FILMMAKER MOVIE REACTION!! Platoon (1986) FIRST TIME REACTION!!
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- Hope you enjoy my filmmaker reaction to Platoon. :D
Full length reactions & Patreon only polls: / jamesvscinema
Original Movie: Platoon (1986)
Ending Song: / charleycoin
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This film was CRAZY!
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FIRST TIME WATCHING JUJUTSU KAISEN Tuesday. Enjoy the day!
Need a not so crazy crazy view of the Vietnam War? Have you seen Good Morning Vietnam?
your video are comfy
p.s a lot of star's got their break in this movie
p.s.s Oliver Stone was in the real war
You MUST do --- THE DEER HUNTER --- It is the VERY BEST of ALL war films !!!!!
As a combat vet I always appreciated this film. Being a Vietnam vet himself, Stone captured a lot of the politics between squad leaders and stuff the way few directors have. I can’t stand about 98% of war films but this is in the 2%.
What else is in the 2%, so I can watch them.
Some that I liked, for different reasons: Band of Brothers, Blackhawk Down, Patton (I was in 3rd Army for a couple years), there are more I just can’t think of. Hacksaw ridge was good as a drama. Usually I avoid war films because they are just silly and lazy on the research side (Hurt Locker)
@@averitas also if you’re into documentaries, “The War” by Ken Burns is great.
@@matthewgunther782 a bridge too far
USMC in country 09/66/07/69. I saw two E-7’s shoot it out over nothing I could see.
Fun fact: the guy who says "It's not d-e-r-e, it's d-e-a-r, damn you dumb!" is Corey Glover...the lead singer of the band Living Color who are most notable for their hit song "Cult of Personality". Their debut album, Vivid is absolutely fantastic.
Oh sweet! That’s awesome thank you for that!
I did not know that!
That, and the translator character is Johnny Depp.
AND he's actor, Danny Glover's, newphew...
@@MarkJones-rl9ph I heard there was no relation to him.
I think it's really cool that Charlie Sheen and Martin Sheen (son and father) were both leads in two of the most iconic vietnam war movies.
I think that’s super damn awesome!
they make a joke about this in Hot Shots: Part Deux!
@@airinghouse "I loved you in Wall Street!" Hot Shots and Part Deux don't get enough credit.
Charlie Sheen's brother, Emilio Estevez was originally up for the part of Chris Taylor.
Apocalypse Now was Martin Sheen's big break through in his career!
My Dad, who served in 'Nam as a combat medic in 1966, was forced by my uncle, his younger brother, who served in 'Nam in 1968, to go to the theater and watch this on it's opening weekend.. He walked out, bawling after 20 minutes. Because of that, I've always felt this film was the closest reenactment to what my Dad went through.
Wow, I’m happy to hear this film did some justice. Respect to your father.
“I hope there’s no fuckery.”
*fuckery ensues
The thesis of life lmfao
lmao
Platoon is just one of those movies you have to experience for yourself, it’s truly an amazing movie.
100%
@@JamesVSCinema why they didnt tell him or get close was the fatality rate and rotation originally to offset war fatigue from ww2, get close to the newbie he may die, there goes your new friend, from what I was told from Vietnam veterans.
The village scene is one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever watched onscreen.
I saw this in a theater when it first came out in 1986. I was 19 or 20 at the time. The only movie I have ever been to in a theater where , when it was over and the crowd dispersed, not one person said a word to anyone else. That's how hard it hit at the time.
@@88wildcat Agreed. I saw it at about the same age as you when it came out and it was silent in the theater afterward. As we walked out and past the people waiting to see it next there were a few who asked how it was. I remember seeing a few looks from those leaving but no one said a word. I think it was the first film that let people begin to understand a little about just how shitty war is, on many levels.
Platoon is literally one man's journey and war for his very soul (the two officers representing the different ideologies that clashed during that time period). It is quality cinema and Stone at the quality height of his abilities as a writer and director.
What a journey!
Staff Non Commissioned Officers, not Officers
Yeah... more like the clash between social (Elias) and anti social (Barnes).
Johnny Depp actually learned a lot of Vietnamese for this role. Unfortunately his scenes were cut down to not overshadow the other actors.
Really!?
@@JamesVSCinema Yeah. Big shame, I hate when a person's hard work doesn't recognised.
@@JamesVSCinema Definitely. Depp was actually considered for the lead role in Platoon as Chris, but Oliver Stone thought he was a little bit too young for the part. Stone also thought Depp was destined to become a big star. There are some more of Depp's scenes on youtube that were cut from the movie. Nothing too crazy, but there's definitely a bit where he gets some more speaking time with Charlie Sheen and Keith David, where they're talking about Elias and Barnes. I wish more of his scenes had been kept in. I always found it interesting that when Depp's character gets wounded in the 2nd firefight that Sheen's character spends time holding his hand and comforting him, because in the final cut we never got to see them share any moments together...but once I got older and found out they had more scenes filmed together, it made sense that they had more of a bond in that moment.
@@WhtMike2006 Charlie was 2 years younger than Johnny but I get what you’re saying, Oliver thinking maybe Charlie had the highest potential cause his father is Martin Sheen and Johnny had been in that phase where he wanted to be a musician instead of an actor even though he was in Nightmare on Elm Street.
@@deadmanwalking8740 no doubt. I get you. Also I wonder if Charlie just looked older and that what Stone meant. I was actually surprised to just read you say that Depp is older than Sheen. I wouldn’t have guessed based on Platoon
You should definitely check out “Full Metal Jacket”
Completely different film but the first 20 minutes sets a tone.
I love Full Metal Jaket
Please check out We We’re Soldiers
Casualties of war. Didn't get the acclaim but again depicted a real life event
@@yvonnesanders4308 I thought about that movie too. James would be seething, but then again, who wasn't.. 🤬😒
When I was in the US Army, we listened more from our Platoon Sargeant who has more experienced than the newly commissioned LT.
What a great movie. The film, based on Stone's experience from the war.
That’s insane!
@@JamesVSCinema yep. Oscar winning masterpice the Platoon.
The 80’s and 90’s had the best movies
Glad you give these 2 decades props
Wish they made movies like they used too
Believe me. The feeling you have when you leave an active combat zone and are heading home. It's like a huge weight that you didn't know was there is lifted off.
The real scary part is when you begin to miss its weight....
This film does an amazing job showing how much contention there was in real life between groups of soldiers in Vietnam. There were over 1,000 cases (probably much more) where officers were "fragged" by their own soldiers; which is an attempt to kill said officer by a fragmentation grenade. There were also cases where soldiers would intentionally salute an officer in hopes someone in the Viet Cong army would pick them off. Soldiers trying to kill their officers happen in all wars but in Vietnam there was an extremely high percentage of attempted murder by friendly fire compared to most American wars. The leadership in Vietnam sucked and the troop moral was the lowest it's ever been in American history.
That is WILD.
The forces we were fighting over there had already been fighting for their country's liberation from France and Japan for decades. They made those jungles a nightmare, and so our guys lashed out at them and each other. They didn't want us there, and most of our guys didn't want to be there either. Just a self-reinforcing cycle of hatred.
@@dmwalker24 Also the rotation. As one guy aptly put it: 'We didn't fight in Vietnam for 10 years, we fought in Vietnam ten times, one year each.'
Also keep in mind the guys who went there often were not much older than 18 or 19.
@@DerOberfeldwebel My Dad and Uncle served in the late 60's, early 70's. My Uncle was a helicopter mechanic in the Army right out of high school. Just a kid really, and there's still a lot of (entirely understandable) resentment about it.
“Adiago for Strings” was in Elephant Man before this. Dunno if that was first either.
Tom Berenger is awesome in this movie. Both Berenger or Dafoe were nominated. Platoon won best picture.
So many war films are supported by the Pentagon, after script review/approval. This film was NOT supported.....which means its good, and closer to reality than the ridiculous Clancy films, Blackhawk Down, Top Gun, Transformers, and COUNTLESS others that are granted use of US military facilities and equipment FOR FREE....if and only if they adjust the script the way DoD sees fit.
That’s wild!
Elephant man from 1980, I do believe was the first time used for film!! That was another great movie as well
The Elephant Man is one of my favourite movies!
Platoon was the first time I heard Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings and I think the movie that brought it to the masses almost to the point it has become a cliché.
A Very Natural Thing (1974)
The Elephant Man (1980)
El Norte (1983)
Platoon (1986)
Lorenzo’s Oil (1992)
Wild Reeds (1994)
Falling for You (1995) (TV)
“ER” episode “Do One, Teach One, Kill One” (1995)
The Scarlet Letter (1995)
The Hunters (1996)
“Seinfeld” episode “The Fatigues” (1996)
The Closing Down of the Renault Factory at Vilvoorde Belgium - The Sexual Life of the Belgians - Part 3 (1999)
“Red Dwarf” episode “Only the Good…” (1999)
“Spaced” episode “Battles” (1999)
Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000)
Amélie (2001)
S1m0ne (2002)
3 episodes of “The Simpsons”: “The Strong Arms of the Ma” (2003), “Marge Gamer” (2007), “Little Orphan Millie” (2007)
Swimming Upstream (2003)
Reconstruction (2003)
“South Park” episode “Up the Down Steroid” (2004)
Ma Mère (2004)
Peace One Day (2004)
Liubi (2005)
Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny (2006)
Sicko (2007)
“Big Love” episode “Outer Darkness” (2009)
“American Dad!” episode “In Country… Club” (2009)
“How I Met Your Mother” episode “Jenkins” (2010)
It's stylised, but everything it shows happened in that war. Maybe not all to the same people. I know the general standards of discipline etc. pissed off Dale Dye (the guy who calls in the airstrike on himself at the end, also advisor on and actor in countless military movies like Band of Brothers and SP Ryan). In the end though, Oliver Stone was there, so while it might not be 100% accurate, he's got the right to tell the story.
The classical music heard in Platoon is Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, Op. 11, and it was previously used in David Lynch's The Elephant Man(1980) before Oliver Stone used it for Platoon(1986).
Interesting fact: Martin Sheen was in "Apocalypse Now", and his son, Charlie Sheen was in "Platoon".
And his other son Emilio Estevez was in "The War at Home" together with his dad Martin Sheen, who actually plays his dad in the movie. It's also a movie about Vietnam.
And it's spoofed perfectly in Hot Shots Part Deux
Charlie was an extra in Apocalypse now too.
They were both in Stockade with Larry fishburne
I hate it when grown-ass adults remind me that the movies I watched as a grown-ass adult were made before they were born... :-(
My father watched this movie a dozen times in the theater, when I asked him why, he said the characters reminded him of the friends he knew during the War.
I recall reading that the Lieutenant in this movie (Wolf) has literally been used in training as an example of a weak and ineffectual officer. Basically, what NOT to do.
Any war movie that doesn’t show the immense amount of waiting and boredom is a good indication that the writer/director has zero experience in the military.
Check out the Sam Mendes film Jarhead if you haven't already.
Yep. Hurry up and wait is the OOD.
I've always had a special interest in Vietnam War films, because my father is a Veteran and these movies help me understand what he went through and why he is the way he is.
Now you should watch Major League. Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen went straight from filming Platoon to filming Major League. It's pretty impressive how they transition to comedy.
Wild Thing! LOL. Such a great movie.
Such a fun movie!
Wall Street was next then Major League.
This is my favorite Vietnam war movie. Willem DaFoe earned that Oscar nomination.
Samuel Barber's adagio for strings is the second movement from his string quartet Opus 11, from 1936
Robert DeNiro in “The Deer Hunter”; Viet Nam masterpiece! 🤙🏽😎💯
I don't get the deer hunter I think it's awful
@dizgroontled Just because you don’t understand the movie, it doesn’t make the movie awful
@@akilaappuhamy5428 oh genius over here.
dizgroontled Thanks
😂
I love the foreshadowing in the movie where at the beginning, the captain says over the radio "Are you having compass trouble?" in reference to the Lt. And then in the battle sequence with the artillery, he messes up the coordinates for the fire mission cause guy can't read his compass.
Fun fact: Francis was played by Corey Glover, the lead singer of Living Color.
Yes, there are lines you don't cross. They're called war crimes.
Only the winners get to prosecute war crimes.
Go to see the Midnight Express. Another drama film. Directed by Alan Parker (Angel Heart and Pink Floyd The Wall). Written by Oliver Stone (who later going to directing the Platoon). Stone won the Oscar for the script and music by Giorgio Moroder.
Stone also appears in the film. He gets blown up in the last firefight.
Things James loves:
1): That shot
2): Saying "wow" in a monotone voice
3): The word "showcasing"
Lol it's all love James, I love your channel I'm just messing with you
This movie gives the most realistic portrayal of what a combat platoon faces in a warzone
Leadership
Bullshit
Racism
Economic differences
All wrapped up in one
Oliver stone was in Vietnam and this isn't about combat its about them
And for myself being in a combat platoon it felt real
For your information, the jungle scenes are NOT sets, the entire movie was shot in the Filipines. Oliver Stone wanted a as close to realisic surroundings for Platoon. Fun fact: The actors actually went trough simulated bootcamp and Stone had another actuall Vietnam veteran (Dale Dye) advise him on some of the details and helped him train the actors. Stone wanted the actors to feel actual exhaustion and he made them go trough hell for several week in the hot and humit Filipinian jungle. Stone himself is an actuall Vietnam veteran aswel. And part of Platoon's script was based on Stone's own personal experience.
The Captain is Dale Dye, a real Vietnam Veteran. He's had small roles in a lot of war films. Go back and look for him in Saving Private Ryan
And in Band of Brothers... His personal influence on war movies as both an actor and trainer for other actors can't be overlooked.
Yep. I think they just started using Dale Dye in basically every other military movie. He's also in The Rock, and a ton of other Michael Bay movies as some type of high-level military officer. He's often giving expository dialogue, explaining the mission, or the stakes, etc. But it's still always awesome to see him on screen.
@@WhtMike2006 If I recall correctly he was tech advisor for
Platoon and several other projects.
I heard that Captain Dye served with Gustav Hasford, who wrote the book "the Short Timers", which the movie "Full Metal Jacket" was based on.
I remember watching a DVD commentary with Dale Dye who was the military consultant (plays the Colonel in this) and also worked on Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. He said that out of the whole cast the 3 he would pick as guys who would make excellent soldiers were Dafoe, Tom Berenger, and the guy who played Junior.
One of the greatest things about Platoon is how it highlights how war brings out the best and worst in people.
Keith David plays a Vietnam vet in the comedy "Men at Work" with Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez. Good comedy and I see him here and think "So that is why he is crazy."
Great film.
In my later years I've come to realise that a lot of my favorite films and shows focus on internal struggles. They're never about some mission, or the war, or the action or "the greater good" or honor, but rather about people struggling with what kind of person they are and are going to be.
Sheen yelling. It’s FUCKING BEAUTIFUL!!!!! as he charges in. Top notch stuff
100000%
Sheen said he stole that line from a scene Tom Cruise did in the movie 'Taps'.
@@jimirayo makes sense.
The Song at the beginning is "Adagio for Strings" (1936) by Samuel Barber One of my favorite classical pieces
Best shot of the "glow of Evil" in Barnes' eyes at the climax.
Yes the piece of music was made for this movie but in the 90's was mixed by a famous DJ and made into a dance/trance track, a classic Ibiza tune from back in the day. Great piece of music.
I saw this movie as a young kid, and that scene where he smashed that civilians head in stayed with me. I remember feeling a strong sense of disgust over that whole situation. I didn´t feel that when soldiers were shooting at soldiers. So even as a child, I had the moral intuition to be able to distinguish between what is considered war crime and regular warfare. In war there are rules, if we break those rules, we lose ourselves in a way. We lose our humanity. If we don´t have our humanity, then what´s the point of fighting, we´re all lost then anyways.
James: 'LOL, these guys just vibing, so chill. Love it.'
James 5 minutes later: 'Fuck! What a bunch of assholes!'
Samuel Barber wrote 'Adagio for Strings' in 1936, and it had its debut in 1938. Samuel Barber is considered as one of the top American classical music composers of the 20th century. He died in 1981, a couple months shy of his 71st birthday.
To answer your question, I find the most fascinating parts of war films to be the effect of the unknown and fear upon the human psyche. How it effects all the characters differently. This film happens to capture that extremely well.
I saw this movie opening night in a theater full of Vets. The most powerful experiences Ive had at the movies, the tension in the air was electric. Have to say i teared up a bit with the standing ovation they gave the 2 actors who were there.
My father was a pilot in Vietnam and this is the first R rated film he ever took me to see when I was a kid, because he felt it was the most realistic depiction of the horrors of that war. There are many reasons Vietnam is a black eye on American history but this movie forces a long hard look in the mirror of the best of us and the worst of us.
Oliver Stone is a legend. His life changed in Vietnam when he experienced the confusion and hypocrisy of the US's involvement in the war. He came back and became a reporter, author, documentarian, activist, director. He created The Untold History of the United States, which tells a more truthful, global, objective history of the US. Inspired by many authors and books such as Howard Zinn's best seller A People's History of the United States. You reacted to Lady Bird - that's the book that Kyle, Timothy Chalamet's character is reading by the pool and in various scenes. lol @ that dude's character but solid book. Oliver Stone also did the Putin interviews which is some pretty badass interviews of putin over the course of like 5 years.
Insanity, that's what war is all about...
If you enjoy war movies, you should watch The Pianist when you get the chance, WWII story with very powerful performances.
Lol, for some reason I mixed up the pianist with the piano teacher and I was like "Jesus christ, I don't remember that being about war and that's a bit fucked up for a reaction channel" lol, still, viciously good performances but, yeah, the piano teacher is a whole other level of messed up, spent half that movie deeply uncomfortable...
@@andrewhussey4538 Oh dear, no, I would not recommend that one! Wouldn't wish to give anyone a mental crisis xD
Regarding the film, it's one of my favourites in the genre, top five all day long. Gets better with every viewing, the first director who had the balls to depict some of the darker events of the Vietnam conflict. Quality all through the cast who were the first set of actors to be sent to a boot camp by the director of a movie. Personal cast highlights Dafoe, Beringer and Sheen obviously but outside the leads, Keith David, John C McGinley, Kevin Dillon and Francesco Quinn give great performances as does the entire ensemble.
My favourite aspect of the whole movie is Sheen's physical transformation from the opening shot, a starry-eyed volunteer fresh off the plane, to the last shot. A battle hardened warrior, born of two fathers, Elias and Barnes. His hairstyle and bandana mimic Elias along with the bracelet, whilst his face is disfigured on the right side, the blood stain and scar mimicking the facial scar on the right hand side of Staff Sergeant Barnes' face.
Fun Facts: The officer that ordered the air support near the end is Dale Dye. He is a decorated Marine Veteran of the Vietnam War. He also is the founder of a company that advises on Hollywood military movies to make the battle scenes more realistic. The soldier raising his hands when Charlie Sheen's character departed on the helicopter is Francesco Quinn. The son of the Late great actor Anthony Quinn. Unfortunately he died of a heart attack in 2011.
"Adagio for Strings" was written by Samuel Barber in 1936 and it was a piece in it's own right before it was used in film.
Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings, Op. 11, used in Elephant man(1980). Also, favorite piece of John F. Kennedy which his wife had live played in an empty concert hall after his death.
The scene where dafoe gets shot reminded me of a quote i forget who said but i think is true "to make a good movie you need 3 great scenes & no bad scenes" i think this movie has got it & then some
This film stays with you. A real classic. I loved the themes of good vs evil embodied in the characters.
100%
When the effed up fire mission happened it wasn't just shrapnel that hit the kid it was white phosphorous from an incendiary bomb which, once burning, is almost impossible to put out and it burns extremely hot.
Masterpiece of cinema
I would say one of the most important things when creating a war movie is to capture, not only the realism, but the emotions of the time. I was 14 when my father, a Vietnam vet, took me to see this movie. I vividly remember leaving the theater and my father was strangely quite and pale white, he didn't say a word the entire trip home. He never spoke about his time in Vietnam until after this movie. I think this was a catalyst for many vets to open up about their time in hell.
Most important 1, Atmosphere 2, emotion 3, hard hitting hardness 4, honest truth to how it was.
A few others to check out, for WW2: Tora Tora Tora, The Longest Day, The Great Escape, Das Boot and Bridge on the River Kwai... All are considered absolute classics!
Vietnam: Casualties of War with Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox, Full Metal Jacket, and Uncommon Valor with Gene Hackman.
Misc: classic but very different kind of war films, Where Eagles Dare with Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton. Force 10 from Navarone with Harrison Ford and Robert Shaw, Paths of Glory another Kubrick classic along with Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Which not only has some of the most iconic lines in cinema history but also has absolutely brilliant, career defining performances by Peter Sellers who plays 3 different characters to perfection throughout the film.
Most important is character development and developing the camaraderie.
Great answer!
The best part of a good war film is the examination of the duality of man, the cross section between duty and moral compass and the inner battle both of those posit also the way the love for your comrades and the brotherhood they provide and how that impacts decision making.
James, you should do Kelly's Hero's....basically The Italian Job with tanks...peaceout dude🙏
Peace brotha!
@@JamesVSCinema Since my parents first took me to the drive-in to see it, I'm not lying when I say I've seen Kelly's Heroes more times than any other film and certainly more than I can count. It has some of the finest casting and direction ever. (Although most of the soon-to-be "all-star" cast would probably be unknown to you).
It's great to see the growth in your thinking and your perspective over months of viewing your content. It appears that your channel has been as much of a positive for you as it has been for us. It's amazing that film can do that. Keep up the good work.
100% Tony! I’ve been feeling myself becoming more intelligent with the craft that I’m in because of this channel! Thanks brother!
22:27 the iconic scene 🙌🏼
100%
I was 8 when I first saw this, and the experience was so powerful that I could never forget it.
I think before i'd even seen this I heard the line "The only man that can kill Barnes, is Barnes" by a Scottish NCO during my basic training.
I think the most important aspect is understanding what the people who fought the war went through. In particular, what was the mindset of the troops on the line? Did they actually believe in the mission they were sent for? I've read a lot of books and a lot of interviews with soldiers who were in complex wars like Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, where the troops just basically said 'we patrolled, we got shot at, we shot back, we don't really know what we did over here'. Understanding whether the soldiers themselves thought the mission the politicians gave them was winnable, to me, speaks volumes about what eventually happened in the wars themselves. And to me, Platoon is a damn perfect example of what happened in Vietnam.
This film really represented the struggle with moving through and living in the jungle on operations. The film Predator also showed that battle with nature.
Hi James. To answer what I appreciate in a war movie is the realism and state of mind. Thanks
I took a Vietnam War history course in college, and our professor took us out to lunch with 3 Vietnam War vets - a Marine, an Army guy, and one from the Air Force. They showed us their gear, had someone put it all on so they could feel how heavy it was to wear all that while trying to be quiet and make their way through jungles and swamps and all the terrain, and showed us what some of the booby traps looked like (which was scary because they were things so hard to find in tall grasses, etc). But what really stood out to me was the complete difference in experiences each one had and the temperament each one had after those experiences... being in the air, the Air Force guy didn't really have close combat so his experience was pretty far removed. The Army guy was pretty resigned about it, like, "Yeah, it sucked, but you deal with it, you do what you have to do..." Meanwhile the Marine... oh boy... he was probably the one who experienced the worst shit, and you could tell because he was STILL so angry, even 25+ years later. Time had not softened whatever he experienced. He was one fiery dude, and a little scary.
Barber's Adagio for Strings is the opening and recurring theme musically throughout the movie.
Also did a monologue of the tom Berger scene "death, what you all know about death?" Even though you hate him, just shows how good of an actor he was in this movie
100%. I also found a bit of irony in Berenger's monologue about war and death, because he talks about them smoking weed to escape reality, as he himself is slamming a bottle of Jack Daniels.
For Mad Men fans, the actor Mark Moses who played Duck Phillips plays Lt. Wolfe( the Lt. who doesn’t know what he’s doing) in Platoon.
Also actor Kevin Dillion( Drama from Entourage), brother of Matt Dillion plays the crazy “Bunny” in Platoon. Great Movie..well done!!
I served back in the 80s and me and my buddies loved this movie. A classic. Difficult at times. Love your reactions. 👏🥰
If you want to get depressed for weeks, watch Casualties of War
Fun fact: the dude that "took the pain" played in Hoosiers. He was the player whose Father was Shooter.
James, you asked what are important factors in making a military movie. From the perspective of a veteran, I can't watch military movies if they don't have the small details right. How they have their kit setup, their tactics, the way they talk, the equipment they use, the different mindsets are some examples. Also all that has drastically changed over the years and those details add up quickly. The military in the Vietnam era is a completely different military than today. Even the beginning of the Iraq war was completely different than the end of the Iraq war with those details. It is a lot for non military to get right but if they do get those details right I automatically have respect for the effort of the cast.
Agreed, but the characterization is the most important for me. A quality war movie is one where the actors don't seem like they're acting, on a set that doesn't seem or feel like a set, or when a scene doesn't come with the audio/visual clues that some shit is about to pop off.
@@Farscryer0 Agreed, good point
I will stand by my opinion that Tom Berenger should've won an Oscar for his performance. He did win a Golden Globe.
Yep, one of the first war movies i ever saw. I won't forget that gutwrenchingly impressive shot of the bulldozer just pushing all the bodies into the bomb craters. Shows how much a life is worth in war.
THE first war movie I ever saw was Das Boot. Also definitely worth checking out from a film-maker's point of view.
Want to continue the genre? “Southern Comfort” is just as good as this and “Apocalypse Now” psychologically and the camera work in some aspects as well. Absolutely worth a watch!
Fun fact. Frances, Charlie Sheen's bunker mate, is Corey Glover, lead singer for my favorite band Living Colour
Realism is it for me. That covers everything from tactics to character interactions
"Broken arrow. I say again Broken arrow" "Broken arrow? It's calling all military aircraft to there location "
26:52 I'm pretty sure that's Oliver Stone, the director of the movie, on the radio there. He's a Vietnam Vet that showed us how war is is.
Just a side note, the filming took place in the Philippines in February 1986 during the People Power Revolution.
Also dont forget "the deer hunter" its my top fav war film probably
It's the smells of war that I remember the most.
The sense of smell is the closest sensation tied to memory. I hope that you have peace.
3:30 Samuel Barber was a Canadian composer born in the 1910. the song was composed 1938 it ist called "Adagio for Strings" thats why there is no copyright strike...
This film is so impactful for me personally due to the contrast of ideologies and the pungent realism of the situations they were put in. Whether it’s getting coordinates wrong for a bombing, getting to go home, the betrayals, the burning of the village, etc. it all has happened in real life. The actors did an amazing job of portraying just how disturbing and mind breaking the war actually was.
Willem Defoe is an amazing actor who is underrated because most people know him from Spiderman where he played over the top Green Goblin and that is a shame ,at least he got noticed for his role in Lighthouse.
The soundtrack playing in the very beginning is called "Adajio for Strings" by Samuel Barber died in 1981. I think it was also played in a documentary or movie about The Elephant Man & a few other films.
I said it before, I'll say it again: Please take a look at "The Thin Red Line", my favourite war movie, very underrated.
Never Forget "WindTalkers"
Since James is into editing it might be interesting to note that Terrence Malick's process is to shoot a ton of footage and then "discover" the film in the editing room. For Thin Red Line, for example, Adrien Brody signed up to be the star but ended up barely being in the movie as Malick shifted the focus to Caviezel.
MIne as well.
10/10. One of the most powerful movies ever made
the most important part of a war movie is showing humanity, best,worst and the tragedy of wasted life and of moral ambiguity
There is so much symbolism in this film. Barnes shoots the VC laying on the ground 3 times after the first night ambush firefight with the American made M16, and then at the end of the movie, Chris shoots Barnes laying on the ground 3 times at the end with an AK-47, which is what the Vietnamese fought with. The 3 shots seems religious as well, as Elias was heavily portrayed as Chris-like throughout the film, and even in the opening scene is carrying an M60 across his shoulders, clearly in the image of Jesus carrying the cross on his shoulders. 3 nails for Jesus, 3 days from death to resurrection, etc. There's a lot more, and there are some scenes that were cut from the film that have more symbolism. One shows Elias resurrected as another soldier that Chris sees in a vision. I saw this movie way too young. I saw it in 4th grade, and it's become my favorite film of all time. Another fact I thought was interesting is that when any character died, they were sent home, so that the remaining cast members would legitimately feel the loss and sadness of losing their comrades, and this translated well to the performances. The Platoon was split into the smokers (Elias' half) and the 'drinkers (Barnes' half) and I think each half stuck to themselves more during the filming in order to make the tension among the 2 halves of the Platoon feel more palpable.
No the classical piece was composed in the 30s by Samuel Barber but this movie definitely planted it in popular culture. No dooshury meant!
Also fun fact “Francis” is the guitarist for Living Color
My man! Thank you! 🙏🏽
Adagio for Strings, I believe.
I highly recommend viewing the various making-of vids that are out there on this. Stone was a madman in his authenticity. Dale Dye was an excellent choice to help spearhead the training the actors received as he had been there, done that, had the T-shirt to prove it. They had the actors hauling equipment up the mountains and into the jungle, then began P-T to start building stress. They even had ambushes with gunfire while they were camped out just to "take them there" mentally. The actors weren't acting stressed, they really were stressed and in almost the same mind as actual soldiers. When a character was killed off, they were gone from the sets, as if they really had died. Some of the Filipino workers helping out had also worked on Apocalypse Now, and knew Martin Sheen from that, something that was interesting to Charlie. An incredible movie all around and well worthy of the awards it won.
There was also a lot of healing that went on after this film came out. Families and friends of Vietnam vets who saw the film gained an understanding of why they might not talk about the war and why they felt betrayed by the anti-war people at the airports when they came home. Even a small glimpse with a good helping of fact is enough to show that those soldiers went through things neither they, and especially not a civilian, could ever really be ready to experience, nor truly understand. I think that went a long way towards restoring some respect for those that came home from it, and helped them to open up a little as they needed.