Platoon (DVD 2001)

The Vietnam War waged for practically a decade or more. Oliver Stone's movie, Platoon, like the war itself, will remain in the minds of humankind for years to come.

Based primarily around Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen, 'Wall Street', 'Eight Men Out'), the film portrays a young college kid who has opted out of college life in order to join those fighting the Vietnam War.

The film is the first part in a trilogy written and directed by Oliver Stone, the subsequent movie titled 'Born on the 4th July' starring Tom Cruise and 'Heaven and Earth' with Tommy Lee Jones. Stone (JFK, Nixon, The Doors) captures the Vietnam War and its consequences about as well as anyone ever could, 'Platoon' being the strongest of the trilogy. The director is famous for his interest in political subjects, especially those relating to the life and times of his childhood and younger years, the 1960s and 1970s. Write and direct what you know is the general concensus. Stone knows his work.

A huge and talented cast includes Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem DaFoe, Kevin Dillon (The Doors), John C McGinley (Wall Street, Born on the 4th July, Any Given Sunday, Talk Radio, Nixon), Keith David, Forest Whitaker, Mark Moses, Chris Pederson, Tony Todd - and an early performance by Johnny Depp - only contributes towards the excellent story and sharp directing by Stone, making 'Platoon' arguably the best Vietnam War film in the history of cinema.

Stone aptly captures the horrors of the war while further injecting a dramatic - albeit fictional - storyline, which serves not as a backdrop to the conflict but is incorporated into the heart of the film comfortably, almost effortlessly. The moviegoer is entertained by the conflict between Sgt Barnes and Sgt Elias - hopefully rooting for Chris, the idealistic Private stuck somewhere in the middle of a private war - and yet are offered an insight into the war itself. There is history and entertainment here --- and hopefully a moral message about the futility of war and its effects upon humankind.

It is still nice to watch Charlie Sheen in this film and remember when he was probably the most promising actor of the 1980s with his other performances in John Sayle's 'Eight Men Out', Oliver Stone's 'Wall Street', John Milius's 'Red Dawn' and John Hughes's 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'. Other strong performances come from John C McGinley(Point Break, Se7en)- and an Oliver Stone regular - Kevin Dillon (The Doors) and Forest Whitaker.

Moreover, the battle scenes are skillfully executed although some critics downed the film for its graphic portrayal of violence --- but Stone was trying to depict the realities of the war and the hard decisions those in charge had to face when confronted with guerrilla warfare.

This special edition is particularly good value, for the extras are plentiful and informative. Well worth the money!

Matt Lee-Williams.

In PLATOON, Oliver Stone draws on his experience as an infantryman in Vietnam to convey the brutality of guerrilla warfare: the heat of the jungle, the brushes with such wildlife as snakes and leeches, and, most powerfully, the presence of the unseen enemy. Charlie Sheen stars as Chris, a raw recruit, or "new meat," who serves as the film's narrator. At first he wilts under the rigorous conditions of jungle life, freezes up in a fire fight, and wonders whether he'll be able to survive. But he gradually adapts and, as time goes by, begins to see that the platoon is divided into two groups. One consists of lifers, juicers, and subintelligent whites, the other of blacks and heads. Sgt. Barnes, a combat-loving burnout (Tom Berenger), is the informal leader of the lifers, and Sgt. Elias, a free spirit (Willem Dafoe), leads the latter group. When the platoon takes some gruesome losses, an enraged Barnes kills some Vietnamese and orders the burning of their village, outraging the temporarily absent Elias. As the conflict between these two reaches its tragic climax, Chris must decide what he really values. Widely regarded as one of the finest war films ever made, PLATOON reflects not only the United States' division over Vietnam but the timeless truths of battle: terror, disorientation, exhilaration, and horrible loss.

Platoon is an Academy Award winning 1986 Vietnam War film written and directed by Oliver Stone and starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Dillon, Keith David, John C. McGinley and Johnny Depp and Andrew Lawrence and Scott Seeho. The story is drawn from Stone's experiences as a US Infantryman in Vietnam and was written by him upon his return as a counter to the vision of the war portrayed in John Wayne's The Green Berets.[citation needed] The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1986. In 2007, The American Film Institute placed Platoon at #86 in their 100 Years...100 Movies poll. Channel 4 voted Platoon as the 6th greatest war film ever made, behind Full Metal Jacket and in front of A Bridge Too Far.

Class film watch it!

i bought this dvd for a xmas present for my husband. we both have watched the film several times and have enjoyed the film very much. It is full of action from start to finish and has a very good storyline

I have a collection of war films and this was a perfect addition to that collection. Also as it has many stars such as Charlie Sheen,Willem Defoe,John C McGinley,Johnney Depp and many more.

This film is an epic. It is about the American soldiers innocence being lost in Vietnam. It is very realistic and convincing.
Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is a young naive American who upon his arrival in Vietnam, quickly discovers that he must do battle not only with the Viet Cong (VC), but also with the gnawing fear,physical exhaustion and intense anger growing inside him.
While his 2 commanding officers (Tom Berenger and William Dafoe) draw a fine line between the war they wage against the enemy and the one they fight with each other, the conflict, the chaos and the hatred penetrate Taylor, suffocating his realities and numbing his feelings to man's highest value ... Life.

I recommend that you purchase the Special Edition DVD version as it contains a 51 min documentary on the making of "Tour of the Inferno" plus many other special features.

The film itself is 1 hr 55 mins long.

I bought this film having seen it on a few previous occasions. It is a realistic, bloody account of the Vietnam War seen from the eyes of a new recruit who learns how to survive very quickly. The sense of realism is heightened with the knowledge that the director, Oliver Stone, was there in Vietnam and has brought his experiences to bear in the making of this film. In the film you can see the basest instinct for survival up to comradeship of shared experience, hatred by one seargeant for another-mutual distrust and most of all it illustrates the futility of war. This film is well made and is well worth buying if you are looking for an army/war film with a well worked storyline. If you are sqeamish don't buy this film but if you appreciate good cinematography and special effects this film is well worth viewing!!
The music alone sets you edge.
Recommend!!

a good war as seen thourgh the eyes of one man who realizes hollywoods idea of war is not realility and war is not about honour and heros but is just survival

bought the dvd, because its a really good movie, and the theme tune is also excellent. liked the actors, the setting and the gripping storyline which in parts maybe a true reflection of oliver stones vietnam experience.

a brilliant film from a brilliant director, highly recommended for war film collectors or people who are interested in the vietnam war

The whole film, is fantastic. This has got to be the best film ever. The actors are great. The storylines, the mission, the best part had to be the twist at the end. He's still alive. Of all the war films i have bought, this is certainly the best.

loved this film 10/10 in my opinion, very realistic to what the vietnam was about and how it was fought!!

Awsome film, very graphic and detailed, sometimes quite sick though. This film is also quite sad, so not the type of film you watch when you are feeling down. Awsome watch, highly recomended and a must have for anybodys dvd collection.

Is this film really 20 years old ???
It's really hard to believe as it stands the test of time brilliantly.
I am a sucker for war films but this is up there with the best of them.
Charlie Sheen plays Private Taylor a 'cherry' fresh in the Nam.
His platoon has 2 sergants played by Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe - Both recieved Oscar nominations for there performances.
The rest of the platoon is filled with young acting talent of which the majority went on to enjoy further Hollywood success - Look out for a very young Johnny Depp, Forest Whittaker, Ernie Hudson, Matt Dillon, John C McGinty.
Cameos by director Oliver Stone and military advisor (and Vietnam Vet) Dale Dye.
The story grips you with the barbarity and obsurdity of the war and Sheens (Taylors) gradual transformation from cherry to battle hardened veteran is perfectly paced and leaves you wanting more as the film comes to a close.

If you are looking to buy this on dvd, I strongly recommend you buy the special edition 2 disc version which has commentaries and other interesting extras.

Platoon is an idealised crayon-sketch of Oliver Stone's Vietnam experience, with its fair dose of guns, bombs, blood, rain, jungle, evil murderous Asian faces and similarly evil murderous Americans. Unlike the gritty realism of Full Metal Jacket and the hysterical philosophical nonsense in Apocalypse Now, it tells its story and its ideas with action, atmosphere, characters and soundbites. Is it the best Vietnam War movie made to date? That title will always depend upon perspective and criteria, but Platoon comes close: it is well made, well written, craftily shot and cannily acted.

Green and inexperienced, Private Chris Taylor (Sheen) arrives in Vietnam, a volunteer rather than a conscript. At first he commits all the sins of a rookie: overloading his pack, making misjudgements and acting with zeal, although there is an obvious sense of his 'education' as we follow him through the film. He encounters two veteran sergeants: the brutal, battle-scarred, kill-em-all Barnes, and Elias, a dreamy stoner-in-charge with much more smarts, idealism and political nous. These men are obviously metaphors for those in Vietnam, those who are coordinating it from abroad, if not the whole conflict itself. The futility of a purely military solution to political problems and the wasteless murder of search-and-destroy missions are both obvious.

In terms of action, the archetypal Vietnam elements are all there: the jungle ambush, the village raid, the attack with rolling air support, and the set-piece battle against NVA regulars. These scenes will satisfy fans of hardcore war-porn, but they are not so overplayed, choreographed or downright gory that they will alienate the mainstream movie watcher. The viewer gets a very real sense of Vietnam as a 3-D war, with threats coming from all around you, not just the enemy in front. We leave Vietnam with Taylor at the end of his tour, and the whole thing is as untidy and unfair as it was when we arrived

In my mind, Platoon just got it right.