JFK Revisited Part 3 - "One may smile and smile and be a villain!"

Right, so this is yet ANOTHER revisitation of a post that I have done on this blog and given that it is the anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, I figured it was worth doing some slight revisements to my post regarding this topic.  And the post I am revisiting is of course Oliver Stone's epic courtroom drama, JFK.

So after 27 years how does this film stack up???  Well, let's take yet another look and find out.

Oh and yeah, the usual warning is coming up....

SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY

So the story starts with pre-credits explaining the events leading up to Kennedy's assassination (narrated by Martin Sheen).  On the day of the assassination, in New Orleans, District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) is informed by one of his staff Lou Barnes (Jay Sanders) of the crime.  After Kennedy's death is announced officially on television, the suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman) is arrested and taken to the station for questioning.

Garrison then plans to investigate any suspects and associates of Lee Harvey Oswald's that might be under his jurisdiction in New Orleans, however before he can do that, Oswald is assassinated live on TV by Dallas mob man Jack Ruby (Brian Doyle Murray).  Regardless of Oswald's shock assassination, Garrison brings in one of Oswald's alleged known associates, David Ferrie (Joe Pesci) who naturally denies he ever knew Oswald.  However Ferrie gives a very shaky account of his activities on the day of the assassination which Garrison doesn't believe and has Ferrie detained for more questioning by the FBI, regardless of this though Ferrie is let go, after which Garrison decides not to continue investigating any further.

Three years later in 1966, after sharing a conversation with a senator, Russell Long (played by  Walter Matthau) on an airplane, Garrison starts to have serious doubts and suspicions about the events of the assassination and that Oswald was the lone gunman.  So, Garrison starts to dig around and he reads the Warren Report which was published by Warren Commission and conducted by chief judge Earl Warren (played by Garrison himself).  However Garrison is far from impressed with the report as he feels it is riddled with inaccuracies and is sloppy and disorganised.  So it is not long before Garrison decides to re-open the investigation of the crime.

Garrison then with his small team, begin to question many different witnesses to the shooting, and potential suspects that may have been connected to the assassination.  As Garrison and his team investigate further, a name that keeps popping up is Clay Bertrand, who is later revealed to be Clay Shaw (played by Tommy Lee Jones) a well respected businessman and entrepeneur.

However on bringing Shaw in for questioning, Shaw categorically denies any knowledge of Oswald, Ferrie or any one else potentially involved in the conspiracy, as well as denying his Clay Bertrand alias.  But soon after their meeting, Garrison's investigation is made public and soon the press and media come down hard on him.  Now forced to operate out in the open, Garrison faces tough choices ahead of him in carrying out his investigation, after receiving various death threats, crank calls, and narrowly escaping frame ups to discredit him.

Eventually after rigorous investigations, including a discussion with an ex-military figure who simply calls himself "X" (Donald Sutherland) who provides him with important background knowledge to the events surrounding the assassination, Garrison decides to arrest Shaw and prosecute him for his possible involvement in the alleged conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy.

And what follows after this is a lengthy trial sequence where Garrison presents his case for the prosecution of Clay Shaw as well as his speculation on the events on the day of the assassination in Dallas. 

THOUGHTS ON THE FILM AND THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES

JFK is without a doubt a great achievement in its own, as Oliver Stone took a controversial subject and turned into a fascinating, gripping and intelligent film.  If you look at the events and evidence that are presented in the film, it certainly does a great job at convincing you that there was a possible conspiracy involved.  Jim Garrison himself showed tremendous moral courage and character in bringing such a trial to the public eye, as he himself faced great danger in enraging the government and endangering his own life in the process.

However Garrison is never potrayed as anything else other than a very decent man who in reality at first was never really keen on Kennedy at the time but during his investigation came to admire him for what he stood for during his time as the president before his untimely tragic death.  Oliver Stone himself based the film on Jim Garrison's book, "On The Trail of the Assassins" (which details Garrison's trial to prosecute Clay Shaw) as well as "Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy" by Jim Marrs.

But whether or not a conspiracy took place in Dallas that day or not, no one really knows, but the film certainly does its best to convince the viewer that there was one.  One of key aspects of the assassination as highlighted in the film was that it seemed highly unlikely that Oswald could have fired 3 shots that from the book depository window, in such a short space of time (5-7 seconds), and do it with such precision from the distance he was at from the motorcade.  And that is where the other riflemen come into the equation and the scenario of a team that would be able to place themselves in fixed positions to ensure the assassination would be carried out precisely.

Another crucial crux of the film and the case was, there had to be more than just 3 shots, as if for no better reason, there were four known wounds, three to Kennedy (in the throat, back and head) and one to Governor Conally (one in the back).  This is where the Warren Commission presented the ridiculous "magic bullet" theory that one bullet accounted for the wounds between Connally and Kennedy. Also based from the facts given from the film, it seems unlikely that if after Oswald committed the crime, that he would be able race down the stairs in about 90 seconds, only to face a police officer who was checking out the building, to ask whom he was, and appear not to be out of breath, which the policeman testified later that Oswald was absolutely not out of breath.

Another theory however that has been stated over the years was the final headshot that killed Kennedy was in fact fired by one of the secret service agents, George Hickey in one of the car's behind Kennedy's parade car in which Hickey accidentally fired off a round from his M16 gun in the confusion which caused the fatal head shot that killed Kennedy.  Then there is the film footage, taken by an onlooker Abraham Zapruder, which shows the assassination itself, and gives possible clues of the direction of where the bullets came from.

Another key point was surely, if Oswald was even the lone gunman, he would not have acted alone, as he must been acting on behalf of powerful people behind the scenes, in this regard Oswald himself could well have been a sleeper cell, who was set in motion at the key moment, but again this is just a bit of speculation, but I personally have never bought into the possibility that Oswald was just as Garrison says in the film "an angry lone nut" who carried out the assassination purely by himself.  However in recent years the theory involving Hickey is considered to be more accurate given that the type of shot fired from his M16 machine gun was far more powerful and destructive than the first two shots fired at Kennedy. 

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section contains spoilers and strong language!)

Anyway moving onto the performances, well this is where JFK really excels as a film with a superb cast.

And starting with Kevin Costner who gives a fine performance as the DA Jim Garrison, who takes on the daunting task of bringing the JFK assassination to trial, he also shows Garrison as being a very moral man, as well as being very strong and stubborn in the face of adversity.

Costner has many highlights in the film that include the scene where Garrison opens up the case off the assassination again as he takes two of his staff, Bill and Lou on a walkabout of New Orleans government locations.

So, Garrison in the scene says to them both "We are standing in the heart...of the US government's intelligence community in New Orleans.That's the FBl. That's the CIA. That's the Secret Service. That's the ONI. Isn't this a strange place for a Communist to spend his spare time?!".  And Lou asks Garrison "What ya drivin at boss?" and Garrison tells him "We're going back into the case, Lou.  The murder of the president".  And as they walk off, Bill sighs and says "Lord wake me up, I must be dreaming!" and Garrison says to him "No, you're awake and I'm deadly serious!".

Then there is the scene as Garrison finishes up his tense meeting with Shaw, Shaw says to him "Regardless of what you may think of me, I am a patriot first and foremost".  However, Garrison then furiously tells Shaw "I've spent half my life in the military...defending my country, Mr Shaw. You're the first person I've met who considered it an act of partriotism to murder his own President!".  Bill then steps and diffuses the tension and ends the meeting and after Shaw walks out, Garrison looks on and quotes from Shakespeare's Hamlet "One may smile and smile and be a villain".  Then he says to his team "Goddamnit, we've got one of them!  You see that?!".

Another highlight of Costner's is when Garrison and his wife argue and as she yells at him "I want my life back!" he shouts back "So do I, goddamnit!  I have a life too you know!  But you can't just bury your head in the sand like some ostrich, Liz!  Its not about our house, our two cars, and our kitchen!  Its about our kids growing up in a shithole of lies and I'm angry about it!  And my life is fucked because of it, and if you can see it that way then you're life is fucked too!".

Costner also has some other good moments such as the scene where he argues with one of his staff, Bill Broussard (Michael Rooker) who argues that the mob could have been behind the assassination and Garrison refutes the idea.  And Garrison says "Could the mob change the parade route, Bill?  Could the mob influence the national media to go to sleep?  I mean could the mob get Oswald into and Russia and get him back???  And when have the mob used anything but 38.s for hits up close???  The mob wouldn't have the guts or power for something of this magnetude!  Assassins need paryolls, schedules, times, orders!  This was a military style ambush!  This was a coupe de'tat with Lyndon Johnson waiting in the wings!".

And as Bill tries to refute what Garrison says, Garrison then asks Bill "You ever read your Shakespare, Bill?" and Bill says "Yeah, I do!".  Garrison then quotes from Julius Caesar "Julius Caesar? "Brutus and Cassius, they too are honorable men." Who killed Caesar? Ten or twelve Senators. All it takes is one Judas, Bill. A few people on the inside. Pentagon, CIA!".  And after Bill angrily storms out, Garrison then has it out with Lou, who gives Garrison his ultimatum that he can't work with Bill anymore as he doesn't trust him.  So, Garrison says to Lou "Well, I won't have any damn ultimatum put to me, Lou.  I'll accept your resignation".  Lou then leaves and we hear Suzie says to Garrison "Boss, aren't you bein a little hard?" and Garrison tells her "No, I don't think I am, Suzie.  Anyone else??". 

Then there is of course Costner's very lengthy court monologue, which features some great moments such as where Garrison discusses the ridiculous nature of the magic bullet theory which he describes as "One of the grossest lies ever forced on the American people!".  And after he explains the supposed wounds created by the bullet he says to the jury "That's some bullet!  But the government says they can prove it with some fancy physics in a nuclear laboratory.  Of course they can.  Pheoretical physics can prove an elephant can hang from a cliff with its tail tied to a daisy!  But use your eyes and your common sense!".

Then there is the scene where Garrison shows the footage of the murder and he says at the moment of the fatal head shot to Kennedy we see Kennedy fall violently back and to the left.  So, Garrison says to the court "This is the key shot. The President going back and to his left...shot from the front and right. Totally inconsistent with the shot from the Depository.  Again. Back, and to the left. Back, and to the left. Back, and to the left" as the footage is repeated just as Kennedy takes the fatal headshot.  And Garrison then says "So what happens then? Pandemonium!".

And last of all there is the part near the end of Costner's epic monologue to the jury and where Garrison becomes emotional and shows the court members a collection of money and cards from the public being sent to his office.  So, Garrison tearfully tells them "These are people who cannot afford to send money but do! People who drive cabs...who nurse in hospitals...who see their kids go to Vietnam!".  Garrison then becomes very emotional and tries to hold back the tears as his voice breaks  "Why?!  Because they care. Because they want to know the truth. Because they want their country back. Because it still belongs to us! As long as the people have the guts to fight for what they believe in!"

And Garrison finally finishes off his emotional speech to the court and says "Do not forget your dying king.  Show this world that this is still a government of the people, for the people and by the people.  Nothing as long as you live will ever be more important.  Its up to you" and he goes back to sit down to await the verdict of his case.    

Joe Pesci also probably gives the film's best performance as Dave Ferrie, the crazed suspect (replete with a ridiculous wig and eyebrows and a rather exagerrated Southern accent!) who later admits to his involvement with Oswald, as he shows a mixture of malice and remorse.

Pesci also has some great moments as the paranoid Ferrie and his first scene is great when Ferrie is taken into Garrison's office for questioning over his whereabouts of the weekend of the assassination, but Ferrie's story is filled with holes, so Garrison detains him for further questioning.  And Ferrie asks why and Garrison replies "Dave I find your story simply not believable!" and Ferrie appears surprised and says "Really?!  What part?".

Another good scene from Pesci is in the flashback scene where Willie O'Keefe recalls a time where Ferrie had a party with Shaw, O'Keefe and some others as Ferrie discusses a potential assassination plot on JFK.  So, Ferrie in the scene angrily says to the others and he holds a knife "I will kill! In the White House! I'll stab him right in his fucking heart!" and throws the knife he was holding down and says "Somebody's gotta get rid of this fucker!".  Ferrie then pitches a potential plan to take out Kennedy and he says "If it's planned right, no problem. Look how close they got to De Gaulle. Eisenhower always rode in open top. We need three mechanics in three different locations. An office building, a high-powered rifle. Triangulation of crossfire, that's the key! That's the key! A diversionary shot gets the Secret Service looking one way. Boom! Get the kill shot! One man has to be sacrificed. In the commotion, the job gets done!". 

Then there is the scene where Ferrie calls Lou from a pay phone just after Garrison's investigation is leaked into the press, which affects him as he sees press hanging around his apartment nearby.  So, Ferrie angrily phones up and Lou and asks him "Did your office plant that garbage in the fuckin paper?!" and Lou asks "Who is this?" and Ferrie shouts "You know exactly who the FUCK this is!!". Lou then realises its Ferrie and Ferrie asks him angrily "Since you're the only straight shoot in that fucking office, I'd like a fucking answer! Did you plant it?!". Lou then explains that is the last thing they wanted and Ferrie continues to angrily rant at Lou "Somebody planted that fuckin story! Somebody tipped off the press! I'm one of fucking Garrison's suspects!". Ferrie then angrily hits the phone receiver against the phone box and shouts "I CAN'T GO HOME!! The fuckin maggots are everywhere! Did you know what they've done to me??!". Lou then tries to calm Ferrie down and tells him not to jump to conclusions but Ferrie insists "From hereon I'm a fucking dead man! A DEAD MAN!!".

And lastly there is Pesci's best scene in the film where Ferrie in a state of panic and paranoia nervously paces a hotel room where Garrison and his men keep him after a newspaper article is released implicating Ferrie.

And in the scene Ferrie babbles saying "But who the fuck pulls who's chain?!  Who the fuck knows?  "Oh what a deadly web we weave and we practice to decieve!".  And Garrison asks him who killed the president which sets off Ferrie into a demented rant "Oh why don't you fuckin stop it?!  This is too fuckin big for you, you know that?!  Who killed Kennedy... fuck man!  Its a mystery, its a riddle wrapped inside an enigma!  The fuckin shooters don't even know it, don't you get it?!  FUCK MAN!!  I can't go on talking like this!  THEY'LL FUCKIN KILL ME!  I'M GONNA FUCKING DIE!".  And Ferrie goes on to lament about how he wanted to become a catholic priest but was defrocked because of his homosexuality and he sits back saying "I'm so fucking exhausted I can't see straight!".   

Tommy Lee Jones gives an excellent performance also as Clay Shaw, and he depicts as a very sly businessman, who is clearly also very manipulative and Jones appears to revel in playing up the transparent villainous qualities of the character.

Jones has some great moment also such as the scene when Willy O'Keefe recalls to Garrison a meeting Willy had with Shaw, Oswald and Ferrie, where Ferrie conspires to kill Kennedy and suggests how they could do it and Shaw dismisses him and says "David!  David!  Always some harebrained scheme or other!".  And Shaw says to Ferrie after he lays down his plot to kill Kennedy "What don't we drop this subject.  Its one thing to engage in banter with these youngsters, but this sort of thing can get so easily misunderstood!" before crushing Ferrie's testicles to shut him up! 

And in his best and main scene Jones as Shaw refutes every accusation that Garrison makes at him as he keeps asking if he met with David Ferrie or Oswald and Shaw is aghast and says "You really have me assorting with a sordid cast of characters!".  Garrison then asks him "Have you ever met Lee Harvey-Oswald?" and Shaw says "Course not!  Such a pity that assassination.  In fact I admired Kennedy.  Man of true panache. Wife of impeccable taste!".

Then as they are about to finish up, Garrison finally asks Shaw "Have you ever been a contractor for the Central Intelligence Agency?".  And Shaw just stares at Garrison for a moment and says "If I were...do you really believe I would sitting here, talking to someone like you???".  Garrison then says "No.  People like you don't have to, I guess!" and Shaw asks "May I go?" and Garrison, riled continues "People like you just walk between the rain drops!" and Shaw again asks "May I go?" and Garrison says "Yes".  So, Shaw puts out his cigarette and stands up and says to Garrison "Regardless of what you may think of me, Mr Garrison, I am a patriot first and foremost...".  And as Garrison accuses Shaw of considering an act of patriotism to murder the president, Shaw angrily says "Now wait a minute, sir you are way out of line!".   

The other smaller character performances in the film are equally impressive, such as Michael Rooker as Bill, one of Garrison's staff, who appears to turn on Garrison near the end.

Rooker also has some good scenes, such as the one where Garrison takes Bill and Lou on a walking tour around the locations of the government intelligence community in New Orleans and setting them up for the news that he is taking on the case of the assassination.  So as Garrisons says to Lou "We're going back into the case, Lou.  The murder of the president" Bill says "Oh, Lord wake me up I must be dreaming!" and Garrison says "No, you're awake, Bill and I'm deadly serious! Let's track down your anonymous source from three years ago. How'd you find out David Ferrie drove to Texas that day?".  And Bill replies "Hell, I can't remember last night let alone three years ago, boss!". 

Let's track down your anonymous source
from three years ago.
How'd you find out David Ferrie drove
to Texas that day?

Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=jfk

Another good scene is when (SPOILER!!) Garrison turns up at the scene of Ferrie's apartment where they find him dead and two unsigned suicide notes, which Bill reads from one of them.  And Lou advises Garrison "The fact is, he's gone, chief and so is our case.  Unless we go for Shaw now".  However, Bill angrily says to Lou "With whose testimony?! O'Keefe, a male prostitute?! Jack Martin, a drunk?! Vernon Bundy, a dope fiend?! Shaw's got respect, Lou! Newspaper editors, American Bar Association...!".  However Lou angrily says to Bill if they keep on waiting then Shaw will also be killed and how many corpses will it take for him to figure it out, So, Bill shouts back "Watch your mouth!  Ferrie did this to himself!".  At this point, Garrison walks off and Bill asks him "Where are you going, boss?" and Garrison says "I don't know, Bill...I just don't know...!".  

Then there is the scene where Bill tries to persuade Garrison that he is taking the wrong route and he rants at Garrison and the team.  So, Bill shouts at them "How the hell can you keep a conspiracy going...between the mob, CIA, FBl, Army intelligence and who knows what else...when you can't keep a secret in this room between 12 people?!!  I mean, we got leaks everywhere. We are going to trial, y'all! What the hell do we really got?! Oswald, Ruby, Banister, and Ferrie are dead!  Maybe Shaw is an agent. I don't know. But as a covert operator, he is wide open for blackmail because of his homosexuality!".

Then as Bill lays down his theory about the mob being behind the assassination, Garrison acknowledges they may have been involved but at a much lower level and he goes on to even implicate the then current president, Lyndon Johnson.  And Bill, who is outraged yells at Garrison "BOSS!! BOSS!! Are you callin the president a murderer!".  Garrison then asks Bill if they aren't so close to the truth why are their offices being bugged and their witnesses being bought off or murdered.  And Bill says "I don't know!  Maybe there is some rogue element in the government or something!" but Garrison then asks if Bill reads his Shakespeare and quotes "Julius Caesar" and how it takes just "One Judas, Bill". 

So, Bill get's fed up and says before storming out of the office "This is Louisiana, chief!  I mean how the hell do you know who your daddy is??!  Because your momma told you so!  You are way out there taking a crap in the wind, boss!  And I am for one not goin along on this one!".

Jay Sanders is also excellent as Lou Barnes, who was in reality one of Garrison's key members of staff (although the film depicts Barnes as quitting the investigation, according to Stone in his DVD commentary in reality he didn't).

Sanders also has some good moments such as the scene where Lou and Garrison are at the book despository building with the rifle that Oswald used and he does a demo of firing and reload the empty rifle and he goes over the specifics of the improbabilities of Oswald being able to pull off three precise shots.  And Lou says "Take this Carcano, world's worst shoulder weapon...and try to hit a moving target at 88 yards through heavy foliage. No way!  FBI tried two sets of tests. Not one sharpshooter could match Oswald's performance. Not one! Oswald was at best a medium shot.
The scope was defective on it too. This is the whole essence of the case to me. The guy couldn't do the shooting! Nobody could. And they sold this lemon to the American public". 

And when Garrison asks Lou why didn't they just shoot Kennedy as his parade car drove on Houston, which was a more direct line of fire for a single shooter, Lou tells him his theory regarding why they chose the route they did for the kill.  So, Lou says "The only reason to get him on Elm...is you got him in a triangulated crossfire. You put a team there down at the fence. Frontal shot. Flat, low trajectory. Put a third team down in this building on a low floor. When Kennedy gets in the kill zone, it's a turkey shoot!".

And lastly there is the scene where Lou demands to Garrison that he can no longer work with Bill because he doesn't trust he says "I cannot work with Bill Broussard anymore" and when Garrison asks if he is giving him an ultimatum, Lou says "Well if that's what you wanna call it?!  Hell I never thought it would come to this.  I guess I am".  And Garrison says "Well, I won't have any damn ultimatum put to me, Lou.  I'll accept your resignation".  Lou then looks stunned and says "Well you sure got it!" and before he walks out he says to Garrison "You are one stubborn son of a bitch!  And you are making one hell of a mistake". 

Laurie Metcalf as Susie, another staff member, is also very good and she has some good moments in the film, the main one being where Garrison's team meet for lunch and she goes over the file history of Oswald's character and background.

Laurie has some good moments as well such as the scene where Susie meets with Garrison and the other team members for lunch and she reads out all the info she has on Oswald.  And she says to the others "I've got his grammar school records.  Its a study of his pubic hairs!" as well as revealing her anxiety over how a spy aircraft was shot down and maybe someone didn't want the peace conference between the Russians and the Americans.  And Susie says to the others "I can't help but think that someone in our military didn't want the conference to happen.  Maybe Oswald was a part of that!".

And later on Metcalf has another good moment where she says to Bill, who has been gotten to by the Government at this point (unawares to Garrison and the others) "Or a cover up???  Jesus Bill, don't you have enough proof of the FBI's complicity yet?!!".  And after Bill storms out and Lou resigns from the case, Susie asks Garrison "Boss, aren't you being a little hard?" and Garrison replies "No, I don't think I am, Susie.  Anyone else?".   

Also Kevin Bacon, is excellent as Willie O'Keefe (who in reality was based on one of Garrison's key witnesses, Perry Russo) the gay prostitute who claimed to have known and had sexual relations with Shaw.

And Bacon's main scene is quite impressive where Willie recalls meeting Oswald and his involvement with Shaw and Ferrie.  And as Garrison asks Willie if he will testify and if he does what he says will be attacked by different people and Willie dismisses it and says "Oh bring all those motherfuckers on in here with their college degrees!  I've got nothing to hide!  You know this about the truth coming out!  You goddamn liberal, Mr Garrison, you don't know shit because you never been fucked in the ass!  This is about order!  Who rules!".

Garrison then asks Willie why he is telling them this and Willie says "Cause that motherfucker Kennedy...stole that motherfucking election, that's why. Nixon was going to be a great President until Kennedy wrecked this country. Niggers wanting rights! Why do you think we have all this crime. He promised those motherfuckers too much! Revolution's coming, bullshit! Fascism's coming back! The day that Communist son of a bitch died was a great day!  A GREAT day for this country! I hate to think they blame it on silly, fucking Oswald!  Didn't know shit, anyway, man! People got to know. People got to know why he was killed.  Because he was a Communist".  Willie then finishes by saying "Go ahead, man.  Put me on the stand, man.  I'll tell the same goddamn story!  Don't matter fuck all to me!". 

And Bacon finishes the scene with Garrison saying "Thank you, Willie.  We'll be in touch".  And as Garrison walks off with Bill, Willie shouts out "You know you ain't a bad looking man, Mr Garrison.  Not bad lookin at all!  When I get out, I'll come see you, we can have some fun!".     


Sissy Spacek is also very good in her role as Garrison's with Liz, who has to suffer her husband's obssessions with the JFK case throughout the film.  And Sissy's best scene comes when Liz argues with Garrison after their daughter recieves a crank call from someone saying she has been entered into a beauty contest.  However, Garrison is less interested as he watches the breaking news that Martin Luther King was assassinated on TV.

However, Liz anxiously asks Garrison "Did you enter Virginia in a beauty contest? A man called and asked her height, her weight..." and Garrison simply answers "Its just some crackpot...".  Liz then angrily says "Jim, you're own daughter's life has just been threatened!" but Garrison insists "Its just a crank call.  It happens a dozen times a day at the office!". Liz, however continues "Before this Kennedy thing, your children mattered most. The other night you didn't even notice Jasper. He came to me bawling his eyes out. Is it such a chore?!".  Garrison then angrily responds "GODDAMNIT!  If I said I will spend more time with him I will!  Now, I can't fight you and the whole world too, Liz!" and Liz says "I'm not fighting you, I'm trying to reach you!  You've changed!".

And Garrison says of course he has changed and that what he sees around him is insane and asks her doesn't Martin Luther King's murder have a connection with JFK and he picks up a book at points at the TV and shouts "Can't you see???!!!".  Liz however is exasperated with Garrison and says "I don't wanna see, goddamnit!  I'm tired!  I've had enough!" and then she speaks of Shaw "You're runing this man Shaw's life.  You're attacking him because he's a homosexual!" but Garrison insists "That's not why I'm attacking him!".  Liz then asks Garrison "Did you ever stop to consider his feelings?!" and Garrison looks at her in disbelief and says "You don't believe me?!  All this time and you never believed me!".  And Liz emotionally says "I just want to raise our children and live a normal life. I WANT MY LIFE BACK!". 

Donald Sutherland is similarly great as the mysterious "X" who delivers a very lengthy 17 minute dialogue giving Garrison the background info surrounding the events leading up to the assassination.

And Sutherland's monologue is so lengthy that is hard to pick some examples, but I will mention just a few.

For starters there is the moment where X first introduces himself to Garrison and when Garrison asks his name, X says "I could give you a false name but I won't. Just call me "X".  Garrison then says to X that he has already been warned by the agency and if this is another threat but then X interrupts him and says "I'm not with the agency, Mr Garrison. But I'm not going to give you names of who or what I represent, just to say that you're close. You're closer than you think".  

So in the scene, Garrison is stunned by all the info that X has bombarded him with and Garrison says to X "I can't believe it, they killed him cos they wanted to change things...in our time....in our country?".  And X smiles and says "They've done it throughout history!  Kings are killed, Mr Garrison!  Politics is power, nothing more! Don't take my word for it. Do your own thinking".  Garrison then asks X if he will testify and X smiles and says "No chance in hell! No, I'd be arrested and gagged. Maybe sent to an institution.Maybe worse. You too. I can give you the background.
You find the foreground, the little things. Dig, you're the only one to bring a trial in Kennedy's murder. That's important. It's historic!".

And as Garrison says he hasn't much of a case, X says "You don't have a choice anymore.  You've become a significant threat to the national security structure!  They would have killed you already but you've got alot of light on you.  Instead they are trying to destroy your credibility.  Be honest, your only chance is to come up with a case.  Something, anything!  Make arrests, stir the shit storm, hope to reach a point of critical mass that will start a chain reaction of people coming forward then the government will crack.  Remember, fundamentall people are suckers for the truth, and the truth is on your side, Bubba.  I just hope you get a break".

Also there is the superb Jack Lemmon as Jack Martin, an assistant to a private eye detective, Guy Banister, who is great in his role as the down and out drunk, who Garrison approaches earlier on in the film.  And Jack tells Garrison what happened in Guy's office during the summer of 63 and Jack recalls "Hell, Guy's dead, so it don't matter no more. It was all about those...people that was hanging around the office that summer. I was never part of the operation. I just handled their private-eye work as it came in for Guy. Not much did, but that's why I was there. It was a nuthouse. Cubans coming, going. And Christ, they all looked the same to me".  And we cut to seeing Guy's office, which is filled with Cubans as well as David Ferrie being there dressed in commando gear.  Guy then says "David Ferrie...you know him?" and Garrison says "Yeah, we know Dave.  Was he there?" and Jack exclaims "Christ!  He practically lived there!".

Then toward the end of the scene when Garrison asks Jack if there was anyone else at Guy's level that Guy dealt with, so Jack tries to recall Clay Shaw's name as we see a flashback of Shaw being warmly greeted by Guy, who invites him into his office.  So, Jack tries to remember "One guy. I don't know who. Big. White hair. I saw him in the office once. He looked out of place. You know, a society guy. Can't remember his name, but Oswald was with him. He had something to do with money, because Banister never kissed ass but he kissed his!" and he chuckles.  Then as Jack says "Clay...something..." and Garrison offers "Clay Bertrand?" Jack suddenly says "Yeah!" but then suddenly panics as he feels he has said too much and he backtracks and says "Yeah, well I don't know...". 

So, as Jack tries to leave, Garrison asks what is the problem and Jack says "What's the problem?!  Do I have to spell it out for you, Mr Garrison?!".  And as Garrison says "No one knows we're talking about here, Jack" Jack just stares at Garrison in disbelief and says "You are so niave!" and he walks off.

Ed Asner is also good in his brief role as Guy Banister the private eye, who was a former FBI man and was said to be closely linked to behind the scenes of the assassination, but Banister died shortly after in 1964.

Asner has a couple of good scenes, particularly his first scene where he cheers Kennedy's death in a bar and he says "All this blubbing over that no count son of a bitch!  They're balling like they knew the man!".  Guy then cynically says "That's what happens when you let the niggers vote. They get together with the Jews and the Catholics...and elect an Irish bleeding heart!".  Jack then says "Chief, maybe you had too much to drink" and Guy says "Bullshit!" and he raises his glass and says "Here's to the New Frontier. Camelot in smithereens. I'll drink to that!" and he empty his drink on the floor.

And as Guy and Jack walk drunkenly back to Guy's office, Guy accuses Jack of going through his files when he isn't there.  So, Guy says "Who's been going through my files? You've been looking through my files, you little weasel!". Jack then tries to laugh it off and says "You're becoming paranoid, you really are!" but Guy continues "You went through all my files! You're a goddamn spy!".  Jack denies it and says he's already seen enough during the summer to write a book, which really makes Guy paranoid.  So, Guy angrily accuses him "What do you mean, you bastard? You're going to write a book?!".  And as Jack says he's seen alot of strange things and people there, Guy suddenly takes out a pistol and hits Jack with it and yells at him "You didn't see a goddamn thing, you little weasel!  YOU DIDN'T SEE A GODDAMN THING!!!".

John Candy is also great in his role as the sleazy lawyer, Dean Andrews who apparently met with Oswald and spoke with Shaw but he refutes any claims that he knows the identity of Shaw who used the alias of Clay Bertrand.

So, as Garrison pressures Dean to answer his question as to who Clay Bertrand really is, Dean asks Garrison "Are we off the record, Daddio?" and Garrison shrugs to say "yes", so Dean says "Well, let me sum it up for you real quick!".  So, Dean lights a cigarette and anxiously says "If I answer that question you keep asking...if I give you the name of the big enchilada...then it's bon voyage, Deano. Like a bullet in my head, you dig? You're a mouse fighting a gorilla. JFK's dead as that crabmeat. The government's still breathing!  Do you want to line up with a dead man?!". 

And at the end of the scene as Garrison threatens Dean by saying "You're either gonna reveal the true identity of the real Clay Bertrand, or you fat behind is going to the slammer.  Now, you dig me?!".  And Dean suddenly stands up and shouts "You're crazy as your mama!!! Goes to show its in the genes!  You any idea what you're getting yourself into, Daddio?!".  Dean then stands up and puts his hat on as he prepares to leave and he tells Garrison "The government is gonna jump all over your head, Jimbo, and go cocka-doodle-doo!  Good day to your, sir!" and he walks out.     

Brian Doyle Murray is excellent in his role as Jack Ruby, the mobster, who killed Oswald live on television, the following day after the assassination.

And Murray's main scene is when Ruby meets with Chief Judge, Earl Warren (played by Garrison himself) in prison and Ruby tells Warren "Mr. Chief Justice, do you understand that I can't tell the truth in Dallas? There are people here who do not want me to tell the truth".  Warren then asks to Ruby "Why don't you tell us now?" and Ruby angrily responds "My life is in danger!  If you request that I go to Washington... That is, if you want to hear further testimony from me. Can you take me with you?!".  Warren responds by saying "No. It can't be done.  There would be no safe place for you".

Ruby then says "If I'm eliminated...there won't be any way of knowing any bit of truth pertaining to my situation. Consequently, a whole new form of government will take over. Yeah!  And I won't live to see you some other time!".  And then we cut to a scene of a covered up body being wheeled out, suggesting that this is Ruby and Ruby's last words are "You see I want to tell the truth. And then...I wanna leave this world....".

And last but by no means least, there is Gary Oldman as Lee Harvey Oswald.  Oldman is great as Oswald, and potrays him as a complex and private man, who remained a mystery even after his death.  Gary Oldman also facially resembles Oswald a fair bit, and does an excellent job at reproducing his unusual American accent, which had a tinge of Russian to it.

And Oldman has his own share of good scenes although alot of them are flashbacks and they do feature quotes of dialogue taken from Oswald's public arrest on TV as he says to the press that "I didn't shoot anyone, no sir.  They have taken me in just because I defected to the Soviet union.  I am just a patsy!".  And later in Oswald's televised press conference at the police station he tells them "I really don't know...what this situation is about. Nobody has told me anything except that I am accused...of murdering a policeman. I know nothing more than that. I do request someone to come forward...to give me legal assistance".

Another good scene is in the flashback where Oswald is shown the cover of the "Life" magazine with Oswald holding the rifle, which is clearly a fake composite image as his head looks superimposed onto the body.  So, Oswald looks angrily at the magazine cover and says "This is not me! I never saw this picture. It's my face but it's superimposed. The rest is not me. I have done alot of photographic work. That picture was made by someone else!".  And one of the police asks Oswald of his alias, Alex Hydell "So, who the hell are you? Alex Hydell or Lee Harvey-Oswald?" and Oswald says "Well, you're the policeman you figure it out!".

And lastly there is the flashback scene where after Oswald supposedly murdered a policeman not long after the assassination, he makes his way into a cinema to evade the police.  However soon after, the police arrive to arrest Oswald and they are lead into the cinema by a shoe store owner, who spotted Oswald.  So, as the police approach Oswald, he says to himself "This is it!" and he suddenly leaps up and punches one of the officers and they pounce on him and cuff him and Oswald shouts "I'm not resisting arrest!  I'm not resisting arrest!".  

I never saw this picture.
It's my face but it's superimposed.
The rest is not me.
I know photographic work.
That picture was made by someone else!

Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=j

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC 

So finally moving onto the direction paragraphs, Oliver Stone does a terrific job here and he keeps the viewer engrossed throughout as he presents the film's arguments in a very convincing fashion and he also makes great use of some frantic camera work as he combines a mixture of black and white footage and colour mixed in with the film itself.

Stone's screenplay is also a great achievement in itself as it is very intelligent and well researched for the most part although it does create some composite characters based on real life witnesses so there might be the odd bit of licence taken here and there.  Despite all this though it doesn't detract from JFK being one of Stone's highlights from his acclaimed career. 

As for the music, there is a terrific film score by John Williams (who also previously worked with Stone on his Vietnam drama, Born on the 4th of July) and the score is both suspenseful and atmopsheric throughout and features many excellent tracks, particularly the main theme.  Williams himself then struggled to write a full score for the film as he initially composed six tracks and later added further musical cues.  This was due to the fact that he was working on Steven Spielberg's film Hook (starring Robin Williams) at this time.

It also has to be said that Williams score has been mimicked in other film scores as well (such as in Tom Cruise's thriller, The Firm) and it remains as one of his more unique scores, which is well worth a listen even on its own. 

FLAWS (Warning: this section may also contain spoilers!)

So does JFK have any flaws?????  Well JFK does have the odd niggle or two .

And for starters I feel the film bombards you with too much information at times, so it definitely takes a few viewings to get the gist of all the details.  This is especially the case as Stone tries to condense down the details of the trial and Garrison's investigations into three hours which makes taking it all in within that space of time even more difficult in one viewing.   

And another thing I would say about the film that probably lets it down slightly is the melodrama of Garrison's home life, as he argues with his wife Elizabeth (Sissy Spacek) who is frustrated by the amount of time he devotes to the case.  And in the film Spacek pretty much delivers samey lines such as "Before Kennedy nothing mattered more in this world to you than your children!" and "What about your kids, Jim?!!!" and "Jasper was looking for you, bawling his little eyes out!" etc.  It is however key to the film as well I guess, as it is important to show how the events of the investigation impacted on Garrison's personal life, and later in reality, his first wife Elizabeth did divorce him.  Stone later said that the fights between Garrison and his wife Elizabeth were based on rows that he had with his own wife at the time in their strained marriage.    

Another slight problem with the film, and probably the case in general is there is not much evidence that cold links Shaw to knowing Oswald, as it ultimately is just the word of people who have witnessed seeing Shaw and Oswald together in the past with not much if any in the way of photographic evidence or otherwise.  And this seems to largely boil down to the fact the witnesses involved were either murdered or simply discredited or bribed.   

However it was later revealed in 1978, four years after Shaw's death, by the CIA director of the time, Richard Helms, that Shaw did actually work for the CIA as a contractor (this was added in as an insert at the end of the film) which Helms testified to under oath.  And based on the Richard Helms testimony, it proved that Shaw was guilty of perjury.  But people of power and persuasion like Shaw, can as it seems get away with murder (or assassination in this case).

The film also seems to do its damndest to imply the current government's complicity at the time of the trial as well by showing an irate judge who keeps overruling and telling off Garrison at every turn.  It pretty much stops short of saying to the audience "Yeah the government is in on it!" as to back up how Garrison (SPOILER SORRY!!!!) went on to lose the trial in the film (and also in reality) in the face of a seemingly corrupt government hellbent on covering its tracks.

Perhaps also at times due to the film's long running time certain scenes can slow the pace down a bit as there is so much information to sift through.  Also given the amount of leads Garrison had to follow up, the film also throws up a number of leads that really lead to nowhere (especially the showgirl one whom Garrison and Lou meet with) until of course Garrison meets up with the mysterious "X" who tells him key information regarding the background of the events that lay behind the assassination.

I also felt that Oliver Stone's script while largely excellent and well written, still does have some cheesy bits of dialogue. As an example there is of course the line where the news reporter, Walter Kronkite, officially annoucnes that President Kennedy has died and at this point, Garrison is in a bar watching it on the TV. So, after the announcement, Garrison is astonished and he says to himself "God, I'm ashamed to be an American today!". Hmmm!

And last of all another problem with the film comes in the scene when Garrison and Lou go to the book depository where Oswald allegedly shot from.  And in the scene (which features in the director's cut) Garrison refers to Clay Shaw in an incriminatory way but in the next scene one of Garrison's team, Bill, reveals that Clay Shaw's alias is Clay Bertrand and in that scene Garrison reacts with surprise as if he didn't know that Clay Shaw had any alleged involvement in the conspiracy but in the depository scene he does!  So this remains one of the film's rare pieces of poor continuity but when you watch those two scenes it really does stick out.   

Anyway that's it for the flaws.  

SUM UP 

So that is it for my third revisitation of JFK, which remains personally one of my favourite films and one of the best films of the 1990s.  The film is lengthy of course and it would be impossible to take in all the info it throws at you in one go but its a film that warrants repeated viewing.  It also has fine central performance from Kevin Costner, and a top cast backing him up as well as a great screenplay and music score by John Williams.  And it remains one of the most compelling and engrossing dramas in modern cinema, which is a must see.

OK, so that's it for now and I will return with another post sometime soon.

Till then its bye for now!

60,000 views!

Hi, folks!

Well back in January I hit the milestone of 50,000 views on this blog, which was great and just recently I have hit the 60,000 mark! Yay! 

So, this little post is a just way of saying thank you to anyone and everyone, who has taken the time to stop by and read my long winded posts and I hope you have gotten some enjoyment out of them as I will certainly keep on doing them.

Now, I know that in the last couple of years or so and especially this year that I have reduced the amount of posts I do each month for number of different reasons but I will try my best to do quite a few more before the year is out.

So, thanks again folks for viewing my blog and here's to the next 10,000 views and if I can get to 100,000 that'd even better!

Right, so I will return quite soon with more posts for sure.

Until then thanks again and bye for now!

Top 10 Most Disappointing Dark Souls Bosses Part 2 - No's 5-1

OK, so now its time for Part Two of my list where I look at my pick for the Top 10 most disappointing bosses from the Dark Souls series. Now, as I mentioned in the first part, I will be looking at the bosses only from the Dark Souls games 1-3 and NOT Demon Souls because well...I haven't played Demon Souls yet and can't comment on any of the bosses.

So, with that all said, let's gear up once again and take a look at the top 5 meh bosses from this great game series...

5. Gwyn, Lord of Cinder (Dark Souls)
 
Hang on! Didn't I put this guy in my 5 best bosses from Dark Souls 1 earlier this year??? Yes, but I have since had time to reflect on this one.

So yep at No.5 is the final boss of the original Dark Souls, Gwyn, Lord of Cinder. Now, this guy is one of those bosses who promises to deliver and actually delivers very little in the end even though depending on how you fight him, he can still be a pretty challenging boss to fight.  Gwyn himself as a boss can be found at the Kiln of the First Flame and is said to be the original one to have linked the first flame but as you are sure to be his successor, you will have to go through him in order to take his place.

Now to be fair as I said, Gwyn can be a pretty tough boss and he did give me a pretty hard time on my first playthrough. However, once you suss Gwyn out, his challenge diminishes greatly because if you are very good at parrying, you can finish him off very swiftly. Now, I suck at parrying but I managed to suss out a way to beat him in melee by playing hide and seek running around pillars and hiding from him and getting my strikes in whenever I could. Then I replayed the game as a sorcerer and Gwyn was ridiculously easy to beat as I used homing crystal soul mass to wipe him out, which it did very quickly!

So, yeah Gwyn can be a challenge as a boss but he can also be a real pushover and that is something that makes him a bit of a curiosity. However there is little denying that when you master this guy, he's not the most satisfying boss in the game to beat yet the fight does have alot of cool elements and the incredibly poignant theme does I guess symbolise the end of an era, or Gwyn's era and it remains one of the most memorable of the series.

However, this boss fight is a final boss not done quite as well as it should have been and for that, Gwyn takes his spot here at No.5.

4. Royal Rat Authority (Dark Souls 2)

At No.4 is this much maligned boss from Dark Souls 2, Royal Rat Authority, who is basically a large rat, who is protecting her baby rats, who just all happen to be toxic! So, this fight, kind of similar to Gwyn, can actually be pretty challenging or very easy depending on how you approach it, which doesn't really make it all that enjoyable.

So, what is challenging about the fight here? Well, the main challenge comes from RRA's baby rats who are all toxic and they can attack pretty fast as soon as you enter the fog gate and if they do then the toxic effects will kill you fast maybe even before the Royal Rat get's her claws into you! So, in order to make the fight more managable you need to kill the baby rats as fast as possible before they hit you and you turn toxic. And once the baby rats are out the way, Royal Rat then becomes a real joke of a boss, who has a very weak health bar as you can kill her pretty quickly!

So as far as a challenge goes, this boss despite the toxic rats, is a big letdown and while I don't hate this boss fight like alot of fans of the series do, it definitely still is one of the more disappointing ones as it is mechanically pretty dull and boring. It does however act as a nod to a far better fight in Dark Souls 1, Sif, the Great Grey Wolf, who as you whittle his health bar right down, becomes weak and slow down and the same thing happens here with the Royal Rat. Again its like the game makers are toying with your emotions and making you feel guilty about killing off a wounded animal. Shame on you Namco Bandai! ;-)

Anyway all that aside, the Royal Ray Authority is a pretty underwhelming boss fight that offers very little in the way of appeal and its not an awful fight but again its just meh and a pity it wasn't cut from the final game.

3. Pinwheel (Dark Souls)

At No.3 is this boss from the original Dark Souls, Pinwheel, yep Pinwheel...oh dear, Pinwheel is flat-out just a boss that has been done wrong and offers very little in the way of enjoyment or a challenge. However I will say this at least that Pinwheel's design is actually kind of cool looking as he is a weird and creepy looking boss that has a unique look overall but that's about as good as things get here.

So, as for the fight itself (if you want to call it that!) well Pinwheel has some pretty basic attacks in that he can throw fireballs at you aswell as a flamethrower effect and his most notable attack is when he splits off and creates clones of himself to distract you. However beyond this, Pinwheel has nothing else in his poor repotoire of naff attacks to throw at you really.

The funny thing about this fight is that you can also summon to make it even more of a joke as the NPC, Paladin Leeroy, can take him out for you without you having to make a single strike! In fact its more difficult in getting to Pinwheel that it is fighting him because the bonewheels that attack are lethal and pose a much bigger threat than this boss ever could!

So, yep even though Pinwheel doesn't quite take the top honours here he definitely still is one of the most disappointing and lacklustre bosses in the whole series. I had also even considered adding the Prowling Magus and the Congregation into this list aswell but I didn't because believe it or not I have died to them a few times but never to Pinwheel!  

Anyway so Pinwheel definitely deserves his place here in the top 3.

2. Covetous Demon (Dark Souls 2)

At No.2 is this guy...the Covetous Demon...oh yeah, Jabba the Hut!

Yep this Jabba wannabe is easily one of the most naff and above all POINTLESS bosses in the whole Dark Souls series. This big lump basically moves around a room and tries to kill you with belly flops, slashes, slams and rolls and that's just about it.

So, yeah I can't really say a great more about him than that other than maybe that CD is quite similar to the Gaping Dragon in that he is a boss that does appear to be a little pre-occupied with himself as he seems more interested with does a belly flop and a roll than in killing you! However to be fair, Covetous isn't quite as self involved as the Gaping Dragon is it has to be said.  Also to be a bit fair to ol Covetous is that while I never died to him on New Game, I did use a Bonfire Ascetic a few times and when I did CD did become a little bit more challenging as I did die to him once or twice as at that point I was playing New Game +3 essentially!

Howeve despite this, Covetous is stil a complete joke of a boss and one that was just a straight-up example of very lazy boss designubg and given that is basically a giant Jabba the Hutt rip-off and its just a shame that isn't an optional boss in the game because I sure wished he was!

Anyway, so yep the Covetous Demon more than deserves his place on this list as a disappointing nothing boss that offers little in the way of enjoyment or satisfaction in defeating him and he more than deserves the runner-up spot.

And the No.1 most disappointing Dark Souls boss (for me anyway) is...

1. Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin (Dark Souls 2)

Yes at No.1 is this fella, Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin, the final boss from Dark Souls 2.  Aldia if you are unfamiliar with him is the big firey lumpy mass that surprises you at certain stages in the game when you try and light a bonfire, he explodes out of it and talks to you about your quest. However in order to fight him you do need to kill King Venderick first of all before you go on to face Queen Nashandra, who will be the final boss you encounter if you don't kill Vendrick but if you do, Aldia will appear at the end as the final boss.

Now I have to start by saying I don't think Aldia is a terrible boss by any means but given that he is meant to be the final boss of Dark Souls 2, I found that in itself to be very disappointing because overall this boss is a very dull and boring fight. His attacks are pretty much dialed in and by the numbers as he just waves his tentacles around alot and emits fire damage if you get too near him.

Aldia does offer a modest challenge to be fair though as some of his attacks can be quite dangerous such as his tentacle attacks when they rise up from the ground and he can emit quite alot of fire damage when you get up close to him. In fact the only time you can get near Aldia to attack him is when his fire fades out and he turns grey and that's when you can get your hits in.

But in all honesty this is just a very dull, boring and underwhelming boss fight that leaves you yawning more than anything else and yeah OK I did die to him maybe three times but no more than that in my playthroughs. And in a way its a pity given that Aldia is in an interesting sounding character in his cutscenes and the jump scares he provides as he unexpectedly explodes out of bonfires at certain moments in the game is also quite effective if you aren't expecting it.

So for me Aldia takes the top spot because a final boss in any game should provide a decent challenge and Aldia here just doesn't cut it as his challenge is a very dull one and while he's not an awful boss, he really is easily the most disappointing one for me in the whole Dark Souls series.

SIGN OFF 

Right, so that's it for now and I will be back with another post soon, which should be completely unrelated to Dark Souls although I think I will do a top 10 Best Dark Souls Bosses fairly soon also.

So until the next one, its bye for now! 

Top 10 Most Disappointing Dark Souls Bosses - No's 10-6

OK, so its time for me once again to return to the Dark Souls universe and do a slightly different post than normal as in this list I will be taking a look at the most disappointing and underwhelming bosses form the Souls series.

Now, for this list I will be strictly looking only at the bosses from Dark Souls 1-3 and not Demon Souls mainly because I haven't played that game myself. However the purpose of the list is to look at the bosses that promised to deliver much and ending up delivering very little in a way of challenge or even fun.

So, with that said let's start the list and take a look at the lamest of the lame in the Series (from 1-3!).

10. Old Dragonslayer (Dark Souls 2)

So, to start off the list is this boss from Dark Souls 2 (we might see alot of bosses from this game on the list!) Old Dragonslayer, who is virtually identical in appearance to Ornstein from the original game. Now this boss looks every inch as cool with very similar armour and even his moveset has a cool look to it as he uses a mixture of spear attacks and even dark magic to mix things up a little, so it has the makings of a potentially great boss fight.


However on the surface that's about as good as this fight get's as the actual challenge of this fight is VERY underwhelming as Old Dragonslayer really is a bit of a pushover, especially with NPC summons you can demolish this boss in under a minute! So, to say that I found him to be disappointing was kind of an understatement as Ornstein was a great challenge from the original Dark Souls and one of the most memorable bosses in the game. However here we are strictly given a neutered version of that boss, which is a real letdown.

And what's more disappointing is this fight has an excellent soundtrack as the theme for Old Dragonslayer has got to be easily one of the very best in the game as its a really engaging and powerful one. Its almost as if the composer was told we are getting another Ornstein fight, so they were excited and composed a great piece of music to go with it however in the end the fight just didn't cut it, so despite the music you really felt shortchanged. But I do have to say having recently replayed the game I was killed by the OD four times with only one summon, so I guess he's not entirely straightforward!

So, Old Dragonslayer is indeed a big letdown and should have been way better a fight than it actually was and as such deserves its place at No.10.

9. Demon of Song (Dark Souls 2)

At No.9 is Demon of Song from Dark Souls 2, who appears in one of the game's toughest and most frustrating areas, the Shrine of Amana. The Demon of Song itself is a creepy weird looking demon frog with a skull like face that has arms coming out from the side of its mouth and has a long tail. It also pulls forward its skin to cover its face, which shields itself from damage and its exposed face is really its only weakspot.

Now the main thing that's disappointing about this boss is the sheer hell you have to go through to actually get to it as the Shrine of Amana is no joke whatsoever. This is because the area is filled with dangerous enemies, such as priestesses that cast homing spells at you, Archdrakes who try to club you to death with maces and strange man-lizard hyrbid creatures that leap out the water and lash at you.

So, when you finally reach the boss you are like...is that it?! Is that what I went through all that hell for just to get to such a lame bosses as this??? The boss design to be fair does look pretty interesting if just a tad grotesque but it is one of the more original looking bosses. But its moveset is unbelievably naff and uninteresting as it just leaps about and tries to hit you with its long arms...and that's about it!

So, yep Demon of Song definitely belongs on this list as one of the most disappointing bosses in the series especially considering what you have to go through to get to it and for that alone it deserves its place at No.9.

8. High Lord Wolnir (Dark Souls 3)

At No.8 is one of the rare disappointing bosses from Dark Souls 3, which had some of the best and most memorable bosses from the entire series but this boss sure ain't one of them. And High Lord Wolnir is especially underwhelming given the high calibre of bosses in the game overall it just felt like this boss was filler for the game.

As for the boss himself, High Lord Wolnir is essentially a giant skeleton that has dark powers and can summon skeletons at will to defend himself. Wolnir can also emit dark mist, which can be quite devastating and wipe out a player very quickly if they aren't careful and on top of that he also has a massive sword, which can cause alot of damage if you get hit by it.

And the problem I have with this boss is that there is very little challenge to him and his moveset is pretty dull and I myself very rarely died to this boss in the game infact I think only died once the whole time I fought him and that was because I was standing too close to him when he launched one of his mist attacks. The boss does have a pretty sinister look of course as a giant skeleton and the dark setting does a bit of creepy atmosphere but apart from that this boss offers precious little else.

So, this guy definitely is one of the more underwhelming bosses from Dark Souls 3 and while Deacons of the Deep is just as easy a boss at least its good fun at the same time (well for me anyway). However, High Lord Wolnir is just a load of meh and as such certainly deserves a place on the list here at No.8.

7. Gaping Dragon (Dark Souls)

At No.7 is this boss from the original Dark Souls game, the Gaping Dragon, who is a giant dragon with what can only be described as having a vagina for a face (well a vagina with teeth!!). This boss however is actually surprisingly optional even though it drops the key to the dreaded area that is Blighttown, you can still access Blighttown from Firelink Shrine, so you don't have to fight him here.

As for what makes the Gaping Dragon so disappointing???  Well, it simply comes down to being one of the most pre-occupied bosses in the whole game as it appears to be more interested in itself than you as a foe! I mean the thing just moves around and occassionally leaps to attack you but for the most part it just buries its head in the ground and scurries about! Now surely they should have come up with something better than this as a boss??! Again to me this boss just feels like a bit of filler before you move on with the game but as I said before at least he is optional.

So, yep the Gaping Dragon despite its cool design is definitely one of the more disappointing bosses in the original Dark Souls, the potential was there but for me it was just squandered and we were left with a very underwhelming challenge and just a nothing boss that deserves its place at No.7.

6. Burnt Ivory King (Dark Souls 2)

So, at No.6 is this guy from Dark Souls 2 (yep Dark Souls 2 again lol!) the Burnt Ivory King, who is a bosses from one of the DLCs in the game, which is called funnily enough the Crown of the Ivory King.

Now to be fair before I start, I do have to say that this guy is one of the coolest looking bosses in the whole game and his moveset is pretty slick and his weapon is even pretty cool looking.  Also what's worth mentioning about this fight is the very cool entrance to it as you take a big plunge down into the arena where you will fight the boss. However the real challenge of this fight comes in the lead-up to the boss's actual appearance as you have to fight off a series of burnt ivory knights before the Burnt Ivory King appears and these knights keep coming through portals, which need to be sealed off. In order to do this however you need to recruit four Loyce knights to help you seal these portals up and without them this fight can be very difficult.

As for the boss himself however, the Burnt Ivory King as a challenge is a bit of a joke especially with summons as I found that I could finish him very quickly with the three NPC summons that are available for this fight. In fact this boss fight with summons can be one of the funniest to take down because they can basically overwhelm him very quickly with a series of slashes and pokes that massacre the Ivory King in a matter of seconds!

So, basically this fight has a very cool and epic feel to it when you start but as the fight goes on and you fight the Burnt Ivory King, despite his cool appearance and badass looking weapon, he is a very underwhelming boss as a challenge, which is a pity. Now perhaps without summons he is much tougher but with summons this guy is a real pushover.

So, for me the Burnt Ivory King should have been a much better boss fight that it actually was (well for me anyway) as it had all the makings of a really cool fight but it just didn't live up to expectations in the end and for that it deserves to be placed here at No.6.

Right, so that's it for the first part of my list and I will be back soon with Part 2.

So, see you soon...

Full Metal Jacket Revisted "This is my rifle, this is my gun!"

Right time for a non Dark Souls post and this one is another revistation, which will cover a vietnam war film and Stanely Kubrick's penultimate movie: Full Metal Jacket. So, here I will do the usual expansion of quotations of dialogue and adding in headings to the sections and add to one or two flaws and do a new summary.

So, with that said all said let's saddle up, lock and load and take another look at this war classic...

And yep as usual, the following warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

STORY 

So, the story is set in 1967 during the Vietnam war and it begins with a group new recruits who are sent to Parris Island where they are trained by the hard ass and foul mouthed senior drill instructor Sgt Hartman (Lee Ermey).  Hartman uses tough tactics on the recruits, which include the cocky Private Joker (Matthew Modine), the inept and overweight Leonard Lawrence "Private Pyle" (Vincent D'Onofrio) (these are nicknames given by Hartman).  Pyle's bumbling and clumsy nature and frequently below par performance in his training gets him regularly into trouble with Hartman who pushes him hard.

After a while Hartman decides to have Pyle paired with Joker to help him improve in his training, which for a while improves.  However Pyle is found out by Hartman to have stolen a jelly doughnut from the mess hall which he hid in his footlocker (which was found to be unlocked on inspection by Hartman).  Hartman then decides as a result of Pyle's failure that every time he screws up, he will punish the rest of the recruits instead, and this indeed carries on as Pyle's continues to make mistakes.  One night the rest of the recruits attack Pyle by pinning him down in his bed and hitting him with bars of soap.  By now Pyle is left feeling totally isolated and alone and from here he starts to show signs of mental breakdown.

Pyle however on the plus side starts to finally impress Hartman with his rifleman skills and it is not long after this that Pyle disciplines himself into becoming a textbook marine, but at this time Pyle also starts to show signs of cracking up as he talks to his rifle.  On completion of their training the marines are given their military occupational assignments, with Pyle and many of the other recruits being given infantry in the field, and Joker basic military journalism.

On the final night on the island Joker on nightwatch finds Pyle in the toilets, holding his rifle, clearly now having suffered a mental breakdown, Pyle starts to quote the rifleman's creed, this noise of which awakens Hartman.  Hartman storms into the latrine and demands that Pyle put down his weapon, but Pyle instead kills Hartman and then he turns the rifle on himself, leaving Joker stunned.

After this the film jumps to the following year 1968 where Joker is now a journalist in the war for Stars and Stripes.  And from here Joker is sent to Phu Bai where he soon meets up with one of his fellow recruits Prviate Cowboy (Arliss Howard) and his squad of men, which includes the cynical machine gunner, Animal Mother (Adam Baldwin). And from here things get tough as Joker becomes more involved in the war as a soldier where he has to fight like the others to survive in Vietnam....

THOUGHTS 

Full Metal Jacket is no doubt one of the most memorable war films in recent years, and while you could argue that the main showpiece of the film is its first 45 minutes during the boot camp sequences, it still remains one of Stanley Kubrick's most powerful films.  Kubrick's look at the war in a way is similar to Apocalypse now in that it isn't told in a strictly literal fashion as depicted in Oliver Stone's Platoon, where it get's down to the nitty gritty of the sights, sounds, noises, the dirt, the bugs and the blood, it is more about examining the attitudes of the war from the point of view from the soldiers in the field, than purely focusing on fighting to survive.

Kubrick wanted to make a film about the Vietnam war for several years and it took some persuasion for him to work with his close friend Michael Herr, who was a former war correspondent, with whom he co-wrote the screenplay along with Gustav Hasford.  Production wise of course with Kubrick's fear of flying the film once again was filmed entirely in England and at locations such as the Norfolk Broads, and a former RAF and British army based, Bassingbourn barracks, the Cliffe marshes (used for the open country scenes) as well as at disused gas works in London.  And given that it was supposed to be set in Vietnam, Kubrick went as far as to even import palm trees from Spain!  And its this attention to detail that actually makes you believe or at least accept that the film does capture the Vietnam setting.

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section contains spoilers and strong language!). 

Getting onto the performances they are pretty much top notch here as the excellent cast give it their best.

Starting with Matthew Modine arguably giving one of his best performances as the cocky Private Joker, which Modine shows in a way as being about the only character in the film with a sense of empathy, as he is mainly surrounded by marine killing machines.  And in the Parris island scenes you see that he is the only one that shows any kind of empathy towards Private Pyle and his inability to perform well in his training as well as his dismay at Pyle's eventual breakdown.

Modine does of course have plenty of good scene as the one where Joker during his brutal training at Paris Island is asked by Hartman, "Do you believe in the Virgin Mary?" and Joker says "Sir, no, sir!" which angers Hartman. So, Hartman shouts at Joker "Why little maggot! You make me wanna VOMIT!" and he slaps him roughly across the face and demands that Joker tell him he does love the Virgin Mary or he'll stomp his guts out. So, Hartman asks him again "Now you do love the Virgin Mary, don't you??" and Joker shouts back "Sir, negative, sir!" and Hartman shots "Private Joker, are you trying to offend me???!" and Joker responds "Sir, negative, sir! Sir, the private believes any answer he gives will be wrong and the senior drill instructor will beat him harder if he reverses himself, sir!". 

Another good moment from Modine is when the Joker during a team meeting at the Stars & Stripes press office is told by his boss, Lt Lockhart that the war is now unwinnable but made reference to Ann Margaret coming to Asia the week before. So, as Lt Lockhart tells his team in summary of the situation "Its a huge shit sandwich and we're all gonna have to take a big bite!" Joker sarcastically replies "Sir, does this mean that Ann Margaret is NOT coming?".  

Joker faces off against one of Vietnam soldiers, Animal Mother, who asks him what he does and Joker tells him he is a combat correspondent, and Animal mother sarcastically asks "Have you ever seen any combat?" and Joker replies "Well, I've seen a little on TV!". Animal then says "You're a REAL comedian!" and Joker grins and says "Well, they call me the Joker!". So, Animal then says "Well, I've got a joke for you...I'm gonna tear you a new asshole!" and Joke retorts in a John Wayne voice "Well, pilgram...only after you eat the peanuts out of my sheeitt!".   

Another good scene is when Joker is being interviewed on camera along with the other platoon soldiers after he reunites with Cowboy. So, Joker tells the interviewers "I wanted to see exotic Vietnam... the crown jewel of Southeast Asia. I wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture... and kill them. I wanted to be the first kid on my block to get a confirmed kill!".

WARNING: BIG SPOILER COMING UP IN NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS!

Then there is the scene where after a VC sniper has killed some of Cowboy's platoon (including Cowboy himself) Joker, Animal Mother and the others make their way into the building where the sniper is and as Joker finds the sniper and is about to fire on her, his rifle jams so the sniper turns round and opens fire on him. Joker manages to take cover but the sniper bears down on him but she is gunned down by Rafterman just in time, who shouts on the others they got the sniper.

So, in the scene as the sniper lies dying on the ground, Joker asks "What about her?" and Animal Mother says "Fuck her. Let her rot" but Joker insists "We can't just leave her here". So, Animal Mother coldly tells Joker "Hey asshole, Cowboy's wasted. You're fresh out of friends. So, I say we leave the gook for the motherlovin' rats!". Joker then looks up at Animal Mother angrily and says "I'm not trying to run the squad, I'm just saying we can't leave her like this". So, as the sniper gasps for breath she suddenly manages to speak in English "shoot me" and Animal Mother goads Joker into shooting her, which after some hesitation he does. 

And last of all is the last scene of the film where Joker and the other soldiers walk through the ruins of a VC area and they all sing the "Mickey Mouse" song and Joker narrates. So, Joker says in narration "My thoughts drift back to erect nipple wet dreams about Mary Jane Rottencrotch and the Great Homecoming Fuck Fantasy. I am so happy that I am alive, in one piece and short. I'm in a world of shit... yes. But I am alive. And I am not afraid".

Vincent D'Onofrio is terrific in his tragic role as the hapless Leonard Lawrence or "Private Pyle", an overweight recruit who is unable to do things right by himself until later on when he is pushed to breaking point by Hartman.

D'Onofrio has several highlights in the film particularly the scene where Hartman first talks to Pyle who tries not to laugh at Hartman's gruff yet amusingly profane manner. So, in the scene Hartman asks Lawrence, who is smirking at Hartman's gruff profanity "Do you think I'm funny?!" and Pyle says "Sir, no sir!" and Hartman demands "Then wipe that disgusting grin off your face!". However, Pyle has difficulty trying to stop grinning, so Hartman angrily says "Well any-fucking-time, sweetheart!" and Pyle says "Sir, I'm trying, sir!". So, as Hartman threatens Pyle to wipe the grin off his face by gouging out his eyes and skull fucking him, Pyle can no longer restrains his grin and he says "Sir, I can't help it, sir!". So, Hartman get's Pyle down on his knees and has him choke himself using Hartman's hand who shouts at him "Are you through grinning?!" and Pyle gasps "Sir, yes, sir!" and Hartman shouts he cannot hear him twice more and Pyle shouts in strained voice "SIR, YES, SIR!". 

Another good scene from Vince is when Hartman inspects the men and has them stand on their footlockers in their underwear and T-shirts with their hands held out and he notices that Pyle's footlocker is unlocked. So, Hartman yells at Pyle "Private Pyle, why is your footlocker unlocked?!" and Pyle shouts "Sir, I don't know, sir!" and Hartman shouts back "If there is one thing in this world that I hate, its an unlocked footlocker, you know that Private Pyle!" and Pyle shouts "Sir, yes sir!".

So, Hartman yells at Pyle to get down as he inspects Pyle's footlocker and he finds a jelly doughnut inside it. So, Hartman yells at Pyle "What the fuck is that?! WHAT IS THAT PRIVATE PYLE??!" and Pyle tells him "Sir, its a jelly doughnut, sir!" and Hartman asks him "Is chow allowed in the barracks, Private Pyle?" and Pyle replies "Sir, no sir!". Hartman grills him more and asks "Are you allowed to eat jelly doughnuts, Private Pyle?!" and Pyle says "Sir, no, sir!" and Hartman asks "And why not?!" and Private Pyle says "Sir, because I'm too heavy, sir!". Hartman then asks "Then why did you try and sneak a jelly doughnut into your footlocker, Private Pyle?!" and Pyle replies "Sir, because I was hungry, sir!" and Hartman grimly repeats "Because you were hungry!".  

Then there is the scene where Pyle shows signs that he is beginning to crack up as he talks to his rifle as he cleans it, which begins to worry Joker. So, Pyle in the scene says quietly to himself "It's been swabbed and brushed. Everything...is clean. Beautiful. So that it slides perfectly. Nice. Everything cleaned...oiled. So that your action is beautiful. Smooth, Charlene" with Joker looking on concerned.

Another noteworthy scene is when Pyle finally manages to get his peformance up to speed for his training but by this time he is starting to show signs that he is cracking up. However, in this scene we see that its Joker that makes a mistake when Hartman questions him and Pyle answers Hartman flawlessly.

So, in the scene Hartman walks up to Pyle and inspects his rifle and asks "How many counts in that movement you just executed?" and Pyle in a firm and assertive tone says "Four counts, sir!". So, as Hartman checks Pyle's weapon, he asks Pyle "What's the idea with looking down the chamber?" and Pyle replies "Sir, that is to guarantee that the private is not giving the inspecting officer a loaded weapon, sir!". Hartman then asks "What's your fifth general order?" and Pyle answers without a beat "Sir, the private's fifth general order is to quit my post only when properly relieved, sir!". Hartman finally asks "What's this weapon's name, Private Pyle?" and Pyle answers "Sir, the private's weapon's name is Charlene, sir!". So, Hartman who is impressed for once with Pyle, says to him "Private Pyle you are definitely born again hard! Hell, I may even allow you to serve as a rifleman in my beloved corps!" and Pyle shouts "Sir, yes, sir!" and Hartman moves off. 

And last of all is Vincent's last scene where Pyle is found by Joker in the bathroom after lights out on the final night at the island and Pyle has finally lost his mind and he sits on a toilet seat with his rifle. And as Joker shines his torch on Pyle, Pyle looks up with a crazy grin and says "Hi, Joker!" and Joker nervously asks Pyle "Are those live rounds?" and Pyle tells Joker ".762 millimeter. Full metal jacket!". Joker then nervously tells Pyle "Leonard...if Hartman comes in here and catches us, we'll both be in a world of shit" but Pyle looks angrily at shouts "I AM in a world of SHIT!" and he then starts to do his drills and begins to cite the Rifleman's creed before Hartman storms into the toilet, which leads into a tragic climax for both Pyle and Hartman. 

Which brings me onto Lee Ermey as Sgt Hartman, who delivers the best performance in the film as the ruthless drill sergeant, and he plays Hartman straight down the line as a hard assed marine, who frequently spouts out profanity at his recruits in order to push them as far they can go.  When Kubrick hired Ermey, who was a real life drill instructor in the US marine corps, he asked that he wanted it to be real, and Ermey said "Stanely, I wouldn't give it to you any other way." 

Ermey has so many good scenes here and priceless lines of dialogue that there are too many to mention all at once, but I will of course mention a few key ones. 

And to start off there is Ermey's first scene where Hartman introduces himself to the new recruits and he tells them "I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor. From now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be "Sir". Do you maggots understood that?" and the men respond "Sir, yes, sir!" and Hartman shouts "Bullshit! I can't hear you! Sound off like you got a pair!" and the men shout louder "SIR, YES, SIR!".

Hartman then continues "If you ladies leave my island, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon. You will be a minister of death praying for war. But until that day, you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even human fucking beings. You are nothing but unorganized grab-asstic pieces of amphibian shit! Because I am hard, you will not like me. But the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair. There is no racial bigotry here. I do not look down on niggers, kikes, wops or greasers. Here you are all equally worthless!".

This is then followed by the scene where he questions Private Cowboy for the first time who tells him he's from Texas "Holy dog shit, only steers and queers come from Teaxs, Private Cowboy and you don't look much like a steer to me so that kind of narrows it down!.  Hartman then asks "Do you suck dicks?" and Cowboy replies "Sir, no, sir!" and Hartman asks "Are you a peter puffer??!" and again Cowboy replies "Sir, no, sir!" and Hartman shouts back "I bet you would be the kind of goddam person that would fuck a person in the ass and not even give them the courtesy of a reach around!  I'll be watching you!". 

Then of course there is the classic scene where Hartman has the recruits parade around their bunks holding their rifles and grabbing their crotches and as they do they are singing the memorable words that are of course as follows: "This is my rifle, this is my gun!  This is for fighting, this is for fun!".

Another great scene from Ermey is when Pyle feebly tries to climb the training course obsctacle wall and he is afraid to climb over it much to the disgust of Hartman.  So, Hartman shouts at Pyle "Get up here fat boy, you're too slow! You climb obstacles like old people fuck, do you know that, Private Pyle???!".  So, as Pyle finally reaches the top of the obstacle he is too afraid to climb over it and Hartman grills him and shouts "Well, what in the fuck are you waiting for?! Up and over! MOVE IT!! MOVE IT!!".  However, as Pyle gasps and looks scared, Hartman yells "Are you quitting on me???? WELL ARE YOU?!! Then QUIT you slimey walrus fuckin piece of shit! Get the fuck off my obstacle! GE THE FUCK DOWN OFF OF MY OBSTACLE!! NOW! MOVE IT! I'm gonna rip your balls off so you cannot contaminate the rest of the world!  I will motivate you private, even if it short dicks every cannibal on the congo!!!". 

This is then followed by the scene where Hartman begins to really push Pyle hard with his training as he forces him out on a separate run with Joker and we see Pyle is exhausted as he is running with Joker holding him up. So, in the scene Hartman shouts at Pyle "The fucking war will be over by the time we get out there, won't it, Private Pyle?! Are you going to fucking die on me?! DO IT NOW!!". And as Hartman continues to push an exhausted Pyle, who is gasping for breath as he runs slowly, Hartman shouts at him "Do you feel dizzy?! Do you feel faint?! Jesus H. Christ! I think you've got a hard-on!!".

And then there is the scene where Hartman discovers a jelly doughnut in Pyle's footlocker and he holds up the offending doughnut and addresses the men. So, Hartman tells them "Private Pyle has dishonored himself and dishonored the platoon. I have tried to help him. But I have failed. I have failed because YOU have not helped me. YOU people have not given Private Pyle the proper motivation! So, from now on, whenever Private Pyle fucks up, I will not punish him! I will punish all of YOU! And the way I see it ladies, you owe me for ONE JELLY DOUGHNUT! NOW GET ON YOUR FACES!". Hartman then turns to Pyle and says "Open your mouth!" and Hartman shoves the doughnut into Pyle's mouth and he shouts "They're paying for it! YOU eat it!".  

WARNING: SPOILER COMING UP IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH!

And last of all is Ermey's final scene where Hartman confronts Pyle, who at this point has had a complete mental breakdown. So, Hartman storms into the toilet (or head) having been rudely awoken by Pyle loudly reciting the Rifelman's creed. 

So, Hartman yells "What is this Mickey Mouse shit? What in the name of Jesus H. Christ are you animals doing in my head? Why is Private Pyle out of his bunk after lights-out?!! Why is Private Pyle holding that weapon?!! Why aren't you stomping Private Pyle's guts out?!!!". Joker then informs Hartman that Pyle has a loaded weapon and Hartman tries a change of tack and he approaches Pyle slowly and says "Now, you listen to me, Private Pyle. And you listen good. I want that weapon, and I want it now. You will place that rifle on the deck at your feet, and step back away from it". However, Pyle instead aims his rifle right at Hartman, who yells his last words "What is your major malfunction, numbnuts?!!! DIDN'T MOMMY AND DADDY NOT SHOW YOU ENOUGH ATTENTION WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD???!!" which prompts Pyle to shoot Hartman dead and end a great performance.

Arliss Howard is also excellent as Private Cowboy, who you don't actually engage with much until he appears later in the film in Vietnam, and he becomes a more humanised character as he leads a squad of men who respect him.  And Howard's performance could actually be the one that elicits some emotion from the audience especially as he can be identified as the everyman in the film.

Howard has some good scenes in the film aswell such as the one where Joker reunites with Cowboy again in Vietnam and the two of them give each a warm hug. So, in the scene Cowboy emotionally hugs him and says "I was hoping I'd never see you again, you piece of shit!" and Cowboy jokes with Joker and asks "You been getting any?" and Joker teases him "Only you're sister!" and Cowboy laughs and says "Well, better my sister than my mom, my mom ain't bad!". 

Then there is the scene where Cowboy is interviewed for TV and he says "When we're in Hue, in Hue city...it's like a war, you know. Like what I thought about, what I thought a war was supposed to be. There's the enemy, kill them!".  And this is followed by an amusing moment when he tells the camera crew "I hate Vietnam. There's not one horse in this whole country. There's not one horse in Vietnam. There's somethin' basically wrong with that!". 

And lastly there is the scene where two of Cowboy's men are shot by a sniper and Animal Mother insists they go in and get them but Cowboy refuses to as he knows it is a trap being set up by VC forces. So, Cowboy warns Animal Mother "Listen, Mother! I'm callin the plays and I say we pull out!" but Animal Mother asks him "What about Doc Jay and Eightball?" and Cowboy tells him "I know its a shitty thing to do but we can't refuse to accept the situation!".  However, Animal Mother refuses to listen, which angers Cowboy who shouts at him "Stand down! That's a direct order!" but Animal Mother goes in anyway. 

This then leads into Howard's last moment where (SPOILER!!!) Cowboy is shot by the sniper and his men, including Joker gather around him to try and save him and Cowboy desparately says with his dying breath "I can hack it! I can hack it!". However, as Joker cradles Cowboy, Cowboy soon dies in his arms, marking maybe the film's most powerful scene. 

And last of all is Adam Baldwin who is also really good as Animal Mother, the no nonsense cynical soldier whom bears a grudge against Joker when he meets him.

So, in Baldwin's first scene, Animal Mother walks up to Joker and asks him "Are you a photographer?" and Joker tells him "No, I'm a combat correspondent" and Animal Mother sarcastically asks "Have you see any combat?!" and Joker says "Well, I seen a little on TV!". Animal Mother grins and says "So, you're a real comedian!" and Joker tells him "Well they call me the Joker!" and Animal Mother says to him "Well, I got a joke for you...I'm gonna tear you a new asshole!" and Joker in a John Wayne voice says "Well, pilgrim, only after you eat the peanuts out of my shit!". So, Animal Mother then asks him in a threatening way "You talk the talk, do you walk the walk?!"

Then there is the scene where Joker, Cowboy, Animal Mother and the other soldiers stand around the dead bodies of two of their men and each of them say something about their fallen comrades. So, as Rafterman says "At least they died for a good cause" Animal Mother asks him "What cause is that?" and Rafterman suggests "Freedom?" and Animal Mother with a slight grin says "You'd better flush out your head, new guy. This isn't about freedom; this is a slaughter. If I'm gonna get my balls blown off for a word, my word is "poontang".

Another good scene from Baldwin is when two of the platoon are being shot by a VC sniper and as Cowboy tells the men they are to pull out and leave the two injured men behind, Animal Mother refuses to listen.

So, Animal Mother shouts "Wait! Hold it! Nobody's pulling out! There's only one fucking sniper!" and Cowboy warns him "Back off, Mother! I'm calling the plays and I'd say we pull out!". So, AM then asks "What about Doc Jay and Eight Ball?" and Cowboy says "They're wasted! You know that!" but Animal Mother refuses to listen and shouts "Fuck you, Cowboy! FUCK ALL YOU ASSHOLES!!" and he storms in toward the two dying men and shoots some covering fire as he does. However, Animal Mother then asks a mortally wounded Doc Jay where the sniper is "Doc, where is the sniper?" and as Doc Jay weakly points in the rough direction, he and Eight Ball are shot dead leaving Animal Mother looking shocked and he says "Shit! Fuck!". Cowboy then checks out the area and narrowly avoids taking fire from the sniper and soon shouts back to Cowboy "Cowboy! Doc Jay and Eight Ball are wasted! There's only one sniper! You're clear up to here! Come on!". 

And last of all is the scene where (SPOILER!!) Rafterman has saved Joker by shooting the sniper, who turns out to be a young woman, who by this time is lying on the ground. So, Animal Mother looks down at the sniper and says "OK. Let's get the fuck out of here" and Joker asks "What about her?" and Animal Mother says "Fuck her. Let her rot". However, Joker insists "We can't just leave her like this" and Animal Mother tells him "Hey asshole... Cowboy's wasted. You're fresh out of friends. I'm running the squad now, and I say we leave the gook for the motherlovin' rats!". However the sniper then struggles to speak and in English says "Shoot me" and Animal Mother looks to Joker and tells him "You wanna waste her? Go ahead. Waste her".  

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC 

Finally moving onto the direction by the master, Stanley Kubrick, well he once again here makes a technically brilliant film and he uses his typical camera set ups of slow pans, and symmetrical patterned shots, and makes good use of slow mo in some of the film's later scenes, especially during the attack on Cowboy's squad by a VC sniper.  And he makes great use of the film locations in England for the various scenes in the film, even if you can see during the Parris island scenes that there are English give way road signs! Kubrick however also doesn't forget to add some emotional impact to the film particularly later on in the film during the sniper sequence and the consequences it has on the platoon there.   

As for the soundtrack for the film is also excellent as it features some original atmospheric moody pieces by Abigail Mead.  It also features some tracks of the period which are used really well such as Johnnie Wright's "Hello Vietnam" which is used right at the beginning where we see the recruits get their hair shaved off.  Also Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are Made for Walkin" where we see the Vietnamese hooker tempt Joker and his journal photographer friend Rafterman with the famous line "Me so horny, me so horny! Love you long time!".  Then there is of course the catchy "Surfin Bird" by The Trashman, which is just brilliant and was later again popularised by Family Guy, and finally The Rolling Stones "Paint it black" is aptly used at the end credits.

FLAWS

As for the flaws...well Full Metal Jacket isn't quite perfect of course.

And I would have to say that the film's main problem is that its pacing suffers from a real a dip after the Parris Island sequence is over and Lee Ermey's character, Sgt Hartman is killed off, and from then on, the film doesn't have the same energy and level of intensity. However to be fair the film does pick up again when Joker is sent back into the "shit" in Vietnam and he regroups with Cowboy, which does help add a little more emotional weight to the story. 

I also think that the film's locations while largely excellent, still do show up the rather drab English weather given that it was shot entirely in the UK (due to Kubrick's fear of flying he wouldn't leave England) and of course you also get that scene where you see the English give-way signs during Hartman's training run!  I also felt looking at the imported palm trees that we see also kind of adds a sort of fake look to proceedings in a way, of course there are plenty of palm trees in Vietnam for sure but it feels like Kubrick had slightly overdone the whole palm tree thing here at the same time. 

I also found it a bit strange how the character of Rafterman (Kevyn Major Howard) seems to quickly turn into a real asshole after he shoots the sniper, he suddenly adopts a cocky attitude to the other men and he boasts to them. Because in the scene, Rafterman boasts "I got the sniper! I fucking blew her away! Aren't I a life-taker?! Aren't I heartbreaker?!" it just seems like he has underwent a complete personality change from the guy we had seen before. So, in short, Rafterman is a dick.

Anyway that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So to sum up, Full Metal Jacket is an excellent war film and one that tells the Vietnam War story from a different perspective as we get to see both the training and combat processes of the war. Stanley Kubrick once again directs the film brilliantly with his great eye for technical details but he also allows to draw in the audience and show them characters that are memorable and tragic at the same time. The film also has great performances from its strong cast and in particular, Modine, D'Onofiro, Ermey, Howard and Baldwin all give some of their best work here and yep this film also introduced the world to the pleasure of that "Surfin Bird" track aswell!

So, overall Full Metal Jacket 31 years on is still well worth a watch and it remains one of the most memorable Vietnam war films of its time.

OK, so that's it for now and I will be back soon with another post.

Till then its bye for now!