Where Was Full Metal Jacket Filmed? An Intriguing War Drama!

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Do you prefer watching war drama movies? If yes, Full Metal Jacket(1987) is the best drama movie to watch. If you don’t know anything about this critically acclaimed film, don’t worry, as today, in this article, I’ll explain the plot and where was Full Metal Jacket filmed.

The war drama film Full Metal Jacket is based on the novel The Short-Timers written by Gustav Hasford. The film was produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. Stanley also co-wrote the movie with writers Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film was released on June 26, 1987, in United States theatres and was a box office success grossing $120 million against the $30 million budget.

Full Metal Jacket is one of the best war-based movies, with a high IMDb rating of 8.3/10. So, if you are curious to learn where the story is set and its actual filming locations, keep reading the article.

Where Was Full Metal Jacket Filmed? Check Out The Location Details Here!

Where Was Full Metal Jacket Filmed? An Intriguing War Drama!

The film showcases a group of young men undergoing Marine Corps basic training who keep struggling with their strict and abusive Drill Instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The second half is intriguing as one of the team members, Joker, battles in the Vietnam War.

The movie’s script is well-crafted, and the cinematography of the movie is excellent, covering the war sequences brilliantly with the best backdrop settings. The production team utilized the different locations in England for filming.

The filming was difficult for the crew members, especially when the shooting occurred in the Beckton Gas Works region. During the shooting, Ermey, who played Hartman’s role, had a car accident, so he took a rest for more than four months, delaying the shooting process.

Now, without further delay, let me tell you the exact location details where was Full Metal Jacket filmed.

London, England | UK

Where Was Full Metal Jacket Filmed? An Intriguing War Drama!

The major filming of Full Metal Jacket was done in London. The interior of Millennium Mills in Royal Docks was used to shoot some vital sequences of Full Metal Jacket. The crucial medical tent scenes were filmed in South Eastern Gas Board, Ordnance Crescent Greenwich for filming. The significant movie portions were filmed at Beckton Gasworks in Beckton. Some filming also took place on the Isle of Dogs.

London is a famous filming destination in England, and many movies have been filmed in this region, including See How They Run, Barbie and The Flash.

Other Filming Locations In England

Where Was Full Metal Jacket Filmed? An Intriguing War Drama!

Apart from the main location in London, the production team covered different cities in England for filming. The significant portions of Parris Island sequences were filmed in RAF Swinderby in Lincolnshire. Some scenes were filmed in a real location, Parris Island in South Carolina. The Mekong River scenes were filmed in Norfolk Broads in Norfolk.

The production team used Cliffe marshes in Kent to shoot the Vietnam countryside sequences. The pivotal training camp scenes were filmed in Epping Forest in the Essex region. Some movie segments were filmed in one of the famous studios in England, Pinewood Studios at Iver Health in Buckinghamshire.

Some popular movies filmed in and around England include Pinocchio, McKennas Gold, Mission Impossible Fallout, and Beyond Paradise. So, these are all the details you need to know about where was Full Metal Jacked filmed.

Other Interesting Production Details To Know

Where Was Full Metal Jacket Filmed? An Intriguing War Drama!

In 1980, Kubrick decided to do a war film and searched for a novel to adapt. He also gets the help of Michael Herr, the author of Dispatches to find and develop the war-based story. After a long search, Kubrick found The Short-Timers as a masterpiece and decided to make it a movie. However, Herr was not interested in the project, but Kubrick tried for over three years to make Herr accept the project.

Herr finally accepted, and both started drafting the script. Kubrick also contacted the author of the book Gustav Hustord to develop the story. There were some disputes between Herr and Hustord while writing the script and for the final credits. Later, the filmmakers decided to give the writing credits to three of them.

Next, for the casting, the production team did an advertisement for the casting search and asked the performers to send the videotape. The team received over 3000 recorded videos, reduced them to nearly 800, and gave them to Kubdrick for review.

The production team first selected Ermey for the technical advisor role, but after reading the script, Ermey preferred doing the Hartman role. First, Kubdrick hesitated to give the role, but Ermey put much effort into preparation and performed the insulting dialogues. After seeing the performance, Kubrick found he would be a great fit for the role.

Joker, the team considered many actors for the lead role, including Anthony Michael Hall, Val Kilmer, Bruce Willis, Ed Harris, Bill McKinney, and Denzel Washington. Finally, the team selected Matthew Modine for the role.

Plot Of Full Metal Jacket | What Is The Story About?

The first half of the story showcases the group of young men training at the United States Marine Corps under the supervision of Drill Instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. Hartman treats trainers harshly, insults and gives nicknames to each of them.

One among the member is J.T. Davis, whose nickname is Joker, and Hartman selects him as squad leader after seeing his courage. After the successful completion of the training, Joker became a Sergeant and, with his team, handled the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War.

Final Words

Well, above are all the details you need to know about where was Full Metal Jacket filmed. If you found this article helpful, check out similar content on our website, including The Snowman, I See You, and Florida Man. Tell me in the comments section below if you have any movie titles I want to cover.

Who is the cinematographer of the film?

The cinematographer of the movie is Douglas Milsome.

Who is the editor of the film?

The editor of the movie is Martin Hunter.

Did the film receive any awards?

The movie received 15 nominations and won eight awards, including one Oscar.

Where to watch Full Metal Jacket film?

The movie is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

Ujwal Mattoo
Ujwal Mattoo
With full journalism and half engineering background, Ujwal has hands in both the tech and creative fields. He is a film enthusiast who loves all kinds of genres. As much as he enjoys watching movies, he is always amused to know more and write about the locations to feed his hunger for traveling. In this world of fictional louds, he voices his opinions softly! He is either busy writing or playing with Milo, his dog!

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