MovieChat Forums > Full Metal Jacket (1987) Discussion > Joker

Joker

posted 4 years ago by [deleted]
4 replies | jump to latest

Not to criticize Matthew Modine but Joker is a very annoying character. Not to say that Modine may not have done the role justice but given Kubrick's reputation for beating what he wants from his actors/actresses I can only imagine that Joker was meant to be that way.

For example, during the filmed interviews in Hue... Just the way he rambled on and quoted some very poor cliches about war in an attempt to be humorous. It just didn't come off well. It felt fake. Maybe that was the intent but it just seemed so forced. His confrontation with Animal Mother was also another point where I just wish he'd have shut up and gone away.

[–] BourbonKing (5782) 4 years ago

The second half of FMJ and the entirety of Eyes Wide Shut felt like incomplete cinematic realizations with regards to Kubrick's reputation for capturing the right amount of drama and structural atmosphere. I agree that most of the dialogue in Vietnam seemed cliched and uninspired. It literally felt like Apocalypse Now's sterile younger brother trying to tell their side of the story of being there.

I think the highlight of that shortcoming was Joker's having to explain the Peace symbol and the Born to Kill message on his helmet to his superior officer. That just comes across as mundane and Kubrick could have bypassed that skit and represented it more succinctly through Joker's actions leading up to his execution of the sniper. Instead, the final scene of the execution and the subsequent shot of the troops singing the theme to the Mickey Mouse Club comes across as cutesy criticism of the futility of war and its effects on those who push for it. Oliver Stone's "Platoon" for all its cliches and kitchen sink realism did a better job at delivering that message.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

The thing about the mass grave/peace symbol scene was that it was a good vehicle to show how much of a stooge the Colonel was, knowingly so or not matters little.

I will say that I had a dim view of the Vietnam potion of the film for a lot of years after it came out but I recently rewatched the film about 3-4 times after not having seen it for well over a decade and it seemed to come off more favorable.

[–] BourbonKing (5782) 4 years ago

Watching the film again many years later can fade the initial memories of the movie when it came out for me, but I generally stick to my initial impressions like with this film because I always contrast it with contemporary war films of its time.

[–] einstein (2588) 4 years ago

joker (matt modine) was picked exactly for that reason, you are not supposed to empathize with him. joker is acually a dick, remember the scene where they beat up pile with the soap? joker joined them too, he did not step up for his friend!! this scene captures jokers character the best with his "ironic" line: " I wanted to meet interesting, and stimulating people of an ancient culture and ....KILL THEM!"

here ---> https://youtu.be/A4BuQMJEKHw?t=171 thats the scene where sais it, and that is joker in a nutshell for you!