Full Metal Jacket
is the only war movie that has ever terrified me. When I was a kid it had
virtually the same effect on me as a horror movie. That makes some sense if you
think about it. What isn’t scary about war? Aren’t war movies that claim to be
anti-war more than a bit disingenuous? Depicting the viscera of bodies blown
apart or the heart pounding excitement of bullets flying turns war into
entertainment. There’s almost no way around it. Once it’s been staged and
committed to film you almost can’t avoid the accusation that you’re glorifying
war.
