The film is based on Hasford's autobiographical novel The Short-Timers. It stars Matthew Modine , R. The storyline follows a platoon of U. The first half of the film focuses primarily on privates J. Davis and Leonard Lawrence, nicknamed "Joker" and "Pyle" respectively, who struggle under their abusive drill instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. Warner Bros. It was the last of Kubrick's films to be released during his lifetime.
Drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman uses harsh methods to train them for combat. Among the recruits are the wisecracking J. Davis, who receives the name "Joker" after interrupting Hartman's introductory speech with an impression of John Wayne , and the overweight and dim-witted Leonard Lawrence, whom Hartman nicknames " Gomer Pyle. During boot camp, Hartman names Joker as squad leader and puts him in charge of helping Pyle improve. One evening while doing a hygiene inspection, Hartman notices that Pyle's footlocker is unlocked.
As he inspects it for signs of theft, he notices a jelly doughnut inside, blames the platoon for Pyle's infractions and adopts a collective punishment policy by which any infraction committed by Pyle will earn a punishment for everyone else in the platoon. The next night, the recruits haze Pyle with a blanket party in which Joker reluctantly participates. Following this, Pyle appears to reinvent himself as a model recruit, showing particular expertise in marksmanship.
This pleases Hartman but worries Joker, who believes Pyle may be suffering a mental breakdown after seeing Pyle talking to his rifle. The recruits graduate, but the night before they leave Parris Island, Joker, who is on fire watch duty, discovers Pyle in the barracks latrine loading his service rifle with live ammunition, executing drill commands, and loudly reciting the Rifleman's Creed.
Hartman is awakened by the commotion and attempts to intervene by ordering Pyle to give the rifle to him, but Pyle fatally shoots Hartman and then commits suicide in front of Joker. Following Hartman's death, Joker becomes a sergeant in January and is based in Da Nang for the newspaper Stars and Stripes alongside his colleague Private First Class "Rafterman," a combat photographer.
