes to Vietnam, the kinetics drop, and the film plods through. Sure, Kubrick was a methodical filmmaker and deliberate in everything he does. However, "Full Metal Jacket" doesn't seem to fit in with that technique. Nevertheless, the UHD presentation of the film on Warner Bros' recent release is fantastic. On par with last year's stunning "The Shining" release on 4K, "Full Metal Jacket" does fit into the visual delights of Kubrick as a framer of shots. As mentioned, he puts things in frame for a reason. "Full Metal Jacket" is a very visual film lacking in the execution Kubrick is known and praised for.

Bonus Features: The lone three bits of extras--cast commentary, trailer and half-hour featurette--are found solely on the standard Blu-ray disc included in the full set. They are all carryovers from previous releases, so clearly this was not as looked at as well as "The Shining" or the even earlier "2001: A Space Odyssey" 4K releases. 

Final Call: If you're looking for another visually stunning presentation from the master known as Kubrick, then "Full Metal Jacket" on 4K will very much satisfy that craving, albeit with one of the few blanks Kurbick had in his chamber. 

Grade: B-