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Remembering R. Lee Ermey's titanic work in 'Full Metal Jacket'

Do yourself a favor and rewatch Full Metal Jacket. Ermey is only in half the film and he dominates it. When he's off the screen, his Sergeant reverberates throughout the film like a lurking storm. That's when you know an actor did it right. When he or she is gone, you want more.
Warner Brothers.

"Are you allowed to eat jelly doughnuts, Private Pyle?!"

The words that shot out of R. Lee Ermey's mouth towards a young Vincent D'Onofrio had sharp daggers. Granted, we have seen plenty of drill sergeants in the movies, but Ermey's Gunnery Sgt. Hartman was something else. Larger than life, terrifying, and ruthless in every way imaginable, he cut a vivid picture in a young moviegoer's mind. It's an effect that hasn't lessened in decades.

Ermey passed away on Sunday at the age of 74 after a bout with pneumonia, leaving behind a film career that spanned 124 films and 40 years. No role left a bigger impact than his portrayal of Hartman.

The truth is my mom didn't know I was watching Stanley Kubrick's harrowing and unflinching war film, Full Metal Jacket-and that was a good thing. My dad and I watched these movies together, forming our own little film school in our house on Tholozan in South City. This movie was one of the first films to shock me, making me think back on the rigorous values and demands that were thrust upon the young men in our country at such a young age.

I didn't even understand many of the filthy words coming out of Hartman's mouth as he berated D'Onofrio's Private Pyle or other soldiers played by Matthew Modine and Arliss Howard. They just sounded mean and abrasive enough to make a grown man cry, and cry they did.

For some unlawful reason, Ermey only won a Golden Globe for the performance, with the Oscars not even caring to give him a nomination. The absence of Ermey in that category showed how comical the biggest awards show can be at times. Nearly 40 years later, we are still talking about the performance.

There was a reason Ermey's work in Kubrick's film stung so hard and looked real. He was a Gunnery Sergeant in the Marines before he got into acting in 1978. Ermey lived it before he played it, and it ended up bringing him more great work in films such as Mississippi Burning, Seven, and Dangerous Ground. He was the voice of the Sergeant in Toy Story and Colonel Leslie Hapablap in The Simpsons.

Ermey may have lost a late battle with pneumonia, but his impact on moviegoers won't lose any steam for quite some time. Actors don't get a special ride or get out of death card due to their magical work on the big screen; they live by the same rules and consequences that we all do. However, Ermey's work can be appreciated again with a simple visit to the store or opening up that old DVD cabinet.

Do yourself a favor and re-watch Full Metal Jacket. Ermey is only in half the film and he dominates it. When he's off the screen, his Sergeant reverberates throughout the film like a lurking storm. That's when you know an actor did it right. When he or she is gone, you want more.

Ermey may be gone, but his work is out there. Go find it. The trip will be worth it. If you don't, you may hear a scream from the clouds.

I know what I'm going to do. Have a jelly doughnut in peace.

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