By 1968 nine enemy divisions existed in the South, and Communist plans called for violent, widespread, simultaneous military action in rural and urban areas. However, this military action was subordinate to a larger political goal. By focussing attacks on South Vietnamese units and facilities Hanoi sought to undermine the morale and will of Saigon's forces. Through a collapse of military resistance the North Vietnamese hoped to subvert public confidence in the governments ability to provide security, triggering a crescendo of popular protest to hault the fighting and force a political accommodation. Communist leaders sought to reassert Viet Cong influence and undermine Saigon's authority so as to cast doubt on its credibility as the United States ally. The Tet Offensive was directed towards the United States, and by weakening American confidence in the Saigon government it would strengthen American anti-war protest, and as a result bring America to the negotiating table. On January 31st 2nd Battalion 5th marines were dispatched to Hue, where the North Vietnamese Army had captured the city. This became the only extended urban combat of the war, and was Kubrick's focus for Full Metal Jacket. Like Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket had Michael Herr on script writing duties to add even more authenticity, but while The Deer Hunter was so historically inaccurate, and Platoon portrayed through the biased eyes of a veteran, Full Metal Jacket is incredibly authentic. Hue had a tradition of anti-Americanism, and Hanoi's strategists thought that if the Offensive could gain a foothold anywhere it was here. Hence they threw North Vietnamese regulars into battle, indicating that the stakes were higher than anywhere else in the South. The enormous destruction and devastation caused by house-to-house and street-to-street fighting was captured by Kubrick with an unnerving sense of accuracy (the film was made for $17 million, even though shooting took just 6 months), making Full Metal Jacket probably the most accurate Vietnam film ever made.
