Matthew Modine, best known for his role in Stranger Things and Full Metal Jacket, has made headlines by drawing a stark comparison between former President Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler. Modine’s remarks came after Trump used footage from Full Metal Jacket in a recent campaign ad, which the actor has condemned as “a perverse, homophobic, and manipulative tool of propaganda.”
The controversial ad, shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), featured military imagery from Full Metal Jacket along with clips of service members dancing in drag. Trump captioned the post, “We will not have a woke military!”—sparking outrage and criticism for distorting the film’s anti-war message.
Modine, referencing Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl’s propaganda films, said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly, “In the 1930s, Riefenstahl directed Nazi propaganda films Triumph Of The Will and Olympia, which are considered some of the most effective propaganda ever made. Ironically, Trump has twisted Stanley Kubrick’s powerful anti-war film into a tool of propaganda, similar to what Riefenstahl did for Hitler.”
Modine urged people to reflect on Riefenstahl’s final warning before her death, where she acknowledged her support for Hitler, stating, “We didn’t know how bad things were to become.” He warned that Trump has shown his true intentions and drew a clear parallel between the former president and the infamous dictator, adding, “It is no exaggeration to see Trump’s reflection in the terrible figure Hitler was.”
Full Metal Jacket, directed by Stanley Kubrick, was released in 1987 and remains a critical anti-war commentary, dramatizing the dehumanizing experience of soldiers during the Vietnam War. The film’s dark portrayal of military life contrasts sharply with how Trump used it in his campaign.
While Modine criticized the ad, Vivian Kubrick, the daughter of Stanley Kubrick, defended Trump’s use of the footage, claiming her father would have supported it, stating, “I feel very confident he would be a Trump supporter.”
Trump has not yet responded to Modine’s comparison or the controversy surrounding his use of Full Metal Jacket footage. This incident has added to a growing list of artists, including Rufus Wainwright, who have spoken out against Trump using their work for his campaigns.
Modine’s comments serve as a powerful warning about the dangers of propaganda and the importance of reflecting on history’s darkest chapters, reminding us that the past can echo into the present if left unchecked.
