Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D’Onofrio
Production Company: Natant Stanley, Kubrick Productions, Warner Bros.
Kent Locations Used: Cliffe

Set in the late 1960’s, Full Metal Jacket (1987) follows the lives of trainee marines as they undergo a grueling boot camp under the direction of demanding Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermey). During the boot camp, the men overcome many obstacles and some are even driven mad after being tortured and dehumanized by the sergeant.

In the second half of the film, one of the graduated marines, Joker (Matthew Modine), is sent to Vietnam as a military journalist and he and his photographer, Rafterman (Kevyn Major Howard) have to face life on the front line, exposed to snipers and mass murders.

Oscar winning director Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange) directs the film which stars Matthew Modine (The Dark Night Rises, Cutthroat Island), R. Lee Ermey (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Mississippi Burning) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Men in Black, Ed Wood).

The Cliffe Marshes double as the Vietnam countryside in the second half of Full Metal Jacket and are well known for Cliffe Fort and the bird life around the pools.

Cliffe is a small village in Medway on the Thames estuary and has a fort which was built in the mid-nineteenth century as a defence against the invasion of London. The Medway area has previously featured on screen in productions such as The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012) and Last Orders (2002).

Full Metal Jacket (1987) was released on Friday 11^th September 1987 and is available to purchase on DVD.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.