Full Metal Jacket would receive Oscar nominations. Corliss also appreciated "the Olympian elegance and precision of Kubrick's filmmaking". "Empire"s Ian Nathan awarded the film 3 out of 5 stars, saying it is "inconsistent" and describing it as "both powerful and frustratingly unengaged". Nathan felt that after leaving the opening act following the recruit training, the film becomes "bereft of purpose", but he summarized his review by calling it a "hardy Kubrickian effort that warms on you with repeated viewings". Nathan also praised Ermey's "staggering performance". Vincent Canby of "The New York Times" called it "harrowing, beautiful and characteristically eccentric". Canby echoed praise for
Total metal jacket Total metal jacket Total metal jacket (or full metal case) bullets are made by electroplating a thin jacket of ductile metal (usually copper) over a core of different metal requiring protection from abrasion or corrosion. Similar full metal jacket bullets mechanically swage a thin sheet of metal over the core. The swaging process leaves an opening exposing the core on the base of the bullet, while electroplating deposits a jacket over the entire bullet surface. Protecting the base of a lead-core bullet from burning powder gas may prevent molten lead from being released as a fine spray in turbulent gas