I've only ever seen a few minutes of it on a couple occasions on cable long ago back in my college days presumably soon after its theatrical run. As is pretty much form for them, Warner don't bother with any kind of 3D object-based immersive audio track, but that's not really the end of the world, with them here repurposing the decade-plus-old lossless audio with a new DTS-HD MA 5. His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. I heard nice localization when the grunts were on the shooting range, and some general ambience also stretched across the different speakers.

What follows is horrifying to say the least and Pyle has one of the most insane mental breakdowns ever committed to film. Whether it’s the darkened locale of the training barracks’ toilets or the explosive action of the Vietnam War, the 4K treatment looks chillingly atmospheric. D’Onofrio dominates the first part of the film and still appears in the rest even though his character is gone; he just shows up less frequently, so the track becomes Cocks’ baby.The encounters between Hartman and his men – especially the overweight misfit, nicknamed Gomer Pyle is tough to watch. It's what keeps humans moving forward as Kubrick shows in the final moments of this brilliant war film. He’s joined by lots of other young men from all over the United States, feeling like a fish out of water but using his jokes to break the ice so-to-speak, even with his drill Sergeant. Shifting from the raw brutality of basic training to the dehumanising effects of combat, Full Metal Jacket deftly combines nonstop action with scathing dark humour. Details and clarity are on par with a new film, with textures, colors, foreground, background, and facial highlights all coming off just beautifully!

The skirmishes showed a wide range of effects, as gunfire and mortar blasts appeared in logical locations that made the fight come from all around me. Color, grain structure, densities, shadow detail, all perfect, as would befit viewing a digital representation of an original camera negative. At the end, you’ll find a helpful little paid link to grab your copy and without giving anything away in the opening… You’ll definitely want to get this if you’re a fan of the film!

The audio commentary is definitely worth giving a listen, if you’ve never taken the time to do so, now that you can while watching the film in 4K. There’s no obvious CGI or green-screen work here, with helicopters flying over the heads of actors, large numbers of extras and some terrific set-dressing with the ruined buildings littered around Vietnam. NOTE: This review's screenshots were captured from the included Blu-ray, which is identical to the 2007 release. Some of our content may contain marketing links, which means we will receive a commission for purchases made via those links.