Full Metal Jacket phrase on poster restored on Prime Video after Matthew Modine backlash

The streaming service removed the phrase ‘born to kill’ from Private Joker’s helmet

Artwork for Stanley Kubrick’s Oscar winning film Full Metal Jacket will be restored on Prime Video after the streaming service made a controversial alteration.

In Kubrick’s 1987 Vietnam war film, which follows Private Joker (Matthew Modine), the US Marine has the words “born to kill” written across his helmet alongside a peace symbol.

When adding the film to Prime Video, Amazon removed the slogan from Joker’s helmet, which Modine – and many fans – complained destroyed Kubrick’s message about the “duality of man”.

“Who decided to remove ‘BORN TO KILL?’” Modine questioned on X/Twitter.

“Not only did they alter a piece of iconic art by Philip Castle, but they completely misunderstood the point of it being there. Pvt. Joker wears the helmet with “BORN TO KILL” and the peace button as a statement about ‘the duality of man.’

In Full Metal Jacket, Modine’s character refers to “the duality of man” and “the Jungian thing” – in reference to the psychological theories of Carl Jung – when asked by a Colonel if he loves his country and will help them to fight to win the Vietnam War.

“It’s like they’re missing the entire point,” one fan agreed with Modine in response to Prime’s alteration. “Perhaps they should re-title the film as well to ‘Part Metal Jacket’ now to make it more accurate,” another person added.

Since backlash ensued over the helmet modification, Prime have swapped the altered image for a Full Metal Jacket still on their website’s landing page. They have also been asked by Warner Bros. to restore the film’s original artwork, Deadline reports.

The Independent has contacted Prime Video for comment.

It comes after Modine previously revealed there had been intense rivalry between him and Vincent D’Onofrio on the set of Full Metal Jacket.

Matthew Modine in ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock)

In the film, Modine’s character is ordered by Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, the senior drill instructor played by R Lee Ermey, to assist “Pyle” with the basic training their platoon is put through.

Kubrick put Modine and  D’Onofrio through boot camp for real, which led to hostility between the pair, especially due to the latter’s method acting style. In the film, the platoon is punished for every mistake the inept “Pyle” makes.

“I really wanted to [kill him],” Modine said in an interview with The Independent. “In all those boot-camp scenes where I’m teaching him how to do up his top button, make his bed, lace his shoelaces… He just got weirder and weirder as he went into the world his character was entering into.”

He said there was some truth behind the scenes in which he hits a pinned down Pyle with a bar of soap wrapped in a knotted towel.

“In the film, I give him a couple of whacks, stop, and then give him a few more,” he said. “I often wonder if that was, ‘Here’s a couple for the movie, and here’s a couple more from me, you f***er.’”