The best war films are those that show war in all its cruelty. This also includes Full Metal Jacket by Stanley Kubrick, which is on TV today. The anti-war film goes even further and also shows the horrors of army training. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis were almost there.
Today on TV: That’s what the anti-war film Full Metal Jacket is about
Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket is divided into two large parts. In the first we experience a group of young men in the Training with the US Marines. Long before they are deployed in the war zone, they are already broken: Above all, the brutal drill of their bullying instructor Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermey) leaves serious damage, but also bonds them together.
In the second part of the drama, those who are left experience the War in Vietnam up close. But here too there is little to gain other than death and trauma. Some protagonists like the young Private Joker (Matthew Modine) sometimes meet again, have to deal with a young sniper and fight for their very survival. Mostly without success.
Warner Bros.
Actor R. Lee Ermey was actually in the military before his Full Metal Jacket breakthrough.
Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger were considered for Full Metal Jacket
It sounds strange, but it’s true: we almost saw Arnold Schwarzenegger in Full Metal Jacket. The actor told Empire magazine that director Stanley Kubrick had chosen him for the role of Animal Mother. In the end he was played by Adam Baldwin because Arnie is busy filming Predator and The Phantom Commando was.
Bruce Willis is also said to have been asked for a role in Full Metal Jacket. But the Die Hard actor had no time either, because he was involved with Moonlighting. At least that’s what Bruce Willis said in a Playboy interview.
Anthony Michael Hall was also apparently scheduled for a role in Stanley Kubrick’s anti-war drama. But nothing came of it either, which probably left the actor annoyed for a long time afterwards. After all, Full Metal Jacket has gone down in history (via: IndieWire).
TV or stream: When and where is Full Metal Jacket showing?
Cable One shows the Stanley Kubrik classic Full Metal Jacket today on December 13, 2023 at 10:55 p.m to 1:15 a.m. A repeat follows at 4:00 a.m.
Otherwise, you can also rent or buy the film online: on Google Play, Apple TV, Maxdome, Amazon and Magenta TV.
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