In the following essay, Doherty places Full Metal Jacket within the context of the Vietnam War film, contending that it “exemplifies the Vietnam War film in its mature stage, a stage whose distinguishing quality is its reliance on cinematic, not historical, experience.”

In the following essay, Reaves contrasts Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket with the novel from which it is adapted, Gustav Hasford's The Short-Timers.

In the following essay, Schweitzer asserts that Full Metal Jacket's “ability to convey a nuanced historical argument through an artistic medium—in effect, to address simultaneously the audience's hearts and minds—is unique and deserves attention.”

In the following essay, Babe reflects on Kubrick's career and anticipates the release of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket.

In the following essay, Stevenson perceives Full Metal Jacket as based on Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage.