I have to agree with the majority of the comments about FMJ: It's almost like two entirely separate movies, the first one which is great followed by the second which is "meh, whatever". As a combat veteran, I was drawn in to both aspects of the movie, and I can tell you that drill instructors can definitely make your life miserable; and we had a couple of washouts in my boot camp (but fortunately, live rounds were much more difficult to come by) who couldn't hack the pressure. The second half was true-to-life as much as the movies can make it, but let's face it: nothing can really portray the horrors of war, or the 1000-yard stare that gets mentioned in here. The movie was great in its depiction of the ultimate apathy of a combat soldier, but apart from that, it really was nothing extraordinary. If there'd been any way they could have stretched out just the first part of this movie and made the whole "boot camp" sequence a story of its own, that could have taken home some Oscars, I do believe. The acting by R. Lee Ermy and Vincent D'Onofrio was acting, and I found the scene where Modine had to cover his ears - to block out the sound of D'Onofrio's crying - very emotionally stirring. Definitely worth watching...and even worth watching again.
Review by ShubesBlockedParent2022-01-01T01:35:39Z
I have to agree with the majority of the comments about FMJ: It's almost like two entirely separate movies, the first one which is great followed by the second which is "meh, whatever". As a combat veteran, I was drawn in to both aspects of the movie, and I can tell you that drill instructors can definitely make your life miserable; and we had a couple of washouts in my boot camp (but fortunately, live rounds were much more difficult to come by) who couldn't hack the pressure. The second half was true-to-life as much as the movies can make it, but let's face it: nothing can really portray the horrors of war, or the 1000-yard stare that gets mentioned in here. The movie was great in its depiction of the ultimate apathy of a combat soldier, but apart from that, it really was nothing extraordinary. If there'd been any way they could have stretched out just the first part of this movie and made the whole "boot camp" sequence a story of its own, that could have taken home some Oscars, I do believe. The acting by R. Lee Ermy and Vincent D'Onofrio was acting, and I found the scene where Modine had to cover his ears - to block out the sound of D'Onofrio's crying - very emotionally stirring. Definitely worth watching...and even worth watching again.