Matthew Modine, a star of the 1987 Stanley Kubrick war film "Full Metal Jacket," is speaking out against Amazon for changing the artwork on the platform's landing page to rent the movie.
Modine took to X to lambaste the streamer for altering the poster of the Oscar-winning film, the New York Post reported.
"Who decided to remove 'BORN TO KILL?'" Modine blasted Amazon in his tweet, adding, "Not only did they alter a piece of iconic art by Philip Castle, but they completely misunderstood the point of it being there."
The movie's original poster has a war helmet with the words "Born to Kill" inscribed on it. Amazon Prime removed the phrase, showing the helmet without the words on their poster for the movie.
Modine included a photo of the helmet in his tweet.
"[My character] Pvt. Joker wears the helmet with 'BORN TO KILL' and the peace button as a statement about 'the duality of man,'" Modine wrote.
"Full Metal Jacket" was directed and produced by Kubrick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar.
"A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue," according to movie web site IMDB.
It's considered one of the most iconic war movies ever made, the Post added.
In a key scene, a commanding officer asks Private Joker why he has the words on his helmet, asking, "What’s that supposed to be, some kind of sick joke?"
Pvt. Joker tells him that it means, "The duality of man. The Jungian thing, sir," referring to the psychiatrist Carl Jung.
It is unclear why Amazon edited the poster, the Post reported.
On social media, fans of the movie described the poster as "iconic" and that scene as "one of the best parts of the entire film."
"Why on earth would they do this?" one fan commented. "Terrible."
"Here we go again. Hey corporations, stop censoring art," another fan wrote.
Another fan said, "It is NOT OK to censor history or art."
The poster on Amazon has since returned to its original state, the Post reported.
Peter Malbin ✉
Peter Malbin, a Newsmax writer, covers news and politics. He has 30 years of news experience, including for the New York Times, New York Post and Newsweek.com.
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