Question: When Gunnery Sergeant Hartman first addresses the recruits, why does Joker start making jokes? Does he think Hartman is trying to be funny? Doesn't Joker realise that Hartman is serious?
raywest
27th Jun 2025
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
27th Jun 2025
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Question: When Hartman is giving the recruits the speech about Charles Whitman and Lee Harvey Oswald, why would he be praising those men when one was a mass murderer and the other is the man who (allegedly) assassinated President Kennedy, regardless of the level of skill of shooting involved? Wouldn't people like that be the types the Marines would want to disown?
Answer: Hartman is a bit nuts, but he isn't praising what those assassins did. He is matter-of-factly pointing out what they were capable of doing, as horrible as it was, with relatively primitive rifles from a far distance. He is training the recruits to be emotionless lethal killers able to hit their targets under sub-optimal conditions.
3rd Jun 2025
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Question: Joker says he drew fire watch. What is fire watch? I assume it's that someone has to be on guard in case they come under fire, but I don't think that would happen at boot camp (which I get is an ironic thing to say given what happens a few minutes later in that scene!).
Answer: Fire watch is just an informal term for sentry duty (to stand watch). I think it is derived from the fact that he will be the only one awake, so he is the only one to warn if there is indeed a fire, even though that's not the main duty. But that's just a guess.
Answer: Would add that the term "fire watch" has a long-time origin and several meanings. A fire watch is someone responsible for observing hot work activity to spot any fires during work operations. It applied to watching for and reporting forest fires during the summer. Also, "signal" fires were once a communication or warning system over long distances that assigned watchers continuously monitored. In the Army, a "fire watch" refers to a security duty assigned to soldiers, particularly during basic training, to monitor the barracks, especially at night. The colloquial phrase, "putting out fires," has come to mean dealing with problems as they occur.
3rd Jun 2025
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Question: What is the reference from Joker regarding John Wayne at the start of the movie? Was it related to what Gny Hartman was saying?
Answer: It was directly related to Gny. Sgt. Hartman. Joker was imitating John Wayne to mock Hartman for his over-the-top behaviour when addressing the recruits. He's implying that Hartman was acting like he was Wayne, a famous movie star known for playing tough, "gung ho" military heroes.
6th Nov 2008
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Question: What's the reason why Rafterman doesn't chase after the guy who steals his camera and Joker replies with his own set of "karate moves"?
Answer: Because it's basically a government camera. It's not his personal camera. He'll just go back and report that someone stole his camera and they'll issue him a new one. Not a big deal for that type of equipment, considering they're in a war zone. If they stole his rifle, it probably would have been a bigger deal, but it's just a camera.
Answer: Joker, a fresh recruit, is being a somewhat rebellious smart-ass and not taking things very seriously. He certainly does not think Hartman is trying to be funny but is mocking him for acting like an over-the-top, gung-ho John Wayne movie character.
raywest ★