There is not much else that can be said that hasn't already been said about Kubrick. He's that rare genius who exploits all cinematic tools available to him to get his point across. In Full Metal Jacket, his choice of music really fascinated me as it drove home the point of American brashness and naivete in the face of the Vietnam War. The rock music used in the film reflects the attitudes of the American administration during the Vietnam War, where their idealistic approach blinds them to the point where they don't grasp the full scale of the situation they're in anymore. All they know is that they must win because America can't lose.With the help of the music, the violence is almost unreal and glorified as cool throughout the film. Only during the last segment of the film do the group of soldier recruits realize the dramatic scale of the world-of-shit they're in. The crazy thing is that the same discourse is still looming as Bush has continued the mission of spreading American values to the world by force. I wonder how Kubrick would would approach the Iraq war were he still alive.
