"All-metal shell" is an old film that has not lost its relevance

Any action can be accomplished in three main ways: right, wrong and military. This old aphorism is remembered when watching the blockbuster "All-metal shell", released on screens in the already distant 1986.

The theme of the Vietnam War is quite fully covered by Western cinema. The spectator, even born and raised after graduating, can judge the general atmosphere of films that have become classics, such as "Apocalypse Now" or "Platoon." Jungle, helmets in cloth cases, napalm, music by Nancy Sinatra, Rolling Stones, Doors and Creeds. Partisans, opening fire from thickets at the most unexpected moment. Helicopters carrying the dead in plastic bags and bleeding wounded. All this cocktail is crowned with an atmosphere of cruelty and hopelessness.

The film "All-metal shell" is not an exception. 2 hours of screen time are filled with suffering and violence.

The first shots introduce the spectator to the characters, whom the army hairdresser shears "at zero". Sounds country-style song with the words "Farewell, my dear, and hello, Vietnam." The guys are different, but there is something in them and something in common. These young soldiers have grown up in a prosperous country, they have no life experience, and for the most part are not used to thinking much. In practice, this is the ideal raw material for the army.

Director Stanley Kubrick divides the movie "All-metal shell" into two roughly equal parts in duration. This technique is typical for his other films ("Mechanical Orange", "Lights").

The first part describes the training of future marines in the training camp. Senior Sergeant Hartman formulates the goal of training: young people must become weapons of murder. The process is heavy. One of the cadets, a good-natured and narrow-minded lout who discovered the talent of an arrow in himself suddenly, goes mad, kills the commander, and then himself, clearly demonstrating the successful assimilation of the lessons learned.

The second part is devoted to combat operations. The all-metal shell of the bullet, into which lead is poured, is a symbol of this war, unusual and awkward. One of the main characters becomes a military correspondent, but he often has to fight along with ordinary soldiers. The inscription "born to kill" on his helmet adjoins the anti-war badge on the lapel of the jacket. The commander points out the absurdity of such a combination, and the hero vaguely explains it with philosophical terms.

The soldier shoots from the machine gun, sticking out at the door of the helicopter. He boasts that he killed many "cross-eyed", and even their buffalo, and asks to write about him.

Here is the partisan raid on the military base in Danang, explosions are heard, the technology is on fire, indiscriminate shooting is visible. No one knows where the enemy is, but they are all firing at random.

The heroes of the film "All-metal shell" lament the complete lack of understanding of the surrounding reality. The Vietnamese, whom they came to protect from the Communists, it turns out, do not sympathize with them. American soldiers do not like this country, where "there is not a single horse." At the same time, some of them admit that the people they have to kill are the best soldiers.

The film final "All-metal shell" becomes its culmination. Vietnamese sniper-girl, who finally manages to shoot, asks the soldiers to finish her off. Opinions on this issue are divided. One of the "gee-ay" wants to leave her to be eaten by rats. The correspondent shoots a partisan, rendering her last service. Everyone understands the outcome of this war.

Apparently, Stanley Kubrick himself could not imagine how modern his film will be in the 21st century.