@@NoelCraigNI Soundtrack to Platoon was '87 gold mine: CCR's, 'Stones, Haggard, "Sittin' on the dock...", "Tears of a Clown", +++ & tragic Classical score: 'Adagio for Strings': Samuel Barber's (+JFK's)
It's not that they don't comprehend that it's dangerous, it's that it's a job that has do be done so they do it. They aren't trying to die, they know the risk is there but that's what a soldier does. He risks his life so others can live free.
My late friend did 3 tours in Vietnam. He told me they had no idea what they were fighting for, or why. He said it was pretty evident that they were fighting a war that couldn't be won. In the end the only reason they were fighting was to try and keep each other alive.
I had a friend who served in the same platoon with Oliver Stone. He helped Stone open a C-Rat can with a P-38 can opener in the jungle and asked him why he didn't know how to work it and Stone said he had Maid's that did it for him at home. When this movie came out Stone gathered many of the guys who served with him and put them up at a first class Hotel in D.C. and had a big dinner for them.
I have a P-38 on my key chain, it's amazing how many times I have used it. I can open a can quicker with that than a store bought hand held can opener.
He played the raw unedited score version for them too, and they wanted him to release it as is, just gunfire, and ambience, no score lmao, they loved it
I was a young writer in the mid-80's and I got an assignment from a local newspaper to do a review of Platoon. I took my pen and notepad and went to a theater on the opening day for the noon showing, hoping to avoid crowds. When I got there all I saw was a sea of Vietnam vets, wearing their caps, leather vests and jackets that were embroidered with their different units and the years they were there. The theater was packed so I stood along a wall and to watch the film, but only a few minutes into the show I started watching the vets, and I could see their pain as they relived their time serving in Vietnam. I wound up doing two reviews - one of the film and the other of the brave men watching it. I turned it in to the editor and he did print it, but it was the last time I reviewed a film. I decided I''d rather write them than review them.
You got yourself a blessing by trying to avoid the crowd. If you had incorporated the audience with your film review, it could have been the greatest film review ever written.
@@4Kandlez I did a film for Lifetime that won a few awards, did rewrite ("script doctor") work on some major films, filled in the slow times by writing and producing video content for some major museums and I have a script now that's in pre-production.
Long before his comedy roles, Charlie Sheen was a pretty serious drama and action star. Platoon, Young Guns, Lucas, Wall Street, Red Dawn etc. Same with his brother: Emilio Estevez.
Its kinda how some younger generations grew up knowing Robert DeNiro for his late career comedies before learning he was one of the best serious actors of his generation.
@@Arsolon618 And those earlier serious roles make his later comedic roles work so much better as we know how serious he can be so in something like Meet the Parents we already have a sense of menace about him.
And also Young Guns. (Funny thing about that film, that he was the "responsible" one in the film and his brother Emilio Estevez played "the crazy one" Billy The Kid.)
I had a job where my boss was a Vietnam veteran. He was from a small town and joined the infantry. He would not talk about specific things that happened during his time there. But after this movie came out, he said it was the closest that any film had gotten to showing the experience to actually fight in that war.
It was a mess , you had drafted troops, with no motivation to go to battle fields and officers that no one took seriously , you could always frag them. !969 to 1972 about 900 fragging , round 100 killed and hundreds injured . Nothing new it happened in WW 2 and Korea too. Thats still small number, 8 000 - 12 000 US soldiers were killed by friendly fire, mainly by artillery. Artillery was the deadliest in 20th wars , over 80% of injuries and deaths
Dawn, if you ever have the chance to talk with a combat veteran from ANY war and they actually open up to you beware. If they go beyond the stories of what good times they had with fellow soldiers, what's left of your innocent view from just watching the movies will be gone. These men and women (I know a couple of nurses that served in field hospitals in Vietnam), saw and had to do things that will stay with you forever. From WWII to Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East I've either been related to, worked with or met some of these people. They will usually only talk of battle amongst each other. NEVER try to pry into their memories, they deserve and have earned our respect.
4:52 What are you supposed to do? Anything to stay awake. During my time in Afghanistan, I used "Ranger dip" a few times. That's when you wrap instant MRE coffee in the MRE toilet paper and keep it in your lip like dip. I used dip (smokeless tobacco) a lot, that can help to keep you up. Tons and tons of Rip It (energy drinks). Pinching yourself or pricking the tip of your finger with the tip of your knife. Worst case scenario, a little MRE tobasco sauce (or a little of the hot sauce my wife sent in care packages) under the eyes. The last one burns like hell, but you won't be thinking about sleeping, that's for damn sure.
As a Vietnam veteran, I’ve said for years that this movie is the closest version of what I experienced over there. ALL the rest are just 10% Vietnam, 90% Hollywood.
@ I don’t know what your comment means. But Stone was a Vietnam veteran, his movie was more realistic because he lived it. He said that Taylor was really him, & most of the movie was written about things that he experienced in Vietnam. Most all the other ‘Nam movies were written by people who never went there. Now there will be tons of people saying that other ‘Nam movies are more realistic, but that’s just Hollywood bull💩. I say again, as a Vietnam veteran, Platoon was more of what I experienced in Vietnam, BECAUSE it was written by a Vietnam veteran, not some Hollywood suits.
Looks like hell, damn. I hope your comradery was better than the platoon depicted, it would have been hell enough without the support of your fellow soldiers. The platoon depicted here was certainly not a band of brothers. Of course, thank you for your service, from a 90s/00s Coastie. I grew up in the aftermath of your war.
@ Semper Paramus Coastie. I am one of the lucky Vietnam Huey helicopter Door Gunners who survived to make it home. The Wop,Wop,Wop of the helicopter blades was the song of my youth. Those Hueys were either taking us into hell or bringing us out if it, sometimes the deck was so covered in blood that we’d have to land in a shallow river just to wash it out. A fellow soldier died in my arms, in Vietnam, people were trying to kill you, it’s easy for some people to say “peace is the way” if they’ve never seen combat. The most powerful weapon in the United States is a patriotic American Veteran. I am sincerely grateful for your sacrifice Coastie. Always ready.
Crotch rot is American slang for a rash or fungus that develops on each side of your genitals. It's not an STD. Just a rash caused by heat and sweat. It's similar to athlete's foot. In America it's also known as jock itch or swamp ass
Its technical name is ring worm, although its fungal, not worms. Theres different types you can get all over your body (including your toes) but its most common around any part of your body where skin rubs and sweat accumulates, mostly the crotch and armpits, although you can get it at knees and elbows as well. Because sweat feeds it its most common in humid countries - jungles especially. Even after you get rid of it the itchy sensation linger for years. Ive had it and its not fun.
4:40 "But what if he's really tired and can't help it? What's he supposed to do, hold his eyes open?" Yes. Exactly that. Slap his own face. Stand up and walk around a bit. Pinch himself. You're giggling like "oh well, what if he can't help it. A short nap won't hurt anybody". If the guy on watch falls asleep, he dies and so does everybody else. It's kind of important. No, it's massively important. So he better freaking "help it" and stay awake. That reason alone should keep him awake in terror. And he's been trained in lots of ways to stay awake on watch.
Even if he didn't see Barns kill Elias, Barns told him that Elias was dead and to not go back for him, only then to see Elias alive and get killed while trying to escape. Even if Barns hadn't shot Elias, lying and leaving Elias behind was a death sentence, effectively killing Elias. So, he didn't need to have seen Barns shooting Elias to know that Barns killed him.
This movie is part of Oliver Stone's informal trilogy on the Vietnam war, the other two being "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) with Tom Cruise in the lead as real life veteran Ron Kovic - incidentally Tom Cruise's best performance in my opinion - and "Heaven & Earth" (1993) about a young Vietnamese woman trying to survive the war. That one stars Tommy Lee Jones with not just his best scene ever, but one of the greatest and most chilling performances in a scene ever. 😮
@@jamesballard42 Glad to hear that somebody appreciates it just as much as myself, or even more. I think his performance in the movie, and the movie itself, is tragically overlooked. I'd love it if the movie became one of those movies that circulates throughout the entire reaction community.
Keith David & Charlie Sheen co-star with Emilio Esteves, Charlie's brother, in "Men at Work" w: bro's as bro's, & Keith's 'Nam vet', so it's funny to offset Platoon! 🤫🤞
Director Oliver Stone served in 'Nam. It is easily the best war film ever made simply because it does not confirm to the typical war movie archetypes... us = good vs them = bad. Tom Bringer whom played Barnes may be one of the greatest villain performance of all time. The documentary Platoon: Brothers in Arms is really worth the watch.
28:35 fun fact the officer on the radio is played by USMC Captain Dale Dye Jr (retired). He is a highly decorated Vietnam vet. He is the military consultant for this and other war movies like Saving Private Ryan. His company Warriors, Inc is used to train actors in basic military maneuvers so they look more or less like real soldiers. If you see him acting in a military movie you can be sure he is also the consultant.
Thank U, Dawn Marie, for this excellent Reaction. You're the greatest, Sister. (I love the Ginger turn, too) I caught this in the cinema when I was 16, and loved Willem ("not William") Defoe. Then next I saw him in "To Live an' Die in L.A." ...where he played well the Baddie. Be Well / Beauty Way ❤😂🎉😂❤
Dawn, even though you think that Charlie Sheen’s character may one day regret shooting Barnes because he is unsure if Barnes killed Elias, let’s not forget that Barnes was attempting to kill him just before the air strike. I believe that he will not have any regrets about his decision. Platoon is one of my favorite war movies and your reaction to it brought that up a couple of notches. Since you are a Clint Eastwood fan, I think you’ll enjoy “Kelly’s Heroes”.
"Y'all think you know about de*th? I am de*th." 'Barnes' Tom Berenger is also with Charlie*Sheen in "Major League" baseball comedy with Wesley Snipes! "Wild*Thing!"
Charlie Sheen reading his letter home out loud @ start is same as Martin Sheen, his Dad, in "Apocalypse Now", reading his letter home out loud @ start! In '78 & '87!
I was just about to create a post about this. I hadn't seen this movie in a long time, but that moment gave me a callback to Martin Sheen. And if you look at young Martin Sheen at the right angle, you can see Charlie. Also, if you look at him in a different angle, you can see Emilio Estavez.
The use of 'Adagio For Strings' never fails to make one solemn (also well used in THE ELEPHANT MAN which you so need to see). A seminal film about war by a man who served it for his country (Oliver Stone - who cameos as the officer who gets killed by the kamikaze bomber in the tent) showcasing the true horrors of mankind with stellar work by all (we literally lost Tony Todd today :( ). This was Sheen's breakthru role prior to his comedies like HOT SHOTS (which the 2nd film nods to w/his scene w/his real-life dad Martin). Stacked cast including a very early Johnny Depp performance (as the translator) and Forest Whitaker. The one actor you said 'I know him' is Willem Dafoe (who garnered an Oscar nod here). RE: Vietnam war films you need to see THE DEER HUNTER with Robert De Niro & Christopher Walken next. And a crusader is someone who fights for a noble cause. Trivia - when Elias is shot to death by the Vietcong the blood packets attached to Dafoe malfunctioned (no blood splatters) but they printed it regardless since it is very vividly affective none-the-less. Kevin Dillon, the sociopathic Bunny, is Matt's real-life brother. Dale Dye - who plays the officer who mentions a court-martial into the investigation of Elias' killing - was also a real-life Vietnam vet who upon returning to the States after his service became a military advisor for Hollywood and as an actor, on this and many other productions he literally instilled a boot camp for the actors pre-filming to learn what it takes physically & mentally to become a soldier in war. The actors said while it was brutal it proved to be very helpful.
Other Vietnam war films of note - Hamburger Hill, Apocalypse Now, Born On The Fourth Of July, Gardens of Stone, Full Metal Jacket, Casualties of War, Rescue Dawn, We Were Soldiers.
@@MrGpschmidt "Uncommon Valor" with Gene Hackman, Randall "Tex" Cobb, & Patrick Swayze (his 2nd movie;) in '83 were 'Nam Vet's going back for POW's, inspiring 'Rambo' to do that after that.
Your words about coming home ring true. I am a war veteran (medic), serving in the UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon and Bosnia. I was never in combat, but being in a war zone does something to your head. At least it did to mine. Coming home and trying to care about the inconsequential stuff people at home worried about... it's difficult.
Oliver Stone, the Director, served in Vietnam and the movie is loosely based on his personal experience and his letters back home. I saw this in high school and it hit hard! Tom Berringer, Willem DaFoe, Charlie Sheen, etc and so on. What a CAST!!!!!!! The guys who were drafted into a disgusting war were treated so poorly. No support back home for them, our leaders used them as pawns. One of the darkest chapters in our history.
By the time we see these men in the movie the US had already been involved in Vietnam for 4 years and no progress had been made in defeating the communist. The rules of engagement made no sense. My best friend did 2 tours of duty as a combat Marine in Vietnam. He talked me out of enlisting calling the war a royal brass cluster fuck. He returned home suffered from PTSD and took to drinking. His marriage broke up and he died in 97 a victim of Agent Orange. Vietnam was a war we never should have gotten involved in. The US involvement was based on a lie, The Gulf of Tonkin incident. Before President Kennedy was assassinated, he was continplating getting out of Vietnam. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara began a program of using men who had failed the military intelligence test as combat troops in Vietnam. They were called McNamara's Morons. They also died at 3 times the rate of other troops. Anyone that wants to understand the Vietnam War needs to learn the history of it going all the way back to the Wilson Administration following WW1. The US really screwed the pooch on this war. The only reason I never went was because my draft number was 353. If I had been born 7hrs. 54min. earlier my draft number would have been 16.
@@larrycummings7300I watched with my Dad who left Cuba to enlist in the Army in 1942. He had dual citizenship, US and Cuban. My mother stayed in the bedroom alternating between crying and praying. I think she had me drafted, dead, and buried. I remember when they got to #160 which meant I was in the clear. In 1975 as I watched the chaos in Saigon, I thanked God I was not drafted. I also called my friend to thank him for talking out of enlisting. A couple of decades later I was in tears when I heard about my friend's death from cancer. He had done 2 tours of duty as a combat Marine in Vietnam. Agent Orange killed him. I've cursed that war and every politician that got us into it. What a waste of American and Vietnamese lives. The Vietnamese people are still suffering from the effects of Agent Orange.
@@larrycummings7300Some Vietnam vets are still suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. Last year I met a man and his wife at the clinic where I had a doctor's appointment. He was my age and in a wheelchair. He was suffering numerous ailments that were attributed to Agent Orange.
It's not that men don't understand the danger they are getting themselves into in these kind of situations, they have no choice in this kind of situation. It's called bravery.
My favourite Willem Dafoe movie was Mississippi Burning! Gene Hackman was brilliant in it too. Have you already done Full Metal Jacket? Probably my favourite Vietnam movie along with Good Morning Vietnam and (Very loosely a Vietnam film) Jacob's Ladder!.. ... just thought I'd share that with you 🤣🤣
13:21 This is what war is. The big battles are epic and deadly, but the dehumanization is the slower, and often more nefarious killer. 22:34 One of the most epic death scenes in Cinematic History. And spoofed at least a couple times.
The musical score is Epic! Deserved all the Oscar's it won! Thanks for sharing Dawn Marie!❤️💛 other war movies to watch are, The Deer Hunter, We Were Soldiers and Heart Break Ridge!
I saw this movie on business travel with a US Army captain. When it was over I told him that the thing I learned from the movie was that I never wanted to be an army lieutenant in combat. (He laughed.)
My shipmates and I saw this in the movie theater back in 87. We were 19yr olds watching this movie before our ship was going to ship out to the Persian Gulf 87-90. Just imagine we were kids in uniform serving our country willing to give our lives in order to save many. Just like those young men y'all saw in the beginning of the movie. "Boys."
The cast was put through a quick bootcamp, with thanks to Dale Dye, the historical advisor and real Vietnam vet, he even made them sleep in the jungle in the night and set off explosives like they were really ambushed. Dale Dye (26:16) would also do this for the cast of Saving Private Ryan and it really shows, there is more camaraderie between the actors. Some actors in Platoon could not really take it all, like at 25:43, that emotion was real, John C. McGinley said he was at the end of what he could take.
I saw this at the theater with a friend and his dad who did 2 tours in Viernam in 68 and 69. It was at the end of the movie I looked over at his dad and he was crying. I will never forget that.
I saw this movie in high school, and one of my teachers was in a line company like that during the war. He said bad things like that would happen, but they wouldn't all happen together like that in a soldier's tour. This movie reminds me of Fury where the replacement guy is inexperienced and scared as hell, then gets used to the craziness around them.
Danang to Khe Sanh, 1968. Air Force. Resupplied the Marines. I completely lost it in the opening scenes where the 130 taxied in, guys were unloading KIAs in body bags-something I did too frequently. "Platoon" was, and up to this point, is, the only Vietnam War movie made by an actual vet. Oliver Stone made sure he placed certain things in the movie that only us vets would recognize; the souveniring of NVA belts/buckles at the film's end, e g. What I would like to see is a film about things stateside during the war, specifically about the simps who got mommy and daddy to buy them a student deferment or got their family doctor to invent a medical condition that kept them out. Chronic Ingrown Toenail was popular. And show the angry, screeching feminists who demanded equal rights, but were silent on making women eligible for the draft. As of November 2024, we are down to approximately 500,000 living vets (in-country, in-water, flyovers) and are losing 400 per day. I did the math-we have about 3.5 years left before we're...gone...
Nice reaction, Not many people get that Taylor became Barnes. If you remember Rah said that only Barnes can kill Barnes........Taylor has changed a that much since the start of the movie.
Guys talk like that because if you AREN'T "ribbing" (making fun of) your friends under constant threat and stress, it GETS TO YOU and you end up "snapping" to the point of becoming a danger to yourself and those around you. So, you just take "jabs" at each other as a way to get a laugh or let off some steam. As long as you do it in a calm manner and in a "safe location" (such as at the base) it is all good. When it becomes HEATED (yelling/shoving), then it goes from just friendly ribbing each other to PERSONAL, and that is when real fights start to happen.
This was Oliver Stone's telling of his experience in Vietnam. Vietnam was originally a French colonial Civil War. France asked the US for assistance and Eisenhower and then Kennedy sent intelligence and special forces personnel. The Kennedys, realized that the war was a response to political corruption and indifference, therfore decided to pull out. The assassination of JFk and RFk, prevented that and LBJ committed all the armed forces, eventually spreading the war to Laos and Cambodia. Sheen also stars with his dad in the Oscar winning Oliver Stone movie, Wall Street.
Also younger people don't consider the dangers and consequences of risky action. That's why the military prefers young men to recruit, mentally and physically resilient.
Another thing about the Vietnam War was that you had soldiers who were drafted (compulsory service) who did not want to be there and a home front who was against the war and the soldiers who fought it. The term "frag/fragging" came about during the war and it means to kill a fellow soldier or superior officer that you have a beef with during a battle. When a soldier is killed in battle it is automatically assumed that the enemy killed him and it was not usually investigated any further.
Imo this is not just the greatest "war" movie ever it's also the most important movie (for the US) regarding war that has ever been made. It's honest, it's brutal, it's as real as it gets without bullets flying at you. It shows the impact of war on soldiers and by implication the country of those soldiers.
The captain at the end, is dale dye. A real Vietnam officer. Who did technical work and acting in this, band of brothers, saving Private Ryan, casualties of war, and so many others. Oliver stone the director gets blown up in the end in the command bunker.
The smoking coming from the back of the soldier named Ace is due to the high heat emanating from the extremely hot chunk of metal burning his internal tissues and surrounding skin from the impact of the high explosive shrapnel that hit him. Barnes coats his fingers in the wet mud to help protect them from the burning hot shrapnel as he pulls the razor-sharp chunk of metal out of Ace's back, and you can see and hear him react in pain as it burns his fingers, and he drops the piece of shrapnel fast (the round is not White Phosphorus (WP) as some on here have stated, as White Phosphorus is a burning compound that is used to generate smoke screens, but the nature of the compound burns and feeds off of what it comes into contact with if it is ignitable, and Barnes would have lost his fingers and would have had to cut them away to not lose his hand or more as the WP would use the flesh as a fuel source to continue burning. I served in the U.S. Army Field Artillery for over 20 years, and what is depicted in the movie is a case of friendly fire as Lieutenant Wolf calls in the coordinates for a fire mission on his troop's location instead of the enemy's location. As close as the two forces are to each other, that would be a danger close mission and very risky to even attempt to do for an experienced fire support team much less an inexperienced Infantry Lieutenant to attempt. As soon as Barnes gets to Wolf, he grabs the radio mike, hits him in the head with it, yells at him about wasting a lot of good men up there with the messed-up coordinates and fire mission, and then calls the Redleg call sign used generically in the movie (U.S. Artillerymen are known as Redlegs), and calls Check Fire which commands the firing unit to immediately stop firing until the Check Fire status is lifted (usually not lifted until an investigation is concluded into why the Check Fire was called). As it is an American Artillery unit firing it is most likely a 105mm howitzer unit (35-pound High explosive round) or less likely a 155mm Howitzer unit (95-pound High Explosive round) firing the mission. Since you said you really like watching black and white films, here are three war related ones I recommend you check out: Paths of Glory (Starring Kirk Douglas and Directed by Stanley Kubrick who also Directed Full Metal Jacket) that takes place in World War One. Best Years of Our Lives which won the Best Picture Oscar in 1946 about three World War Two Veterans returning from the war and highlights many issues they go through reintegrating back into peace time civilian life. As a Veteran myself, I was impressed by how many issues were addressed in this film that are still issues many returning Veterans end up having to deal with to this day. Of note, this film also is the only time in Academy Awards history where one actor received two Oscars for the same role. Stalag 17 a film that takes place at Christmas time; 1944 in a German POW camp with American prisoners (a film mixing many comedic moments with a very serious plot involving a German spy among the prisoners), and I know how you like trying to figure out who the bad guy is.
I saw Platoon with a group of friends in 1986 at a since demolished Odeon in Warrington. It was opening weekend and a full house. It was great movie to see with an audience. For me, its the best Vietnam movie ever made.
I've worked in factories full of men, and I've worked as one of only three men amongst a factory full of women. I can tell you 110% . Women will say and discuss things that men wouldn't dare. Everyone believes otherwise, but the FACT is, women speak faar more explicitly than men. It's not even close. Most men are quite civil with their language. And MOST women are extremely crude.
19:09 shrapnel metal pieces from the artillery shell hitting and exploding embedded into everything in the vicinity including people. Another reason why you don't want to be in a wooded area - the wood pieces, when trees get hit, can act like that as well
I can also highly recommend Ken Burns award winning documentary on the Vietnam War. The interviews with people from both sides who served are very moving. Also, you might be interested in reading into the My Lai massacre; one of, if not the darkest, most brutal incident that involved the US troops who served over there….one that nobody was ever fully held accountable for. As Harry Patch (17 June 1898 - 25 July 2009) the last surviving trench combat soldier of the First World War from any country said of war… “Politicians who took us to war should have been given the guns and told to settle their differences themselves, instead of organising nothing better than legalised mass murder”.
The younger actors, were virtually unknown when this was made. The director made them live outside for real, digging the foxholes etc, so they would know exactly what it felt like to be tired and dirty. They also filmed the movie in order, and every time someone died in the film, they were sent home for real, so having got close to the other actors, they had a real sense of loss when they were gone.
The actor who played the commander that was talking on the headset near the end and was talking about a court martial is in a lot of war movies because he was actually in the military just like R. Lee Ermey, the drill instructor on Full Metal Jacket.
Great reaction Dawn. This is my favorite war movie. I saw it first time in the 90s , I still quote lines from this movie. Oh yeah there’s a bit of difficult scenes but excellent acting. Defoe and Barringer are at the top of the game. Defoe won best supporting Oscar. 👏👏
Dawn, if you go back to watching the opening jungle scene, do so with the knowledge that when that was being filmed, the cast had already been through an arduous boot camp, sleeping in the jungle. They also went on arduous hikes from one location to the next. It's pretty well known that Oliver Stone is a Vietnam war veteran and so was Dale Dye, who I believe started out merely as a technical advisor, and ended up being cast in the film 'Drop everything you've got on my position, it's a lovely f'ing war'. which was the start of quite an impressive film career. Whilst not autobiographical, Oliver Stone did write based on his own personal experiences. He did indeed drop out of University (Yale) and enlisted into the US Army. He was wounded in action twice, and received a Bronze Star for valour amongst other medals. I think Platoon rightly is recognised as one of the best Vietnam war films ever made.
That Barber Adagio has become kind of America's default national soundtrack of grieving, in no small part because of its use in this film. It seemed to be playing everywhere in the days after the 9/11 attacks, and despite its having become almost a cliché by now, it still works. Barber adapted it as an Agnus Dei for mixed human voice, and if the orchestral version moves you at all, the choral one will rip out your heart.
Platoon (1986) made Charlie Sheen a star. Before then he enjoyed a bit part in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). After it he enjoyed starring roles in a run of successful films -- Wall Street (1987), Young Guns (1988), Major League (1989), The Rookie (1990), Hot Shots! (1991). And for more young Johnny Depp, also check out A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
1:11 - "is this a comedy?" Oh yeah. You'll be laughing so hard you won't be able to sleep for days . . . Though I've got to admit, you laughed more than anyone else I've ever seen watch this movie.
Oliver Stone was a Vietnam veteran and made this movie through his eyes and what he lived through. He purposely chose a very young cast to show the average age of the soldiers in Vietnam which was from 18-25
Bunny is Kevin Dillon, Matt Dillon's brother!😮😮😮 He did a great parody of himself in the cable show , Entourage. Matt was the huge star hearthrob guy, back in the day. Willem DaFoe, the other sergeant, NEVER ages! He still looks the same in, John Wick!
That overused song was so effectively used in this movie that afterword everybody and their grandmother used it in their movie to the point where it became so overused that comedies were starting to parody it.
Yes, Charlie Sheen did look a bit like Tom Cruise. Tom Berenger (Barnes) and Willem Dafoe (Elias) were both nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for these roles. So their votes kinda diluted each other out. Johnny Depp reportedly had a decent-size role, but a lot of it didn't make the final edit. * Oliver Stone's other Vietnam War movie, Born on the Fourth of July, stars Tom Cruise. And a lot of the supporting actors from this film, including Berenger and Dafoe, are also in that one. Stone is like James Cameron. He re-uses actors he likes.
I hate to tell you..men understand fully WHAT can happen to them...they do it because they HAVE to do it..the country they love requires it.. whether it means dieing or not..and God bless them for it🇺🇸💪
@VladislavBabbitt OFCOURSE..ANY person that signed a document saying that they will DIE for their country because they LOVE their country should be respected... even "enemies"..it's called PATRIOTISM...it's practically a "dirty word" today...in AMERICA anyway.🇺🇸💪you can disagree with your government..I do...but Patriots should always get basic respect from the general pubic..
3:41 When this movie is shown in military schools, the lieutenant is often cited as the worst way to command soldiers. He kowtows to his sergeants (although he should listen to their advice and benefit from their experience, he still should be in command) and worst of all, tries to be buddy-buddy with the privates. Later he gives up and says "I don't care anymore" which is even worse than that. 12:15 it's called a booby trap. They're designed to rip off your arms or hands, rather than kill you straight away. The purpose is to demoralize and scare enemy soldiers, a wounded soldier screaming in agony is worse than a dead one. (Similarly, some mines are designed to take off a foot or a leg, rather than kill) Yay, humanity. 18:58 I was in the artillery during my mandatory military service, and this is the stuff that we were warned about over and over: if you make a slight mistake while giving coordinates to the artillery, you may easily end up killing your own men, and this is what happens in this scene. 19:09 it's called a shrapnel, and it's worse, A LOT worse than getting shot. It's a hot piece of sharp metal that sticks to your flesh. Very difficult to get out, because a) it's so hot you can't hold it, and there are no tongs in the middle of the jungle and b) the wounded guy cannot hold still. 26:26 That's Dale Dye, a real Vietnam vet who also had a role in Saving Private Ryan. He often acts as an advisor in war movies. He's still alive. 28:20 The officer blown up by the suicide bomber is director Oliver Stone. 30:44 Rhah is played by Franceso Quinn, son of Anthony Quinn.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
RIP, Tony Todd, 1954-2024.
Candyman. Candyman Candyman
Sad... just saw this in my newsfeeds today.
Yeah, odd coincidence
Just seen the news.
I did not know he had died.
Respect to this man.
“Is this a comedy?”
According to Naked Gun it is.
The fact Dawn actually knows Tracks of my Tears by Smokey Robinson pleases me to no end.
@@NoelCraigNI Soundtrack to Platoon was '87 gold mine: CCR's, 'Stones, Haggard, "Sittin' on the dock...", "Tears of a Clown", +++ & tragic Classical score: 'Adagio for Strings': Samuel Barber's (+JFK's)
Same 😊
It's not that they don't comprehend that it's dangerous, it's that it's a job that has do be done so they do it. They aren't trying to die, they know the risk is there but that's what a soldier does. He risks his life so others can live free.
My late friend did 3 tours in Vietnam. He told me they had no idea what they were fighting for, or why. He said it was pretty evident that they were fighting a war that couldn't be won. In the end the only reason they were fighting was to try and keep each other alive.
I had a friend who served in the same platoon with Oliver Stone. He helped Stone open a C-Rat can with a P-38 can opener in the jungle and asked him why he didn't know how to work it and Stone said he had Maid's that did it for him at home. When this movie came out Stone gathered many of the guys who served with him and put them up at a first class Hotel in D.C. and had a big dinner for them.
Admittedly, very few of us grew up knowing how to use that kind of can opener 🤣
I have a P-38 on my key chain, it's amazing how many times I have used it. I can open a can quicker with that than a store bought hand held can opener.
He played the raw unedited score version for them too, and they wanted him to release it as is, just gunfire, and ambience, no score lmao, they loved it
Winner of 4 Oscars including Best Picture.
I still say Aliens should have won.
"sometimes karma is busy and you need to give it a helping hand" ... omg - that was really profound!
I was a young writer in the mid-80's and I got an assignment from a local newspaper to do a review of Platoon. I took my pen and notepad and went to a theater on the opening day for the noon showing, hoping to avoid crowds. When I got there all I saw was a sea of Vietnam vets, wearing their caps, leather vests and jackets that were embroidered with their different units and the years they were there. The theater was packed so I stood along a wall and to watch the film, but only a few minutes into the show I started watching the vets, and I could see their pain as they relived their time serving in Vietnam. I wound up doing two reviews - one of the film and the other of the brave men watching it. I turned it in to the editor and he did print it, but it was the last time I reviewed a film. I decided I''d rather write them than review them.
During the making of one of the actors, said he saw Stone and Dale Dye, having flashbacks on set.
You got yourself a blessing by trying to avoid the crowd. If you had incorporated the audience with your film review, it could have been the greatest film review ever written.
So what films have you wrote
@@mgordon1100 Absolutely. An entirely different perspective on the pain that war inflicted on our troops.
@@4Kandlez I did a film for Lifetime that won a few awards, did rewrite ("script doctor") work on some major films, filled in the slow times by writing and producing video content for some major museums and I have a script now that's in pre-production.
Long before his comedy roles, Charlie Sheen was a pretty serious drama and action star. Platoon, Young Guns, Lucas, Wall Street, Red Dawn etc. Same with his brother: Emilio Estevez.
Its kinda how some younger generations grew up knowing Robert DeNiro for his late career comedies before learning he was one of the best serious actors of his generation.
CLASSICS
Sad that his career took such a turn and the newer generation only knows him for 2&AHM
@@Arsolon618 And those earlier serious roles make his later comedic roles work so much better as we know how serious he can be so in something like Meet the Parents we already have a sense of menace about him.
William DeFoe in Wild At Heart
Bobby Peru!
Do Soliders talk like that ?............... CONSTANTLY !!!
Before Charlie Sheen did comedies, he was known for doing this film and Wall Street.
And also Young Guns. (Funny thing about that film, that he was the "responsible" one in the film and his brother Emilio Estevez played "the crazy one" Billy The Kid.)
I had a job where my boss was a Vietnam veteran. He was from a small town and joined the infantry. He would not talk about specific things that happened during his time there. But after this movie came out, he said it was the closest that any film had gotten to showing the experience to actually fight in that war.
It was a mess , you had drafted troops, with no motivation to go to battle fields and officers that no one took seriously , you could always frag them.
!969 to 1972 about 900 fragging , round 100 killed and hundreds injured . Nothing new it happened in WW 2 and Korea too.
Thats still small number, 8 000 - 12 000 US soldiers were killed by friendly fire, mainly by artillery.
Artillery was the deadliest in 20th wars , over 80% of injuries and deaths
Dawn, if you ever have the chance to talk with a combat veteran from ANY war and they actually open up to you beware. If they go beyond the stories of what good times they had with fellow soldiers, what's left of your innocent view from just watching the movies will be gone. These men and women (I know a couple of nurses that served in field hospitals in Vietnam), saw and had to do things that will stay with you forever. From WWII to Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East I've either been related to, worked with or met some of these people. They will usually only talk of battle amongst each other. NEVER try to pry into their memories, they deserve and have earned our respect.
WTF are you on about mate?
4:52 What are you supposed to do?
Anything to stay awake. During my time in Afghanistan, I used "Ranger dip" a few times. That's when you wrap instant MRE coffee in the MRE toilet paper and keep it in your lip like dip. I used dip (smokeless tobacco) a lot, that can help to keep you up. Tons and tons of Rip It (energy drinks). Pinching yourself or pricking the tip of your finger with the tip of your knife. Worst case scenario, a little MRE tobasco sauce (or a little of the hot sauce my wife sent in care packages) under the eyes. The last one burns like hell, but you won't be thinking about sleeping, that's for damn sure.
As a Vietnam veteran, I’ve said for years that this movie is the closest version of what I experienced over there. ALL the rest are just 10% Vietnam, 90% Hollywood.
is that because of oliver stone ?
@ I don’t know what your comment means. But Stone was a Vietnam veteran, his movie was more realistic because he lived it. He said that Taylor was really him, & most of the movie was written about things that he experienced in Vietnam. Most all the other ‘Nam movies were written by people who never went there. Now there will be tons of people saying that other ‘Nam movies are more realistic, but that’s just Hollywood bull💩. I say again, as a Vietnam veteran, Platoon was more of what I experienced in Vietnam, BECAUSE it was written by a Vietnam veteran, not some Hollywood suits.
Looks like hell, damn. I hope your comradery was better than the platoon depicted, it would have been hell enough without the support of your fellow soldiers. The platoon depicted here was certainly not a band of brothers. Of course, thank you for your service, from a 90s/00s Coastie. I grew up in the aftermath of your war.
@ Semper Paramus Coastie.
I am one of the lucky Vietnam Huey helicopter Door Gunners who survived to make it home. The Wop,Wop,Wop of the helicopter blades was the song of my youth. Those Hueys were either taking us into hell or bringing us out if it, sometimes the deck was so covered in blood that we’d have to land in a shallow river just to wash it out. A fellow soldier died in my arms, in Vietnam, people were trying to kill you, it’s easy for some people to say “peace is the way” if they’ve never seen combat. The most powerful weapon in the United States is a patriotic American Veteran. I am sincerely grateful for your sacrifice Coastie. Always ready.
@@MichaelSSmith-hs5pw Peace to you brother, you earned it
Crotch rot is American slang for a rash or fungus that develops on each side of your genitals. It's not an STD. Just a rash caused by heat and sweat. It's similar to athlete's foot. In America it's also known as jock itch or swamp ass
Its technical name is ring worm, although its fungal, not worms. Theres different types you can get all over your body (including your toes) but its most common around any part of your body where skin rubs and sweat accumulates, mostly the crotch and armpits, although you can get it at knees and elbows as well. Because sweat feeds it its most common in humid countries - jungles especially. Even after you get rid of it the itchy sensation linger for years. Ive had it and its not fun.
😂😂😂
i love your reactions, Thanks!
I like how even though they disagree elias just sighs and says barnes believes in what hes doing. Its so important to try to understand people
4:40 "But what if he's really tired and can't help it? What's he supposed to do, hold his eyes open?"
Yes.
Exactly that.
Slap his own face.
Stand up and walk around a bit.
Pinch himself.
You're giggling like "oh well, what if he can't help it. A short nap won't hurt anybody".
If the guy on watch falls asleep, he dies and so does everybody else.
It's kind of important.
No, it's massively important.
So he better freaking "help it" and stay awake.
That reason alone should keep him awake in terror.
And he's been trained in lots of ways to stay awake on watch.
My favorite Oliver Stone movie is U-turn from the 1997.
U-Turn is a twisted movie, but entertaining.
This is the duality of man played out in the jungles of Vietnam.
wrong movie haha
Whose side are you on, son?
Even if he didn't see Barns kill Elias, Barns told him that Elias was dead and to not go back for him, only then to see Elias alive and get killed while trying to escape. Even if Barns hadn't shot Elias, lying and leaving Elias behind was a death sentence, effectively killing Elias. So, he didn't need to have seen Barns shooting Elias to know that Barns killed him.
This movie is part of Oliver Stone's informal trilogy on the Vietnam war, the other two being "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) with Tom Cruise in the lead as real life veteran Ron Kovic - incidentally Tom Cruise's best performance in my opinion - and "Heaven & Earth" (1993) about a young Vietnamese woman trying to survive the war. That one stars Tommy Lee Jones with not just his best scene ever, but one of the greatest and most chilling performances in a scene ever. 😮
The performance of Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July was so good it beats any actor who ever lived. Convincingly
@@jamesballard42 Glad to hear that somebody appreciates it just as much as myself, or even more. I think his performance in the movie, and the movie itself, is tragically overlooked. I'd love it if the movie became one of those movies that circulates throughout the entire reaction community.
Keith David & Charlie Sheen co-star with Emilio Esteves, Charlie's brother, in "Men
at Work" w: bro's as bro's, & Keith's 'Nam vet', so it's funny to offset Platoon! 🤫🤞
Ah yes a classic comedy 😂
Director Oliver Stone served in 'Nam. It is easily the best war film ever made simply because it does not confirm to the typical war movie archetypes... us = good vs them = bad. Tom Bringer whom played Barnes may be one of the greatest villain performance of all time.
The documentary Platoon: Brothers in Arms is really worth the watch.
28:35 fun fact the officer on the radio is played by USMC Captain Dale Dye Jr (retired). He is a highly decorated Vietnam vet.
He is the military consultant for this and other war movies like Saving Private Ryan. His company Warriors, Inc is used to train actors in basic military maneuvers so they look more or less like real soldiers.
If you see him acting in a military movie you can be sure he is also the consultant.
Tough show to watch, glad you made it through it. Another great movie with Willem Dafoe is "Clear and Present Danger".
Thank U, Dawn Marie, for this excellent Reaction.
You're the greatest, Sister.
(I love the Ginger turn, too)
I caught this in the cinema when I was 16, and loved Willem ("not William") Defoe.
Then next I saw him in "To Live an' Die in L.A." ...where he played well the Baddie.
Be Well / Beauty Way
❤😂🎉😂❤
Dawn, even though you think that Charlie Sheen’s character may one day regret shooting Barnes because he is unsure if Barnes killed Elias, let’s not forget that Barnes was attempting to kill him just before the air strike. I believe that he will not have any regrets about his decision.
Platoon is one of my favorite war movies and your reaction to it brought that up a couple of notches.
Since you are a Clint Eastwood fan, I think you’ll enjoy “Kelly’s Heroes”.
I saw this in the theater when I was in High School, honestly really shook me up. Great reaction!
"Y'all think you know about de*th? I am de*th." 'Barnes' Tom Berenger is also with Charlie*Sheen in "Major League" baseball comedy with Wesley Snipes! "Wild*Thing!"
Charlie Sheen reading his letter home out loud @ start is same as Martin Sheen, his Dad, in "Apocalypse Now", reading his letter home out loud @ start! In '78 & '87!
And in Hot Shots Part Deux , they pass each other on the river and shout "Loved you in Wallstreet"
@Cedarlick Yes! Martin Sheen as in Apocalypse Now river boat w: Charlie as 'Rambo'! 👍🤩👍
I was just about to create a post about this. I hadn't seen this movie in a long time, but that moment gave me a callback to Martin Sheen. And if you look at young Martin Sheen at the right angle, you can see Charlie. Also, if you look at him in a different angle, you can see Emilio Estavez.
With all due respect to Charlie, who did make some terrific films, his father was the better actor.
"PLATOON" was in marquee of the theater as Leslie Nielsen & Priscilla Presley walked out holding hands & laughing in love in "Naked Gun"!
The use of 'Adagio For Strings' never fails to make one solemn (also well used in THE ELEPHANT MAN which you so need to see). A seminal film about war by a man who served it for his country (Oliver Stone - who cameos as the officer who gets killed by the kamikaze bomber in the tent) showcasing the true horrors of mankind with stellar work by all (we literally lost Tony Todd today :( ). This was Sheen's breakthru role prior to his comedies like HOT SHOTS (which the 2nd film nods to w/his scene w/his real-life dad Martin). Stacked cast including a very early Johnny Depp performance (as the translator) and Forest Whitaker. The one actor you said 'I know him' is Willem Dafoe (who garnered an Oscar nod here). RE: Vietnam war films you need to see THE DEER HUNTER with Robert De Niro & Christopher Walken next. And a crusader is someone who fights for a noble cause. Trivia - when Elias is shot to death by the Vietcong the blood packets attached to Dafoe malfunctioned (no blood splatters) but they printed it regardless since it is very vividly affective none-the-less. Kevin Dillon, the sociopathic Bunny, is Matt's real-life brother. Dale Dye - who plays the officer who mentions a court-martial into the investigation of Elias' killing - was also a real-life Vietnam vet who upon returning to the States after his service became a military advisor for Hollywood and as an actor, on this and many other productions he literally instilled a boot camp for the actors pre-filming to learn what it takes physically & mentally to become a soldier in war. The actors said while it was brutal it proved to be very helpful.
Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" was played at JFK's funeral because it was his favorite classical piece.
Other Vietnam war films of note - Hamburger Hill, Apocalypse Now, Born On The Fourth Of July, Gardens of Stone, Full Metal Jacket, Casualties of War, Rescue Dawn, We Were Soldiers.
@@MrGpschmidt "Uncommon Valor" with Gene Hackman, Randall "Tex" Cobb, & Patrick Swayze (his 2nd movie;) in '83 were 'Nam Vet's going back for POW's, inspiring 'Rambo' to do that after that.
@@MrGpschmidt Gene Hackman was also in true story of U.S. pilot shot down behind NVA lines in "Bat 21" with Danny Glover.
@@MrGpschmidt Willem Dafoe was also back in 'Nam in "Flight of the Intruder". (an A-6 Intruder;)
The famous scene in " Tropic Thunder " originated here.
" You grew hands?! "
Platoon is one of the few times I ever watched a movie, rewound it (VHS) and immediately watched it again. Still my favorite war movie to this day.
It's the Major League of war movies
Really? For Platoon?? I mean it's a decent movie, but watching it twice in a row is crazy.
Lots of Vietnam vets needed this movie. This movie is famous for the soundtrack.
In truth all Americans need/ed this movie, just for the absolute honesty about war, especially the Vietnam war.
Your words about coming home ring true. I am a war veteran (medic), serving in the UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon and Bosnia. I was never in combat, but being in a war zone does something to your head. At least it did to mine. Coming home and trying to care about the inconsequential stuff people at home worried about... it's difficult.
Oliver Stone, the Director, served in Vietnam and the movie is loosely based on his personal experience and his letters back home. I saw this in high school and it hit hard! Tom Berringer, Willem DaFoe, Charlie Sheen, etc and so on. What a CAST!!!!!!! The guys who were drafted into a disgusting war were treated so poorly. No support back home for them, our leaders used them as pawns. One of the darkest chapters in our history.
I saw this movie when I was still in the navy in south Carolina in 87' pretty relatable
By the time we see these men in the movie the US had already been involved in Vietnam for 4 years and no progress had been made in defeating the communist. The rules of engagement made no sense. My best friend did 2 tours of duty as a combat Marine in Vietnam. He talked me out of enlisting calling the war a royal brass cluster fuck. He returned home suffered from PTSD and took to drinking. His marriage broke up and he died in 97 a victim of Agent Orange.
Vietnam was a war we never should have gotten involved in. The US involvement was based on a lie, The Gulf of Tonkin incident. Before President Kennedy was assassinated, he was continplating getting out of Vietnam. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara began a program of using men who had failed the military intelligence test as combat troops in Vietnam. They were called McNamara's Morons. They also died at 3 times the rate of other troops.
Anyone that wants to understand the Vietnam War needs to learn the history of it going all the way back to the Wilson Administration following WW1. The US really screwed the pooch on this war.
The only reason I never went was because my draft number was 353. If I had been born 7hrs. 54min. earlier my draft number would have been 16.
Mine was 314. I watched the drawing on tv in the squadron day room.
@@larrycummings7300I watched with my Dad who left Cuba to enlist in the Army in 1942. He had dual citizenship, US and Cuban. My mother stayed in the bedroom alternating between crying and praying. I think she had me drafted, dead, and buried. I remember when they got to #160 which meant I was in the clear. In 1975 as I watched the chaos in Saigon, I thanked God I was not drafted. I also called my friend to thank him for talking out of enlisting. A couple of decades later I was in tears when I heard about my friend's death from cancer. He had done 2 tours of duty as a combat Marine in Vietnam. Agent Orange killed him. I've cursed that war and every politician that got us into it. What a waste of American and Vietnamese lives. The Vietnamese people are still suffering from the effects of Agent Orange.
@@larrycummings7300Some Vietnam vets are still suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. Last year I met a man and his wife at the clinic where I had a doctor's appointment. He was my age and in a wheelchair. He was suffering numerous ailments that were attributed to Agent Orange.
It's not that men don't understand the danger they are getting themselves into in these kind of situations, they have no choice in this kind of situation. It's called bravery.
My favorite Tom berenger movie is one man's hero from the year 1999.
My favourite Willem Dafoe movie was Mississippi Burning! Gene Hackman was brilliant in it too.
Have you already done Full Metal Jacket? Probably my favourite Vietnam movie along with Good Morning Vietnam and (Very loosely a Vietnam film) Jacob's Ladder!..
... just thought I'd share that with you 🤣🤣
13:21 This is what war is. The big battles are epic and deadly, but the dehumanization is the slower, and often more nefarious killer.
22:34 One of the most epic death scenes in Cinematic History. And spoofed at least a couple times.
The musical score is Epic! Deserved all the Oscar's it won! Thanks for sharing Dawn Marie!❤️💛 other war movies to watch are, The Deer Hunter, We Were Soldiers and Heart Break Ridge!
I mean, if you think Barber wrote the passacaglia and fugue for the movie I guess.
I saw this movie on business travel with a US Army captain. When it was over I told him that the thing I learned from the movie was that I never wanted to be an army lieutenant in combat. (He laughed.)
Fun fact: this is the same filmmaker who made "Natural Born Killers."
Oliver Stone directed "NBK", which Quentin Tarantino wrote, but when sh*t hit fan over it, Quentin blamed Stone. '92's "JFK" was Stone's, too.
&' the doors'
My shipmates and I saw this in the movie theater back in 87. We were 19yr olds watching this movie before our ship was going to ship out to the Persian Gulf 87-90. Just imagine we were kids in uniform serving our country willing to give our lives in order to save many. Just like those young men y'all saw in the beginning of the movie. "Boys."
The cast was put through a quick bootcamp, with thanks to Dale Dye, the historical advisor and real Vietnam vet, he even made them sleep in the jungle in the night and set off explosives like they were really ambushed. Dale Dye (26:16) would also do this for the cast of Saving Private Ryan and it really shows, there is more camaraderie between the actors. Some actors in Platoon could not really take it all, like at 25:43, that emotion was real, John C. McGinley said he was at the end of what he could take.
I saw this at the theater with a friend and his dad who did 2 tours in Viernam in 68 and 69. It was at the end of the movie I looked over at his dad and he was crying. I will never forget that.
Man, I remember the war. All that... warrin'. Everyone's like, "Hey! Look at me! I'm gonna war ya up!"
I saw this movie in high school, and one of my teachers was in a line company like that during the war. He said bad things like that would happen, but they wouldn't all happen together like that in a soldier's tour. This movie reminds me of Fury where the replacement guy is inexperienced and scared as hell, then gets used to the craziness around them.
Oh Dawn Marie, as a veteran, I can tell you that veterans and active military talk like this all the time, and then some!!
This to me was the first realistic war movie. I saw it in the theater in '87 and was blown away. It is unsparingly real and raw.
Danang to Khe Sanh, 1968. Air Force. Resupplied the Marines. I completely lost it in the opening scenes where the 130 taxied in, guys were unloading KIAs in body bags-something I did too frequently.
"Platoon" was, and up to this point, is, the only Vietnam War movie made by an actual vet. Oliver Stone made sure he placed certain things in the movie that only us vets would recognize; the souveniring of NVA belts/buckles at the film's end, e g.
What I would like to see is a film about things stateside during the war, specifically about the simps who got mommy and daddy to buy them a student deferment or got their family doctor to invent a medical condition that kept them out. Chronic Ingrown Toenail was popular. And show the angry, screeching feminists who demanded equal rights, but were silent on making women eligible for the draft.
As of November 2024, we are down to approximately 500,000 living vets (in-country, in-water, flyovers) and are losing 400 per day. I did the math-we have about 3.5 years left before we're...gone...
Hi Dawn. Good bloody war film, well acted and filmed. Thankyou Dawn
Nice reaction, Not many people get that Taylor became Barnes. If you remember Rah said that only Barnes can kill Barnes........Taylor has changed a that much since the start of the movie.
Guys talk like that because if you AREN'T "ribbing" (making fun of) your friends under constant threat and stress, it GETS TO YOU and you end up "snapping" to the point of becoming a danger to yourself and those around you. So, you just take "jabs" at each other as a way to get a laugh or let off some steam. As long as you do it in a calm manner and in a "safe location" (such as at the base) it is all good.
When it becomes HEATED (yelling/shoving), then it goes from just friendly ribbing each other to PERSONAL, and that is when real fights start to happen.
This was Oliver Stone's telling of his experience in Vietnam.
Vietnam was originally a French colonial Civil War. France asked the US for assistance and Eisenhower and then Kennedy sent intelligence and special forces personnel. The Kennedys, realized that the war was a response to political corruption and indifference, therfore decided to pull out. The assassination of JFk and RFk, prevented that and LBJ committed all the armed forces, eventually spreading the war to Laos and Cambodia.
Sheen also stars with his dad in the Oscar winning Oliver Stone movie, Wall Street.
"Ladyhawke" and "The Man from Snowy River." 🙂🙏
11:05 What Dawn is trying to say is men are more risk takers than women who are risk adverse in general.
Also younger people don't consider the dangers and consequences of risky action. That's why the military prefers young men to recruit, mentally and physically resilient.
Thanks for reacting to Platoon, I can't understand why more don't. P.S. love the hair 😘
'The killing fields" is a powerful film, about what this lead too later on.
Definitely worth watching.
Another thing about the Vietnam War was that you had soldiers who were drafted (compulsory service) who did not want to be there and a home front who was against the war and the soldiers who fought it. The term "frag/fragging" came about during the war and it means to kill a fellow soldier or superior officer that you have a beef with during a battle. When a soldier is killed in battle it is automatically assumed that the enemy killed him and it was not usually investigated any further.
One of my favorite Vietnam movie is Hamburger Hill.
This is how young men talk, yes. In the military at least.
If you like Willem Dafoe's face, check him out as a counterfeiter in the crime drama "To Live and Die in L.A."
Imo this is not just the greatest "war" movie ever it's also the most important movie (for the US) regarding war that has ever been made.
It's honest, it's brutal, it's as real as it gets without bullets flying at you. It shows the impact of war on soldiers and by implication the country of those soldiers.
The captain at the end, is dale dye. A real Vietnam officer. Who did technical work and acting in this, band of brothers, saving Private Ryan, casualties of war, and so many others. Oliver stone the director gets blown up in the end in the command bunker.
Looking good Dawn, love the hair, and of course the reaction. :)
Sheen is also good in 'Wall Street' by Oliver Stone (same director)
The smoking coming from the back of the soldier named Ace is due to the high heat emanating from the extremely hot chunk of metal burning his internal tissues and surrounding skin from the impact of the high explosive shrapnel that hit him. Barnes coats his fingers in the wet mud to help protect them from the burning hot shrapnel as he pulls the razor-sharp chunk of metal out of Ace's back, and you can see and hear him react in pain as it burns his fingers, and he drops the piece of shrapnel fast (the round is not White Phosphorus (WP) as some on here have stated, as White Phosphorus is a burning compound that is used to generate smoke screens, but the nature of the compound burns and feeds off of what it comes into contact with if it is ignitable, and Barnes would have lost his fingers and would have had to cut them away to not lose his hand or more as the WP would use the flesh as a fuel source to continue burning. I served in the U.S. Army Field Artillery for over 20 years, and what is depicted in the movie is a case of friendly fire as Lieutenant Wolf calls in the coordinates for a fire mission on his troop's location instead of the enemy's location. As close as the two forces are to each other, that would be a danger close mission and very risky to even attempt to do for an experienced fire support team much less an inexperienced Infantry Lieutenant to attempt. As soon as Barnes gets to Wolf, he grabs the radio mike, hits him in the head with it, yells at him about wasting a lot of good men up there with the messed-up coordinates and fire mission, and then calls the Redleg call sign used generically in the movie (U.S. Artillerymen are known as Redlegs), and calls Check Fire which commands the firing unit to immediately stop firing until the Check Fire status is lifted (usually not lifted until an investigation is concluded into why the Check Fire was called). As it is an American Artillery unit firing it is most likely a 105mm howitzer unit (35-pound High explosive round) or less likely a 155mm Howitzer unit (95-pound High Explosive round) firing the mission.
Since you said you really like watching black and white films, here are three war related ones I recommend you check out:
Paths of Glory (Starring Kirk Douglas and Directed by Stanley Kubrick who also Directed Full Metal Jacket) that takes place in World War One.
Best Years of Our Lives which won the Best Picture Oscar in 1946 about three World War Two Veterans returning from the war and highlights many issues they go through reintegrating back into peace time civilian life. As a Veteran myself, I was impressed by how many issues were addressed in this film that are still issues many returning Veterans end up having to deal with to this day. Of note, this film also is the only time in Academy Awards history where one actor received two Oscars for the same role.
Stalag 17 a film that takes place at Christmas time; 1944 in a German POW camp with American prisoners (a film mixing many comedic moments with a very serious plot involving a German spy among the prisoners), and I know how you like trying to figure out who the bad guy is.
The Rookie, with Clint Eastwood, is also a good Charlie Sheen movie.
He was everywhere in the late 80's and 90's
I saw Platoon with a group of friends in 1986 at a since demolished Odeon in Warrington. It was opening weekend and a full house. It was great movie to see with an audience. For me, its the best Vietnam movie ever made.
Drugs, and some were government supplied. That’s how they stayed in action. Tough watch , one I never circle back to. Thanks for the view.
Yep for some reason I can't watch it as I got older. And normally I enjoy violent movies.
Barnes left Chis a scar on his face for a reason - You'll never forget what I am and where you're from, for the rest of your life.
I've worked in factories full of men, and I've worked as one of only three men amongst a factory full of women. I can tell you 110% . Women will say and discuss things that men wouldn't dare. Everyone believes otherwise, but the FACT is, women speak faar more explicitly than men. It's not even close. Most men are quite civil with their language. And MOST women are extremely crude.
19:09 shrapnel metal pieces from the artillery shell hitting and exploding embedded into everything in the vicinity including people. Another reason why you don't want to be in a wooded area - the wood pieces, when trees get hit, can act like that as well
I can also highly recommend Ken Burns award winning documentary on the Vietnam War. The interviews with people from both sides who served are very moving.
Also, you might be interested in reading into the My Lai massacre; one of, if not the darkest, most brutal incident that involved the US troops who served over there….one that nobody was ever fully held accountable for.
As Harry Patch (17 June 1898 - 25 July 2009) the last surviving trench combat soldier of the First World War from any country said of war…
“Politicians who took us to war should have been given the guns and told to settle their differences themselves, instead of organising nothing better than legalised mass murder”.
The younger actors, were virtually unknown when this was made. The director made them live outside for real, digging the foxholes etc, so they would know exactly what it felt like to be tired and dirty. They also filmed the movie in order, and every time someone died in the film, they were sent home for real, so having got close to the other actors, they had a real sense of loss when they were gone.
They also marched from one location to the next.
Im not a fan of watching war movies alone so thank you Dawn you make watching war movies enjoyable every time you react to a war movie.
The actor who played the commander that was talking on the headset near the end and was talking about a court martial is in a lot of war movies because he was actually in the military just like R. Lee Ermey, the drill instructor on Full Metal Jacket.
Great reaction Dawn. This is my favorite war movie. I saw it first time in the 90s , I still quote lines from this movie. Oh yeah there’s a bit of difficult scenes but excellent acting. Defoe and Barringer are at the top of the game. Defoe won best supporting Oscar. 👏👏
Dafoe. Berenger.
Dawn Marie, I didn’t recognize you!
You look good though.
You’re a real one.
Thanks for all the good reactions
Dawn, if you go back to watching the opening jungle scene, do so with the knowledge that when that was being filmed, the cast had already been through an arduous boot camp, sleeping in the jungle. They also went on arduous hikes from one location to the next.
It's pretty well known that Oliver Stone is a Vietnam war veteran and so was Dale Dye, who I believe started out merely as a technical advisor, and ended up being cast in the film 'Drop everything you've got on my position, it's a lovely f'ing war'. which was the start of quite an impressive film career. Whilst not autobiographical, Oliver Stone did write based on his own personal experiences. He did indeed drop out of University (Yale) and enlisted into the US Army. He was wounded in action twice, and received a Bronze Star for valour amongst other medals.
I think Platoon rightly is recognised as one of the best Vietnam war films ever made.
Just noticed in the credits Tony Todd played Warren in it, Tony sadly passed away the other day at 69, R.I.P
That Barber Adagio has become kind of America's default national soundtrack of grieving, in no small part because of its use in this film. It seemed to be playing everywhere in the days after the 9/11 attacks, and despite its having become almost a cliché by now, it still works. Barber adapted it as an Agnus Dei for mixed human voice, and if the orchestral version moves you at all, the choral one will rip out your heart.
Platoon (1986) made Charlie Sheen a star. Before then he enjoyed a bit part in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). After it he enjoyed starring roles in a run of successful films -- Wall Street (1987), Young Guns (1988), Major League (1989), The Rookie (1990), Hot Shots! (1991). And for more young Johnny Depp, also check out A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
1:11 - "is this a comedy?"
Oh yeah. You'll be laughing so hard you won't be able to sleep for days . . .
Though I've got to admit, you laughed more than anyone else I've ever seen watch this movie.
Oliver Stone was a Vietnam veteran and made this movie through his eyes and what he lived through. He purposely chose a very young cast to show the average age of the soldiers in Vietnam which was from 18-25
I saw this movie when it first was in theatres. The silence when we exited was very obvious. Shockingly so.
RIP Tony Todd.
1:11 - “is this a comedy?” - RIP that comment.
Bunny is Kevin Dillon, Matt Dillon's brother!😮😮😮 He did a great parody of himself in the cable show , Entourage. Matt was the huge star hearthrob guy, back in the day. Willem DaFoe, the other sergeant, NEVER ages! He still looks the same in, John Wick!
His name is Willem Dafoe and he's one hell of an actor
Pride and pier pressure, luv. That's heroics for you. True bravery has unknown faces. 🙃
That overused song was so effectively used in this movie that afterword everybody and their grandmother used it in their movie to the point where it became so overused that comedies were starting to parody it.
Adagio was very effectively used in
The Elephant Man prior
Yup, you know it's a trope when it gets used in that trampoline scene in The Simpsons.
So many trope moments in this film aside from that also.
Finally my favorite reactor is watching one of my favorite (war) movies; definitely one that should be seen before "Tropic Thunder"
Yes, Charlie Sheen did look a bit like Tom Cruise.
Tom Berenger (Barnes) and Willem Dafoe (Elias) were both nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for these roles. So their votes kinda diluted each other out.
Johnny Depp reportedly had a decent-size role, but a lot of it didn't make the final edit.
*
Oliver Stone's other Vietnam War movie, Born on the Fourth of July, stars Tom Cruise. And a lot of the supporting actors from this film, including Berenger and Dafoe, are also in that one. Stone is like James Cameron. He re-uses actors he likes.
I hate to tell you..men understand fully WHAT can happen to them...they do it because they HAVE to do it..the country they love requires it.. whether it means dieing or not..and God bless them for it🇺🇸💪
What about the other countries besides USA who would do the same thing?
You must respect them too.
@VladislavBabbitt OFCOURSE..ANY person that signed a document saying that they will DIE for their country because they LOVE their country should be respected... even "enemies"..it's called PATRIOTISM...it's practically a "dirty word" today...in AMERICA anyway.🇺🇸💪you can disagree with your government..I do...but Patriots should always get basic respect from the general pubic..
They were conscripted
Or they were drafted against their will. To go fight someone else's war. Unless you had money, then you can easily avoid the draft.
Whether they loved their country or not, they were forced to do it.
3:41 When this movie is shown in military schools, the lieutenant is often cited as the worst way to command soldiers. He kowtows to his sergeants (although he should listen to their advice and benefit from their experience, he still should be in command) and worst of all, tries to be buddy-buddy with the privates. Later he gives up and says "I don't care anymore" which is even worse than that.
12:15 it's called a booby trap. They're designed to rip off your arms or hands, rather than kill you straight away. The purpose is to demoralize and scare enemy soldiers, a wounded soldier screaming in agony is worse than a dead one. (Similarly, some mines are designed to take off a foot or a leg, rather than kill) Yay, humanity.
18:58 I was in the artillery during my mandatory military service, and this is the stuff that we were warned about over and over: if you make a slight mistake while giving coordinates to the artillery, you may easily end up killing your own men, and this is what happens in this scene.
19:09 it's called a shrapnel, and it's worse, A LOT worse than getting shot. It's a hot piece of sharp metal that sticks to your flesh. Very difficult to get out, because a) it's so hot you can't hold it, and there are no tongs in the middle of the jungle and b) the wounded guy cannot hold still.
26:26 That's Dale Dye, a real Vietnam vet who also had a role in Saving Private Ryan. He often acts as an advisor in war movies. He's still alive.
28:20 The officer blown up by the suicide bomber is director Oliver Stone.
30:44 Rhah is played by Franceso Quinn, son of Anthony Quinn.