Nope tossing cigarett butt's was r.o.c. distraction. Your enemy could smell the cigarettes. You moved onto the flank left or right. And ambush them. Sorry, it is difficult to describe tactics to a civilian who's 1/3 my age never served
You're right, Platoon is very tough, but "Casualties of War" (1989) with Michael J. Fox is the toughest Vietnam War movie of all times, you will see it if you give this movie a chance.
One day my parents were out driving in the Ozarks of Missouri. All of a sudden dad slammed on the brakes and said No Fkn way! Backed up to the mailbox he’d just passed. Jumped out and ran to the door to knock. When an old man opened the door dad leapt forward and bear hugged him. It was his best friend from Vietnam.
FACTS Historically children have been the deadliest combatants on the battlefield. My uncle was in ‘Nam and he waved back at some friendly kids as his unit walked past. Then those kids stopped waving and started throwing grenades at him. Of course there is no film showing who gave those children grenades and told the kids who to throw them at.
@@Carlos-Dangerous your uncle is a brave man . The psychological war of landmines and mantraps alone would drive me insane. Respect to him from Ireland.
People overlook Tom Berenger's performance in this movie. He plays one of the great villians in a war movie. The actor who plays Francis who stabbed myself in the leg at the end is Corey Glover. He is the lead singer of Living Colour, a terrific band from the 80s and 90s.
The Vietnam draft did work that for "rich" and "poor". Since there was such a large field of baby boomers to draft from there was a college deferment that would delay eligibility for the draft if they were in college and making good grades. This lasted until graduation or the age of 24. Of course that meant that the draft pool was heavily skewed toward poorer people.
Additionally the wealthy could also pay a doctor to fabricate a medical exemption. Poor people would get married and start families or enlist in the National Guard to beat the draft, but as the war progressed all of those 'poor-friendly' exemptions became lax
The scene in the beginning when Willem Defoe is drying and powdering his testicles, is because in jungle conditions it is absolutely necessary to keep your crotch dry or you will develop “crotch rot” which can lead to fungus growth, bacterial infection, Urinary tract infection.
I was well advised to ditch all underwear and socks when the monsoon season started. It was good advice. My jungle boots had porous insoles that helped to drain the water out as fast as it got in. The monsoon in I Corps ran for at least four, maybe five months, when the sun never shone.
Mary won't remember, but Frank Drebin and Jane came out of Platoon laughing their heads off on their first date in The Naked Gun. Gotta love a Vietnam comedy
The reason for Barnes leaving Elias's "dead" body behind was that a cursory inspection of the bullet wounds would reveal that they were made by the smaller M-16 rounds and not the larger AK-47 bullets.
A cursory inspection isn't going to tell the difference between a 5.56mm round and 7.62mm round dude. That difference of 2.06 millimeters translates to a whopping 0.081 inches difference.
@@Stubbies2003Ever heard of a thing called "exit wounds"?🤦 American soldiers using the M-16 were using FMJ rounds; the Vietnamese soldiers were using a copper-jacketed soft (lead) tipped bullet. The .223 Remington FMJ basically passes through the body and leaves an exit wound that is not much larger than the bullet, since the bullet DOESN'T expand and dump most of its energy into the target. The 7.62x39 rounds used in the AK-47 were a lead-tipped bullet, which was not only larger, but it carries far MORE energy than the .223. Remington. The bullet deforms greatly after entering the body and consequently dumps much of its energy after impact. This means that both the diameter of the 7.62 exit wound would be MUCH larger than the .223 exit wound, and the additional damage to the body INTERNALLY would be obviously different. So, in point of fact, the OP was absolutely correct: it would have been OBVIOUS that Elias was shot with the .223, not the 7.62x39.
@@Stubbies2003Tell us you know nothing of Bullet Wound Ballistics without telling us you know nothing of Bullet Wound Ballistics. It’s not just about the bullet diameters, 2.06 mm or otherwise.
Also, since Taylor shot Barnes with an enemy AK47 he picked up, no one would suspect Barnes of being fragged. So now the question is, did Taylor just pick up the 1st weapon he saw? Or did he specifically pick up an AK47 to hunt Barnes down?
The reason it's the toughest is because it's real. Oliver Stone was in the same class at Yale as future US President George Bush Jr. Stone was all poised to become one of the elites of American life, and he gave all that up to serve in Vietnam. Like the main character Stone dropped out of college, joined up, requested-infantry, combat, Vietnam. This movie is in part based on his personal experiences.
In an interview Stone said that his father could never relate to his experience in the Vietnam War. His father called it a 'police action' in Southeast Asia and said therefore Oliver wasn't really fighting a war, which couldn't be further from the truth. He had fought in the Second World War, which was a 'real war' I guess according to him, and because of this it diminished what truly happened to Oliver in Vietnam in his mind. Because his father wasn't there, he probably imagined that they were just stationed in South Vietnam without actually fighting. He never saw the true horrors of the Viet cong booby traps or the Tết Offensive.
Re. The village raid. Unofficially, they were called Zippo Raids, as the GIs would use their lighters to start the fires (as is shown in the movie). A big US policy in the war was concentrating the southern Vietnamese into larger settlements, forcibly resettling them. This was done because the smaller villages were easy targets for the VC to use as bases, recruit from, or force into helping them. Usually the villages would be destroyed to stop them being used as VC bases after the villagers had left. It was a practical solution to a big problem, but it didn’t exactly do much to win the hearts and minds of the people. You can imagine how being forced from your home would push so many southern Vietnamese into the arms of the VC.
The British did the same thing in the Malaysian Emergency, and it was very successful. The British brought everything in the village, down to the last chicken. The new, larger villages were closer to roads, which made them economically viable.
I remember once in the barracks I had to wake up the next person to take my shift. I was a "fish" and he was an oldie, I woke him up, said get up, he said "I'm up, shut up." I left him the keys to the arms locker and the roster for that night. He fell asleep and then an hour or so later I get woken up yelled at by our officer in charge. I was yelled at for falling asleep on "my shift" cause the oldie didn't sign in and fell asleep and said I didn't wake him. We spent then next hour looking for the keys and the roster which the Officer hid to teach us a lesson. He eventually confessed and told me "Next time, you get him to sign in." It was from that moment on I never trusted anyone again.
1997 Fort Sill, OK Basic Training. Me and PFC WASHINGTON had fire guard duty for one hour during the nights (possibly 2-3 am). I made a foolish decision to offer Washington to split the hours with him sleeping the first 30 minutes while I take watch and perform our cleaning details. I would do my part for 30 minutes and then wake him up so I can go to sleep while he keeps watch and finishes the rest of the cleaning details. Well, it backfired on us both. Washington ended up going back to sleep, never waking up the next shift. The whole platoon was punished for it when DRILL SERGEANT came in at 4 a.m. to wake us up. I was so embarrassed of myself. I learned how to “not take shortcuts” in my duties, in my life. I will never, never again leave my post without being properly relieved. DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY.
The documentary Platoon: Brothers in Arms is amazing. In it the actors stated that there were scenes when they looked at Stone and his eyes were glazed. He was not there with them anymore... he was back in 'NAM. The platoon of actors were dressed and in character out in the jungles of Indonesia with proper army guys for two solid weeks before they descended and filmed their first scene. They really worked like a combat unit. The US military fund and assist in the making of war movies as long as the film hits certain "quality" controls regarding how the military is portrayed (look at Top Gun which is basically a recruitment video). This movie failed all of these controls and was refused assistance so was independently financed. Veterans have stated that this is the most realistic version of a combat platoon ever shown on film.
Amazing documentary! Whenever a movie impresses me in some way, i always listen to the DVD commentary extras and also look up through google - if there is a documentary about the creation of the film.
My dad was in Vietnam and he said this is the most realistic Vietnam War movie he saw according to his tours. He only watched it once because he said it reminded him so much of his time in country
@@wilcross50 Correction, he claimed his Uncles said it was the most realistic. And that should be taken with a grain of salt of course because he was attempting to get on the mans good side to make a huge drug deal so his whole story could have been make believe.
8:28 "The shots are different colours..." Tracer rounds are loaded into magazines for directing fire at night, one for every other four rounds of regular ammunition. When fired they give off a bright light. US and NATO forces use red tracers while most non-NATO forces use green tracer rounds.
This movie earned Willem Dafoe his first ever Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He has 4 Oscar nominations in total so far: 3 for Best Supporting Actor (PLATOON (1986), SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE (2000) and THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017)) and one for Best Actor (AT ETERNITY'S GATE (2018)). His Best Actor nomination came for playing Vincent Van Gogh.
He is amazing in Shadow of the Vampire. There is so much dark humor coming from his performance. It hits the perfect spot where it doesn't take itself too seriously but is still a loving homage to the genre.
Another gripping and realistic Vietnam war movie is Casualties of War (1989), starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. Dale Dye (the Captain in Platoon and a former Marine officer in Vietnam), also has a role in Casualties of War.
The reason it was unpopular was if a college guy lost his deferment he was eligible for the draft. Once the draft ended in 1973 the demonstrations largely died down.
@Tessmage_Tessera Tell that to the 2 million South Vietnamese who suffered under the brutal communist regime and eventually had to flee as refugees to America, over 500,000 of which died.
Oliver Stone’s 15 month Vietnam War experience was the basis of the script, though w/just enough Hollywood (Stone was already established in “tinsel town” having an Oscar from several years prior). The main actors went through military style training by another veteran, Dale Dye, then kept tired to mimic the stress of war. Both Dye and Stone have a role and a cameo, respectively, as officers in the film. Dye is the company commander calling in the airstrike and Stone the ops officer who gets blown up in the bunker. Where this gets viewers is feeling the jungle despite being in an air conditioned theater, as much as the story. Then there’s the moral and emotional side where the village gets razed after finding Manny. So there’s revenge but also finding weapons/extra rice. There’s actually a book version that gives more background (the characters, the village scenes, the final fight as “bait” for the gets to come in .. then that plan goes a little awry). Think there was also an advantage of having worked another jungle war film ed: “Salvador” before and avoiding “Apocalypse Now” production foul ups again the Philippines.
I remember seeing it in the movies all those years ago. I can still recall some Vietnam vets had to leave the theater. Thank you for your reaction Ms. Cherry.
This is a much better film than "Full Metal Jacket" IMO. A friend of the family was with the 7th Special Forces had a lot of problems watching saying it was a bit too real for him. In the theater, a few men had to go to the lobby during certain scenes. The musical score with "Adagio for Strings" was just brilliant, and the soundtrack with the music from the era is also great. The Captain was Dale Dye, a Viet Nam vet that was in several war movies and was also an advisor on many of them.
Yet only one is a p*do.. Didn't Charlie sheen's ex wife claim she found 'kid corn' on his computer..n didn't some actor, maybe Corey feldman? Was it him? Or some similar accuse him of r-wording him as a k!d
A lot of Platoon was based on Oliver Stone's own experiences in Vietnam. Stone like Chris dropped out of college, volunteered for the infantry. Largely because his parents were going through a divorce. He wrote to his grandmother, like Chris did. He started smoking pot, just like Chris did (in fact when he got back from Vietnam, he actually got arrested for trying to smuggle marijuana back to the States across the Mexican border). The characters of Elias and Barnes were based on two sergeants he served under in different units. Both of whom had different personalties and styles of leadership. Stone more or less came up with the idea for Platoon, by asking the question. What would happen if those two sergeants were in the same platoon? The answer he came to was "They'd kill each other."
You said in the first of your reaction that Taylor was not meant for war. Remember Rah says that "only Barnes can kill Barnes". By the end of the movie he has changed so much becomes Barnes. He sold his soul when he killed him.
Another great reaction Mary. This is my favorite war movie, it’s a bit difficult at times. I’m a Marine but I love this one more than F. M.J. Seen it a hundred times. 😳👏👏😊🥰
Hard to believe that Platoon seems to be overlooked when talking about great war movies, considering it won the Oscar for best picture. For me it's still one of the top 2 or 3 war movies all time and there is a lot of great ones.
So the way to get out of the draft in that era was being enrolled in college, which left some of the poorer young men out. Not everyone went to college back then (less than today), until the GI bill came to be and veterans could get funding for college.
Casualties of War is another laugh a minute film if you are interested. That and Platoon are the hardest to watch Vietnam films for me. After watching this you can now appreciate the visual joke in Naked Gun, where they come out of the cinema after watching Platoon laughing carefree like they had just seen a comedy.
''Hamburger Hill'' (which is based on a true story) is an underrated 'Nam movie. I can see why some don't rate it, but it's worth a watch if you're ever in the mood for another one. I've always thought it's good.
Check out Willem Dafoe in BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) as well. Same director (Oliver Stone) with a phenomenal lead performance from Tom Cruise (who was absolutely robbed of an Oscar win for that film IMO) and also features probably my favorite theme music ever composed by John Williams for a movie. It is unbelievable that Tom Cruise gave the performance he did (he was only 27 years old at the time).
@@rickymoranjr9609 I don't think so. BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY is technically a biopic of sorts of a real-life veteran named Ron Kovic. Kovic himself co-wrote the film's screenplay.
@@axr7149 ok, I just thought that Platoon and Born on the fourth of july were the same because Willem Dafoe was in both movie and played a vietnam veteran who got handicapped in battle
For Americans of my age 70s -80 the Vietnam War Dominated Our Lives. Politically, Musicly, and Socially. It divided the Country like no other time, except for the American Civil War years, 150 years earlier. We had A Military Draft, there was a Great Chance you were going to get drafted when you turned 18 and sent to Vietnam to fight this Worthless War...This movie comes close to showing my experiences in Vietnam, all these things in this movie really happened, probably not to the same platoon, but they happened during the course of the war, JMW 1st Cav Division Vietnam 1970-71
“Fragging” is the intentional killing of a superior officer, often with a frag grenade, hence the term. It is assumed to have happened in Vietnam occasionally when soldiers felt like their superior was being reckless with their lives.
Didn't Charlie sheen's ex wife claim she found 'kid corn' on his computer..n didn't some actor, maybe Corey feldman? Was it him? Or some similar accuse him of r-wording him as a k!d
This is actually my favorite war movie. I'm glad you gave it a chance. Other films I like from Oliver Stone are Born on the 4th of July(1989) U-turn(1997) and Natural born killers(1994). Two that I like, which he did not direct but wrote the screenplays to are Conan the barbarian(1981) and Scarface(1983) thank you Mary 😊
Most war movies are anti-war movies as they show the horrors of war. But other war movies you should check out are Black Hawk Down (based on a true story and one of the few war movies that don't question the "no man left behind" motto), Other war movies you should see are Taeguki: The Brotherhood of War (Korea, watch subtitled, not dubbed), Come and See (Belarus), The Deer Hunter, and Glory.
Most war movies aren't anti war. That's just most of them made now. Most war movies were made in the 40's and 50's and are anti NAZI and anti Imperial Japan.
HAMBURGER HILL is another really good movie about the Vietnam War. Hamburger Hill was a real battle which took place in the middle of the war. WE WERE SOLDIERS is also about the experiences of Major Hal Moore in the Battle of Ia Drang. In this one you see both sides. It takes place in the early part of the war.
Another good part about Hamburger Hill is how they acclimate the viewers. Early in the film the troops go through SERTs (Screaming Eagle Replacement Training,) a course to acclimate new troops to jungle combat.
22:05 -- RE: "Waaaait. What the Hell is That Look?"; A: Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann ("Full Metal Jacket") said it best. *It Is A Hard Heart That Kills.* That's exactly what we're seeing.
^^ And RE: "That's Crazy!" -- Yes but the Craziest part is easy to ignore here. Most "Fragging" did not occur in a face-to-face confrontation like that. It would have been far more likely that Barnes shot Elias in the back, *or* hucked a 'nade at him. He does it face to face because ( a ) they are alone, and ( b ) it's Personal.
Great reaction. Fact about this movie, Oliver Stone is a Vietnam veteran and he based this movie on his own personal experiences in Vietnam. He purposely casted a very young cast because the average age of soldiers in Vietnam were between 18 to 25
My grandfather barely spoke of his time in the war. We did not press him, though some of his passing anecdotes made us really wonder. One being in camp, and being fired upon from a friendly village. Command denying the CO’s request to return fire, because it was a friendly village. The others were frankly… disturbing. Though he did say he saw a lot of the guys doing drugs, and shook his head. Saw a lot of guys lose it from not just the war but the drugs too.
Hey World Traveler! Great reaction. This one was at a peak of a wave of war films which also included Born on the Fourth of July, FMJ, Good Morning Vietnam, Hamburger Hill, and a CBS TV show called Tour of Duty which was very good and set during the Vietnam War. There was also a TV series set in Vietnam during the war, called China Beach focusing on the staff of an evacuation hospital.
Thanks for the review. A difficult film to watch, I haven't seen it since watching it twice when it was released. I actually stopped watching War movies for a couple decades after this film. Many of my veteran friends were deeply affected by this film. A lot of vets back then said this was the most accurate modern/VN war film ever made. It was compressed within an Oliver Stone style of drama of course, but it was said that it was as close as a non-vet/non-participant could get to understanding life/death as a US soldier the Vietnam War. You made a comment about American competency in the war. The war was a mess due to politics and policies, the soldiers weren't allowed to "win", albeit we never should have been there to begin with. Thank you again. I'm glad you got to enjoy your trip outside the shadow if the war.
cpt dale dye's commentary track on the dvd is amazing. he was technical advisor for the film and was the actors boot camp platoon leader before filming. really interesting.
11:10 Rich kids also got drafted, but if you were in college, you could get a deferment. There were a bunch of other things you could get deferments for, too. If your family had money there were other ways you could get out of being sent to Vietnam; You could get a doctor to write you a note that says you have flat feet or a perforated eardrum, and you get out. If you couldn't or wouldn't get out of being drafted, your rich parents could make a campaign contribution and you'd somehow end up in the National Guard. Poor kids weren't any more likely to get drafted, they just had a lot fewer ways of getting out of it if they were.
The analysis is on point again, "the duality of man" is a good way to describe the theme of this film. It's probably the most naturalistic war movie of that era and the focus on the regular soldier's perspective is very grounded and believable. I don't think Oliver Stone necessarily had a Barnes or Elias in his own Platoon but the realism here is surely based on lived experience. The film is almost like a gripping drama and a documentary at the same time, which is rare.
Seeing this movie only a month or so after finishing Army basic may have shaped its initial effect on me. Love it though, can't wait for We Were Soldiers reaction.
There are four major Vietnam war movies: Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket. Of these four movies my two favorites are Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter. Coppola's movie is a nightmarish surreal take on the Vietnam war, exploring the darkness inside the human being and the nonsense of war, The Deer Hunter has the most interesting narrative arch of the four movies, because it deals with the full war experience, trying to avoid spoilers here, and it's just breathtaking, Michael Cimino's ambition realizing his vision was off the scale. Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, as good as they are, and they are, are not at the same level as the other two, they're all masterpieces on their own right but not quite at the same level. Then again, it's a matter of taste and no taste's better or worse than any other. Anyway, Platoon fully deserved the Oscar for best movie that year, I was blown away when I first watched it on the big screen the year it was released, and I watched it in a big old school theater, not a tiny matchbox in a multiplex, it was quite an experience, it remains to this day one of my favorite movies. Platoon is part of an informal trilogy that includes Born on the Fourth of July and Heaven and Earth. The first deals with the aftermath of the war back in the States, brilliant performance by Tom Cruise, and the second is a view of the war from the Vietnamese side. Both are amazing movies but Heaven and Earth, an undeservedly forgotten movie, holds a special place in my heart because of one scene, although it's overall an amazing movie, that completely changed my outlook on life and it kind of change me as a person, it crystallized a life lesson for me, something I already knew but watching it through the eyes of the main character made all the difference between knowing about it on an intellectual level and actually feeling it, it's the movie magic, I remember that scene every time I walk into a supermarket. Unlike Platoon that is inspired by Stone’s experiences in Vietnam but not on a true story, both movies are actually based on true stories. Quite a trilogy, one of the best ever, a testimony to Oliver Stone’s talent. P.S. Platoon's the first time I listened to Tracks of Tears, one of my favorite songs. Smokey Robinson's voice was so beautiful and touching.
This was part of that era where Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger seemed to have a bright career of dramatic acting in their future. It really didn't happen. A few years later they both appeared in "Major League" and Sheen mostly continued on that comedy path, while Berenger kind of faded away into bad movies and then smaller roles.
Wall Street, Young Guns, 8 Men Out. That's an impressive dramatic resume without Platoon or his other dramatic work. Also, Gettysburg, Training Day, Inception.
You missed the point in the village. There were no men between 16 and 35, which meant that they were all off being VC, most likely the ones who tortured and butchered the soldier earlier. The village was supporting this particular group of VC with food, shelter, and weapon storage.
@@shapeshifter7676 I think his point is there is no room for being soft in war and being like "These are just farmers and kids." A weapon in the hands of a 10 year old can be quite deadly indeed and although what happened in the village was not how it should have gone down, the fact that several of their men were taken out brutally and a villager ran off to most likely inform other and weapons were present, that village did indeed pose a threat. Mary and others acting like dropping the granaid into the shelter was wrong don't realize, those who were in there refusal to come out meant any number of things could have come from it, be it a radio warning, preparation for assault, anything that could cost American soldiers lives. The lives that were ended outside in the village thanks to Bunny and Barnes were where when the situation become problematic not to mention what the gang did to those young people before Chris stopped them.
Even if that is true (which it isn't confirmed), that isn't justification to murder people. The woman who was shot even said the VC come in and do whatever they want and take whatever they want.
Which is why Elias beat the shit out of Barnes and called out Lt Wolfe. Also Oliver Stone is known to intentionally falsify information in his films so these atrocities may not have been something he acts witnessed. Although the My Lai massacre did occur and also the Tiger Force debacle part of the Phoenix program also happened. This is Hollywood propaganda demonizing people forced to be there rather than demonizing the people who truly deserve it. The Generals and Politicians.
If anyone in here is interested in learning more about the Vietnam War, Ken Burns made a fantastic documentary about it that covers the war from tons of different perspectives. Fantastic documentary.
this is the one movie that I will never forget seeing in the theatre... Remember, this was ONLY 1986 or 11 years after the war ended... that would be like 2012 in relation to 911. I was only 18 and was really affected by the people openly weeping.... and when the movie ended, you could hear a pin drop... everyone just got up and went to the exit without saying a word, most were crying.... I finally brought myself to watching it again as I thought this was a must watch for my kids as we can not forget the sacrifice.. vowed I would never watch it again... so here goes.... with that said, the cast was amazing in this... There is a reason it had something like 40 nominations with 24 wins across the board including 8 Academy and Golden GLobe awards...Yeah, the village seen was hard... what was harder in real life is a lot of those people were killing American Soldiers and the VC often used villages as bases...(hence why enough rice to feed an army) of course that doesn't excuse anything shown... but that was a real challenge...and sorry 17:45 kids killed 1000's of american soldiers... and you have Seen Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen before in a movie... Major League... :) what a contrast....
I recommend watching Black hawk Down and Band of brothers. Being in the military for over a decade. Most military movies nowadays I get turned off. But those two I still watch here and there.
Some things were accurate to what happened to Stone, some weren't. Barnes and Elias were based on real people, and the real Elias died in a suspected friendly fire incident, but it happened shortly after Oliver Stone left Vietnam. They also weren't in the same platoon, but leaders of 2 different units Stone served in. So it was influenced by what happened + some My Lai influence added on top. When they filmed the scene where Taylor makes the Vietnamese kid "dance", Oliver Stone broke into tears on set... so he had witnessed (or even done) something similar. The ending battle also happened IRL, except Stone didn't fire a bullet in it. He took cover in a trench, because he knew an airstrike is going to hit near their own positions. Hundreds of Vietnamese soldiers died in that airstrike, and they used catepillar to move the bodies, just like in the ending shots. The scene where Taylor moves up (the ambush scene) and throws a hand grenade also happened, it was the moment that Oliver Stone earned his Bronze Star for (for valor). He moved up and destroyed a suddenly discovered Vietnamese machine gun position with a hand grenade, which saved lives. Also lots of the other characters in the platoon are based on real people, for example King. Before "Platoon" opened in theaters, some members of the real platoon had a re-union in Stone's apartment, and watched the film together. Many people recognised themselves from it.
Chris's demeanor when making the local "dance" was predicated on the emotion of the squad, they had just found a close friend dead, and that dead friend was the other person sent on guard duty and Chris's realization of the 50/50 chance, he knew he won the odds and was feeling guilty he was still alive. He was mentally breaking down at that moment, it is the realization watching his team attacking the girls which brought his humanity back. 🤷
I remember when I was a "fish" in the army when I first got drafted for national service. I ended up crying one day falling to the ground as I couldn't take it anymore. After about 6 months, you get use to it all and feel numb.
I saw this in the Cinema, and it left a negative memory on me. I was just old enough to get in, being 15. We went to see a different movie, but it was full, so we went to Platoon instead. I had a mild headache going in.......it was a miserable evening. It wasn't the movie's fault. It did take me many years to give it a proper chance. It's a damn good movie.
My dad was a medic in Vietnam. In basic, they practiced burning down huts (hooches) with zippo lighters.. called 'zippo raids'.. he knew some messed up stuff was gonna go down.. and it did.
The thing is that Barnes isn't evil, at least not in the way Bunny (Kevin Dillon's character) is. Barnes isn't sadistic, he doesn't enjoy the war. As Elias says, "Barnes believes in what's he's doing." To that end he operates in the most efficient way he knows how - morality and conscience are just not factors. He doesn't immediately resort to violence, but he also does not give second chances or tolerate anything standing between him and his goal. In the same conversation, Elias says that he used to be like Barnes. At some point he became disillusioned and then sees the war as an unnecessary and likely (ultimately) fruitless evil, which was a very common sentiment amongst soldiers and the general population.* After his change in perspective, Elias prioritizes the lives of those around him and innocent bystanders over the war effort. He still fights, but he fights to protect people. Chris, being new, is caught between Barnes and Elias. He wants to be good, but he also believes in the war to some extent, at least early on. He also doesn't have the experience (or personality maybe) to be able to just "turn off" like either of them and struggles to deal with the stress. Essentially he's feeling like a trapped animal, and the result is him lashing out on a few different occasions, such as in the village. Some minor characters also have a little bit of development, like Junior and Rhah (the dude with the stick). *Since you mentioned something at some point about Americans' feelings toward the Vietnam war: Despite our governmental proclivity for inserting ourselves in other people's business, there really hasn't been a war popular with the American public since WWII, except for reactionary approval during the very early years of the War on Terror. Vietnam actually faced the most public backlash out of the lot. Korea was similar but was more tolerated since it was much shorter and came on the heels of WWII when moral was high. But more than a decade went by before Vietnam started, and many or most of the new generation (the first boomers) didn't even know where it was, let alone why they had to go there. Also, strictly speaking no, the draft does not specifically target poor folks. But there's a very strong correlation between how wealthy you are and how many options you have to get out of it. For example, college students tend to be deferred, as do a lot of people with occupations that are not easy to replace. Couple alternatives primarily available to the middle class. If you're rich, the sky is the limit. Hell, with enough of your daddy's money you can even pay a quack doctor to say you have bone spurs or some such bullshit.
@@rustincohle2135 You don't need to know the specifics. Just that doctors know what would disqualify you from military service and some unscrupulous types would forge the paperwork with enough grease on the palms.
@@Stubbies2003 No, I know exactly who he's referring to with the bone spurs remark. Everyone knows who that is. I was just making a joke by playing the clueless fool.
Several of my family members are Vietnam vets. And out of all of the movies about Vietnam, they all say Platoon is the most realistic depiction they have ever seen. This is due to Oliver Stone. He kept a Journal while he was in Vietnam. This is what this script is based on.
Yep, conscription, came with the right to vote, despite what feminists think, the Vote does not come free for men. Me myself, I got conscripted back in 2000 being a 19 year old man in Greece. Had 18 months of my life taken away as a full time soldier in the armed forces. No money, allowed out only 2-3 nights a week if lucky and 4 weeks break in 18 months. The rest of the time I would be sleeping in a room with 40 strangers when I wasn't being trained and marching along with serving meals and cleaning toilets.
Here are some movies that few people are honoring: Ben Hur The Secret Of Roan Inish Deepwater Horizon Petticoat Junction (TV series) The Goonies Rocketeer Earnest Goes To Camp Earnest Saves Christmas Earnest Goes To Jail
Although it’s also hard to watch, “Casualties of War,” starring Michal J. Fox and Sean Penn, is one of the best Vietnam War movies, and it might be Fox’s best dramatic performance. It’s also a true story.
Try '4 hours in My Lai', a documentary here on YT about the most notorious atrocity in the Vietnam War, if you want more realism about the brutality of the war, and less Hollywood.
An other Vietnam movie suggestion actually made in Vietnam is French : Diên Biên Phu 1992 written and directed by French veteran Pierre Schoendoerffer. This about the time the French ruled Vietnam. In the movie you follow several characters most serving as paratrooper in the French foreign legion, also civilians. This movie was made in co-operation with the Vietnamese army.
If you want another sad/powerful vietnam war movie I can recommend Casualties of War with Michael J Fox, Sean Penn.. don't remember much of it since I haven't seen it in ages but I remember how heart breaking it was....
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FAQ sheet: docs.google.com/document/d/1_FkcwQ0vPAAk53YVyo-ChXc9AuX1pn5gbctrOkX13xA/edit
Nope tossing cigarett butt's was r.o.c. distraction. Your enemy could smell the cigarettes. You moved onto the flank left or right. And ambush them. Sorry, it is difficult to describe tactics to a civilian who's 1/3 my age never served
Most marksmen have really good aim 14:08
You're right, Platoon is very tough, but "Casualties of War" (1989) with Michael J. Fox is the toughest Vietnam War movie of all times, you will see it if you give this movie a chance.
Check out True Lies(1994) which turns 30 this year.
Born on the 4th of July also a good watch. Also Soldier
One day my parents were out driving in the Ozarks of Missouri. All of a sudden dad slammed on the brakes and said No Fkn way! Backed up to the mailbox he’d just passed. Jumped out and ran to the door to knock. When an old man opened the door dad leapt forward and bear hugged him. It was his best friend from Vietnam.
That is so cool!!
"The kids can't be VC."
Mary, sometimes you are too innocent for your own good.
FACTS
Historically children have been the deadliest combatants on the battlefield.
My uncle was in ‘Nam and he waved back at some friendly kids as his unit walked past. Then those kids stopped waving and started throwing grenades at him.
Of course there is no film showing who gave those children grenades and told the kids who to throw them at.
@@Carlos-Dangerous your uncle is a brave man . The psychological war of landmines and mantraps alone would drive me insane. Respect to him from Ireland.
True that. Alot of the villagers were harboring VC. Thats what they were looking for and many were teenagers.
@@Carlos-Dangerous Stop pretending to know anything about history.
@@redrick8900 Stop pretending people care what you think or anything you have to say.
People overlook Tom Berenger's performance in this movie. He plays one of the great villians in a war movie. The actor who plays Francis who stabbed myself in the leg at the end is Corey Glover. He is the lead singer of Living Colour, a terrific band from the 80s and 90s.
Absolutely. He was great in this role. Sean Penn played another great war villain in Casualties of War that came out a few years later.
Berenger isn't the villain.
Cult of personality
Tom Berenger received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, along with Willem Dafoe. Not sure I'd really describe that as "overlooked."
He stabbed you?!
The Vietnam draft did work that for "rich" and "poor". Since there was such a large field of baby boomers to draft from there was a college deferment that would delay eligibility for the draft if they were in college and making good grades. This lasted until graduation or the age of 24. Of course that meant that the draft pool was heavily skewed toward poorer people.
Additionally the wealthy could also pay a doctor to fabricate a medical exemption. Poor people would get married and start families or enlist in the National Guard to beat the draft, but as the war progressed all of those 'poor-friendly' exemptions became lax
My dad volunteered to avoid the draft.
@@ryanmichael1298 My dad had felonies so he was all good. LOL
The scene in the beginning when Willem Defoe is drying and powdering his testicles, is because in jungle conditions it is absolutely necessary to keep your crotch dry or you will develop “crotch rot” which can lead to fungus growth, bacterial infection, Urinary tract infection.
I was well advised to ditch all underwear and socks when the monsoon season started. It was good advice. My jungle boots had porous insoles that helped to drain the water out as fast as it got in. The monsoon in I Corps ran for at least four, maybe five months, when the sun never shone.
Sweaty Bollocks
Crotch, arm pits, teeth, feet and your weapon
@@brianhammond2832 Yes sir.
Mary won't remember, but Frank Drebin and Jane came out of Platoon laughing their heads off on their first date in The Naked Gun. Gotta love a Vietnam comedy
Even better when it's a musical: Pla-tunes.
You know my memory be bad 😂😂
The reason for Barnes leaving Elias's "dead" body behind was that a cursory inspection of the bullet wounds would reveal that they were made by the smaller M-16 rounds and not the larger AK-47 bullets.
A cursory inspection isn't going to tell the difference between a 5.56mm round and 7.62mm round dude. That difference of 2.06 millimeters translates to a whopping 0.081 inches difference.
@@Stubbies2003Ever heard of a thing called "exit wounds"?🤦
American soldiers using the M-16 were using FMJ rounds; the Vietnamese soldiers were using a copper-jacketed soft (lead) tipped bullet.
The .223 Remington FMJ basically passes through the body and leaves an exit wound that is not much larger than the bullet, since the bullet DOESN'T expand and dump most of its energy into the target.
The 7.62x39 rounds used in the AK-47 were a lead-tipped bullet, which was not only larger, but it carries far MORE energy than the .223. Remington. The bullet deforms greatly after entering the body and consequently dumps much of its energy after impact.
This means that both the diameter of the 7.62 exit wound would be MUCH larger than the .223 exit wound, and the additional damage to the body INTERNALLY would be obviously different.
So, in point of fact, the OP was absolutely correct: it would have been OBVIOUS that Elias was shot with the .223, not the 7.62x39.
@@Stubbies2003Tell us you know nothing of Bullet Wound Ballistics without telling us you know nothing of Bullet Wound Ballistics.
It’s not just about the bullet diameters, 2.06 mm or otherwise.
Also, since Taylor shot Barnes with an enemy AK47 he picked up, no one would suspect Barnes of being fragged. So now the question is, did Taylor just pick up the 1st weapon he saw? Or did he specifically pick up an AK47 to hunt Barnes down?
It suggests fratricide but is not really conclusive because the viet cong used captured m16s occasionally as well.
Charlie Sheen was also with Tom Berenger (sgt Barnes) 3 years later in the baseball movie "Major League" (1989)
And they both know how to play ball...but they were not in Vietnam...
The reason it's the toughest is because it's real. Oliver Stone was in the same class at Yale as future US President George Bush Jr. Stone was all poised to become one of the elites of American life, and he gave all that up to serve in Vietnam. Like the main character Stone dropped out of college, joined up, requested-infantry, combat, Vietnam. This movie is in part based on his personal experiences.
Bush Sr was the youngest US pilot to be shot down by the Japanese in WW2
In an interview Stone said that his father could never relate to his experience in the Vietnam War. His father called it a 'police action' in Southeast Asia and said therefore Oliver wasn't really fighting a war, which couldn't be further from the truth. He had fought in the Second World War, which was a 'real war' I guess according to him, and because of this it diminished what truly happened to Oliver in Vietnam in his mind. Because his father wasn't there, he probably imagined that they were just stationed in South Vietnam without actually fighting. He never saw the true horrors of the Viet cong booby traps or the Tết Offensive.
Re. The village raid. Unofficially, they were called Zippo Raids, as the GIs would use their lighters to start the fires (as is shown in the movie). A big US policy in the war was concentrating the southern Vietnamese into larger settlements, forcibly resettling them. This was done because the smaller villages were easy targets for the VC to use as bases, recruit from, or force into helping them. Usually the villages would be destroyed to stop them being used as VC bases after the villagers had left. It was a practical solution to a big problem, but it didn’t exactly do much to win the hearts and minds of the people. You can imagine how being forced from your home would push so many southern Vietnamese into the arms of the VC.
It's still amazing to me how so many Americans think they're the good guys.
Especially When South Korean Troops got involved in the war they where very anti communists and would mark any VC controlled villages for extermation
The British did the same thing in the Malaysian Emergency, and it was very successful. The British brought everything in the village, down to the last chicken. The new, larger villages were closer to roads, which made them economically viable.
It was also done in the Philippine insurrection war.
I remember once in the barracks I had to wake up the next person to take my shift. I was a "fish" and he was an oldie, I woke him up, said get up, he said "I'm up, shut up." I left him the keys to the arms locker and the roster for that night. He fell asleep and then an hour or so later I get woken up yelled at by our officer in charge. I was yelled at for falling asleep on "my shift" cause the oldie didn't sign in and fell asleep and said I didn't wake him. We spent then next hour looking for the keys and the roster which the Officer hid to teach us a lesson. He eventually confessed and told me "Next time, you get him to sign in." It was from that moment on I never trusted anyone again.
1997 Fort Sill, OK Basic Training. Me and PFC WASHINGTON had fire guard duty for one hour during the nights (possibly 2-3 am). I made a foolish decision to offer Washington to split the hours with him sleeping the first 30 minutes while I take watch and perform our cleaning details. I would do my part for 30 minutes and then wake him up so I can go to sleep while he keeps watch and finishes the rest of the cleaning details.
Well, it backfired on us both. Washington ended up going back to sleep, never waking up the next shift. The whole platoon was punished for it when DRILL SERGEANT came in at 4 a.m. to wake us up. I was so embarrassed of myself. I learned how to “not take shortcuts” in my duties, in my life. I will never, never again leave my post without being properly relieved. DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY.
The documentary Platoon: Brothers in Arms is amazing. In it the actors stated that there were scenes when they looked at Stone and his eyes were glazed. He was not there with them anymore... he was back in 'NAM.
The platoon of actors were dressed and in character out in the jungles of Indonesia with proper army guys for two solid weeks before they descended and filmed their first scene. They really worked like a combat unit.
The US military fund and assist in the making of war movies as long as the film hits certain "quality" controls regarding how the military is portrayed (look at Top Gun which is basically a recruitment video). This movie failed all of these controls and was refused assistance so was independently financed. Veterans have stated that this is the most realistic version of a combat platoon ever shown on film.
Amazing documentary!
Whenever a movie impresses me in some way, i always listen to the DVD commentary extras and also look up through google - if there is a documentary about the creation of the film.
I worked with Stone on a couple of pictures in the 90s. Speaking from personal experience, those "glazed eyes" could have meant he was high as a kite.
Yeah Dale Dye has been used to train civilians for playing military people for a lot of movies. He was the go-to guy back then.
@@ContrarianCorner I guess it's a pretty normal thing in the industry - considering how Martin Scorsesse was a huge cocaine addict as well.
It was actually filmed in The Philippines, not Indonesia. Easy error regarding geographical whereabouts.👍
My dad was in Vietnam and he said this is the most realistic Vietnam War movie he saw according to his tours. He only watched it once because he said it reminded him so much of his time in country
Was the same for my dad. He said this movie was spot on for his year in country.
My old friend who served in Vietnam (1965-1967) said this movie was the most relatable and captures the vibe and essence of his experience
My old boss said the exact same thing.
Clarence Worley said it's 'coming home in a body bag'
@@wilcross50 Correction, he claimed his Uncles said it was the most realistic. And that should be taken with a grain of salt of course because he was attempting to get on the mans good side to make a huge drug deal so his whole story could have been make believe.
My father-in-law said the same thing. He said that this movie came the closest to showing how it was over there.
My dad was a Marine in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967 and he said the same thing about Platoon being the most relatable.
8:28 "The shots are different colours..."
Tracer rounds are loaded into magazines for directing fire at night, one for every other four rounds of regular ammunition. When fired they give off a bright light. US and NATO forces use red tracers while most non-NATO forces use green tracer rounds.
There’s an Australian movie about their involvement in the Vietnam war called “The Odd Angry Shot” from 1979 which is a pretty good watch
Ben Stiller 'death' at the begining of Thropic Thunder is a mockery of Williams Defoe, guy gets fragged 100 times
Yop, and she missed it. Lol.
Fragged means grenade not shot 😂
@@sensaiuriah5440 not in gaming it doesn't
@@florinzam6964 That is a moronic view. I'm a gamer and fragging or fragged means a grenade.
Fragging means killing of your fellow soldiers. The term came about because usually fragmentation grenades were used.
This movie earned Willem Dafoe his first ever Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He has 4 Oscar nominations in total so far: 3 for Best Supporting Actor (PLATOON (1986), SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE (2000) and THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017)) and one for Best Actor (AT ETERNITY'S GATE (2018)). His Best Actor nomination came for playing Vincent Van Gogh.
He was amazing in The Florida Project.
He is amazing in Shadow of the Vampire. There is so much dark humor coming from his performance. It hits the perfect spot where it doesn't take itself too seriously but is still a loving homage to the genre.
Now you’re now why Frank and Jane were laughing while leaving the cinema after watching Platoon in Naked Gun. 💅
Coming from someone who served in the military, you cannot possibly judge those in that position as a civilian.
Another gripping and realistic Vietnam war movie is Casualties of War (1989), starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. Dale Dye (the Captain in Platoon and a former Marine officer in Vietnam), also has a role in Casualties of War.
And Band of Brothers.
Dale is a Vietnam vet and works as a military advisor for films, a lots of times takes small roles in the movies.
21:12 “actually you know what….the leaves on the helmet is not a bad idea…..”. 😂😂😂 That’s camouflage 101 Mary.
This is why the Vietnam conflict was so unpopular with the college students. There was no clear enemy. Great reaction!
The reason it was unpopular was if a college guy lost his deferment he was eligible for the draft. Once the draft ended in 1973 the demonstrations largely died down.
It was unpopular because the enemy was clearly civilians, including American civilians
@@tidakada7357You don’t know what you’re talking about.
@@tidakada7357huh? So civilians are VC. Then that whole village was VC.
@Tessmage_Tessera Tell that to the 2 million South Vietnamese who suffered under the brutal communist regime and eventually had to flee as refugees to America, over 500,000 of which died.
My favorite Tom berenger movie is one man's hero, and it's from the year 1999.
Oliver Stone’s 15 month Vietnam War experience was the basis of the script, though w/just enough Hollywood (Stone was already established in “tinsel town” having an Oscar from several years prior). The main actors went through military style training by another veteran, Dale Dye, then kept tired to mimic the stress of war. Both Dye and Stone have a role and a cameo, respectively, as officers in the film. Dye is the company commander calling in the airstrike and Stone the ops officer who gets blown up in the bunker.
Where this gets viewers is feeling the jungle despite being in an air conditioned theater, as much as the story. Then there’s the moral and emotional side where the village gets razed after finding Manny. So there’s revenge but also finding weapons/extra rice. There’s actually a book version that gives more background (the characters, the village scenes, the final fight as “bait” for the gets to come in .. then that plan goes a little awry).
Think there was also an advantage of having worked another jungle war film ed: “Salvador” before and avoiding “Apocalypse Now” production foul ups again the Philippines.
Amazing movie love the video Mary stay motivated dream big 1 mill on the way
the music is "Adagio for Strings" composed in 1936 by Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
It was well chosen. Such a hauntingly moving piece, even without the context of war.
I remember seeing it in the movies all those years ago. I can still recall some Vietnam vets had to leave the theater. Thank you for your reaction Ms. Cherry.
This is a much better film than "Full Metal Jacket" IMO. A friend of the family was with the 7th Special Forces had a lot of problems watching saying it was a bit too real for him. In the theater, a few men had to go to the lobby during certain scenes. The musical score with "Adagio for Strings" was just brilliant, and the soundtrack with the music from the era is also great. The Captain was Dale Dye, a Viet Nam vet that was in several war movies and was also an advisor on many of them.
I lived in military housing when this came out. They hype was more than I'd ever heard for a Star Wars or Godfather movie.
Another Vietnam Movie about an American military radio station is "Good Morning, Vietnam!" starring Robin Williams. Both drama and comedy.
One of the most memorable soundtracks ever!
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
And both of them co-starred together in a movie directed by PLATOON director Oliver Stone (WALL STREET).
Yet only one is a p*do.. Didn't Charlie sheen's ex wife claim she found 'kid corn' on his computer..n didn't some actor, maybe Corey feldman? Was it him? Or some similar accuse him of r-wording him as a k!d
@@axr7149 And they played father and son.
Which is why the "I loved you in Wall Street!", moment in Hot Shots 2 (or Deux if you are a purist) was pretty funny
And they both appeared in a memorable scene in the criminally underrated Hot Shots Part Deux.
Another good movie for this era of history is "We Were Soldiers". Based on a true battle, and Col. Hal Moore helped with production. Amazing film.
A lot of Platoon was based on Oliver Stone's own experiences in Vietnam. Stone like Chris dropped out of college, volunteered for the infantry. Largely because his parents were going through a divorce. He wrote to his grandmother, like Chris did. He started smoking pot, just like Chris did (in fact when he got back from Vietnam, he actually got arrested for trying to smuggle marijuana back to the States across the Mexican border). The characters of Elias and Barnes were based on two sergeants he served under in different units. Both of whom had different personalties and styles of leadership. Stone more or less came up with the idea for Platoon, by asking the question. What would happen if those two sergeants were in the same platoon? The answer he came to was "They'd kill each other."
when the guy was burning, it was white phosphorous, or what they might call willie pete, because of the phonetics.
You said in the first of your reaction that Taylor was not meant for war. Remember Rah says that "only Barnes can kill Barnes". By the end of the movie he has changed so much becomes Barnes. He sold his soul when he killed him.
Another great reaction Mary. This is my favorite war movie, it’s a bit difficult at times. I’m a Marine but I love this one more than F. M.J. Seen it a hundred times. 😳👏👏😊🥰
Another amazing reaction Mary ❤❤😁😁.
Nice reaction Mary, one of my favorite Vietnam movies. 🥰❤️🔥
Hard to believe that Platoon seems to be overlooked when talking about great war movies, considering it won the Oscar for best picture. For me it's still one of the top 2 or 3 war movies all time and there is a lot of great ones.
So the way to get out of the draft in that era was being enrolled in college, which left some of the poorer young men out. Not everyone went to college back then (less than today), until the GI bill came to be and veterans could get funding for college.
Great soundtrack especially the strings during Elias death scene. Great reaction. Thanks Mary Cherry 🍒
Casualties of War is another laugh a minute film if you are interested. That and Platoon are the hardest to watch Vietnam films for me.
After watching this you can now appreciate the visual joke in Naked Gun, where they come out of the cinema after watching Platoon laughing carefree like they had just seen a comedy.
You gotta see Casualties of war staring micheal j fox and sean penn. Also born on the fourth of july starring tom cruise
This film might be on my top 10 of all time. It’s hard to watch, though. The music is doing so much. It’s Adagio for Strings, by Samuel Barber.
''Hamburger Hill'' (which is based on a true story) is an underrated 'Nam movie. I can see why some don't rate it, but it's worth a watch if you're ever in the mood for another one. I've always thought it's good.
Check out Willem Dafoe in BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) as well. Same director (Oliver Stone) with a phenomenal lead performance from Tom Cruise (who was absolutely robbed of an Oscar win for that film IMO) and also features probably my favorite theme music ever composed by John Williams for a movie. It is unbelievable that Tom Cruise gave the performance he did (he was only 27 years old at the time).
@axr7149 is it true that Platoon & Born on the fourth of July are the same movie?
@@rickymoranjr9609 I don't think so. BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY is technically a biopic of sorts of a real-life veteran named Ron Kovic. Kovic himself co-wrote the film's screenplay.
@@axr7149 ok, I just thought that Platoon and Born on the fourth of july were the same because Willem Dafoe was in both movie and played a vietnam veteran who got handicapped in battle
Nah, Daniel Day Lewis fully deserved his win for My Left Foot.
Hey Mary you should watch the movie [We Were Soldiers] it’s another good Vietnam war Movie
For Americans of my age 70s -80 the Vietnam War Dominated Our Lives. Politically, Musicly, and Socially. It divided the Country like no other time, except for the American Civil War years, 150 years earlier. We had A Military Draft, there was a Great Chance you were going to get drafted when you turned 18 and sent to Vietnam to fight this Worthless War...This movie comes close to showing my experiences in Vietnam, all these things in this movie really happened, probably not to the same platoon, but they happened during the course of the war, JMW 1st Cav Division Vietnam 1970-71
U Turn was a great Oliver Stone movie also. Thanks for reacting to this.
“Fragging” is the intentional killing of a superior officer, often with a frag grenade, hence the term. It is assumed to have happened in Vietnam occasionally when soldiers felt like their superior was being reckless with their lives.
Hamburger Hill is your next Vietnam war movie.
Just made a comment saying the same.
I was thinking Bat*21 should be next. Maybe not as popular though.
Now, watch Charlie Sheen again in Red Dawn with Patrick Swayze. It's totally worth it 👌.
Didn't Charlie sheen's ex wife claim she found 'kid corn' on his computer..n didn't some actor, maybe Corey feldman? Was it him? Or some similar accuse him of r-wording him as a k!d
@@jadebel7006 I don't ask questions I don't want to know the answer to.
@@jadebel7006 Sounds like you're unsure about your facts, so maybe throwing around accusations is not the way to go.
Great reaction Mary awsome movie
This is actually my favorite war movie. I'm glad you gave it a chance. Other films I like from Oliver Stone are Born on the 4th of July(1989) U-turn(1997) and Natural born killers(1994). Two that I like, which he did not direct but wrote the screenplays to are Conan the barbarian(1981) and Scarface(1983) thank you Mary 😊
Most war movies are anti-war movies as they show the horrors of war. But other war movies you should check out are Black Hawk Down (based on a true story and one of the few war movies that don't question the "no man left behind" motto), Other war movies you should see are Taeguki: The Brotherhood of War (Korea, watch subtitled, not dubbed), Come and See (Belarus), The Deer Hunter, and Glory.
Most war movies aren't anti war. That's just most of them made now. Most war movies were made in the 40's and 50's and are anti NAZI and anti Imperial Japan.
HAMBURGER HILL is another really good movie about the Vietnam War. Hamburger Hill was a real battle which took place in the middle of the war. WE WERE SOLDIERS is also about the experiences of Major Hal Moore in the Battle of Ia Drang. In this one you see both sides. It takes place in the early part of the war.
Another good Willem Dafoe Vietnam film is: Flight of Intruder. It more depicts air war in Vietnam.
Another good part about Hamburger Hill is how they acclimate the viewers. Early in the film the troops go through SERTs (Screaming Eagle Replacement Training,) a course to acclimate new troops to jungle combat.
22:05 -- RE: "Waaaait. What the Hell is That Look?"; A: Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann ("Full Metal Jacket") said it best. *It Is A Hard Heart That Kills.* That's exactly what we're seeing.
^^ And RE: "That's Crazy!" -- Yes but the Craziest part is easy to ignore here. Most "Fragging" did not occur in a face-to-face confrontation like that. It would have been far more likely that Barnes shot Elias in the back, *or* hucked a 'nade at him. He does it face to face because ( a ) they are alone, and ( b ) it's Personal.
Great reaction. Fact about this movie, Oliver Stone is a Vietnam veteran and he based this movie on his own personal experiences in Vietnam. He purposely casted a very young cast because the average age of soldiers in Vietnam were between 18 to 25
That averages out to 21.5
My grandfather barely spoke of his time in the war. We did not press him, though some of his passing anecdotes made us really wonder. One being in camp, and being fired upon from a friendly village. Command denying the CO’s request to return fire, because it was a friendly village. The others were frankly… disturbing. Though he did say he saw a lot of the guys doing drugs, and shook his head. Saw a lot of guys lose it from not just the war but the drugs too.
Hi Mary hope you are having an great and awesome day ❤
23:24 Tropic Thunder moment. :)
Hey World Traveler! Great reaction. This one was at a peak of a wave of war films which also included Born on the Fourth of July, FMJ, Good Morning Vietnam, Hamburger Hill, and a CBS TV show called Tour of Duty which was very good and set during the Vietnam War. There was also a TV series set in Vietnam during the war, called China Beach focusing on the staff of an evacuation hospital.
Thanks for the review. A difficult film to watch, I haven't seen it since watching it twice when it was released. I actually stopped watching War movies for a couple decades after this film.
Many of my veteran friends were deeply affected by this film. A lot of vets back then said this was the most accurate modern/VN war film ever made. It was compressed within an Oliver Stone style of drama of course, but it was said that it was as close as a non-vet/non-participant could get to understanding life/death as a US soldier the Vietnam War.
You made a comment about American competency in the war. The war was a mess due to politics and policies, the soldiers weren't allowed to "win", albeit we never should have been there to begin with.
Thank you again. I'm glad you got to enjoy your trip outside the shadow if the war.
29:54 - 29:59 Explosion sound effect is giving me Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet vibes.
cpt dale dye's commentary track on the dvd is amazing. he was technical advisor for the film and was the actors boot camp platoon leader before filming. really interesting.
11:10 Rich kids also got drafted, but if you were in college, you could get a deferment. There were a bunch of other things you could get deferments for, too. If your family had money there were other ways you could get out of being sent to Vietnam; You could get a doctor to write you a note that says you have flat feet or a perforated eardrum, and you get out. If you couldn't or wouldn't get out of being drafted, your rich parents could make a campaign contribution and you'd somehow end up in the National Guard.
Poor kids weren't any more likely to get drafted, they just had a lot fewer ways of getting out of it if they were.
The analysis is on point again, "the duality of man" is a good way to describe the theme of this film. It's probably the most naturalistic war movie of that era and the focus on the regular soldier's perspective is very grounded and believable. I don't think Oliver Stone necessarily had a Barnes or Elias in his own Platoon but the realism here is surely based on lived experience. The film is almost like a gripping drama and a documentary at the same time, which is rare.
'Born on the 4th of July'
Anyone questioning Tom Cruise's acting ability should watch that. I have shut up a few smug idiots that way 😂
Awesome suggestion!!
@@stevenjones916 American Made!
Seeing this movie only a month or so after finishing Army basic may have shaped its initial effect on me. Love it though, can't wait for We Were Soldiers reaction.
There are four major Vietnam war movies: Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket. Of these four movies my two favorites are Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter. Coppola's movie is a nightmarish surreal take on the Vietnam war, exploring the darkness inside the human being and the nonsense of war, The Deer Hunter has the most interesting narrative arch of the four movies, because it deals with the full war experience, trying to avoid spoilers here, and it's just breathtaking, Michael Cimino's ambition realizing his vision was off the scale. Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, as good as they are, and they are, are not at the same level as the other two, they're all masterpieces on their own right but not quite at the same level. Then again, it's a matter of taste and no taste's better or worse than any other. Anyway, Platoon fully deserved the Oscar for best movie that year, I was blown away when I first watched it on the big screen the year it was released, and I watched it in a big old school theater, not a tiny matchbox in a multiplex, it was quite an experience, it remains to this day one of my favorite movies. Platoon is part of an informal trilogy that includes Born on the Fourth of July and Heaven and Earth. The first deals with the aftermath of the war back in the States, brilliant performance by Tom Cruise, and the second is a view of the war from the Vietnamese side. Both are amazing movies but Heaven and Earth, an undeservedly forgotten movie, holds a special place in my heart because of one scene, although it's overall an amazing movie, that completely changed my outlook on life and it kind of change me as a person, it crystallized a life lesson for me, something I already knew but watching it through the eyes of the main character made all the difference between knowing about it on an intellectual level and actually feeling it, it's the movie magic, I remember that scene every time I walk into a supermarket. Unlike Platoon that is inspired by Stone’s experiences in Vietnam but not on a true story, both movies are actually based on true stories. Quite a trilogy, one of the best ever, a testimony to Oliver Stone’s talent. P.S. Platoon's the first time I listened to Tracks of Tears, one of my favorite songs. Smokey Robinson's voice was so beautiful and touching.
This was part of that era where Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger seemed to have a bright career of dramatic acting in their future. It really didn't happen. A few years later they both appeared in "Major League" and Sheen mostly continued on that comedy path, while Berenger kind of faded away into bad movies and then smaller roles.
Wall Street, Young Guns, 8 Men Out. That's an impressive dramatic resume without Platoon or his other dramatic work.
Also, Gettysburg, Training Day, Inception.
@@redrick8900 The Substitute
@@ryanmichael1298 I'm not prepared to defend the artistic validity of "The Substitute."
@@redrick8900 I don't mind it.
You missed the point in the village. There were no men between 16 and 35, which meant that they were all off being VC, most likely the ones who tortured and butchered the soldier earlier. The village was supporting this particular group of VC with food, shelter, and weapon storage.
Also notice the secondary explosions as the village burned. There were still hidden weapons and ammo they didn't find.
What's your point?
@@shapeshifter7676 I think his point is there is no room for being soft in war and being like "These are just farmers and kids." A weapon in the hands of a 10 year old can be quite deadly indeed and although what happened in the village was not how it should have gone down, the fact that several of their men were taken out brutally and a villager ran off to most likely inform other and weapons were present, that village did indeed pose a threat. Mary and others acting like dropping the granaid into the shelter was wrong don't realize, those who were in there refusal to come out meant any number of things could have come from it, be it a radio warning, preparation for assault, anything that could cost American soldiers lives. The lives that were ended outside in the village thanks to Bunny and Barnes were where when the situation become problematic not to mention what the gang did to those young people before Chris stopped them.
Even if that is true (which it isn't confirmed), that isn't justification to murder people. The woman who was shot even said the VC come in and do whatever they want and take whatever they want.
Which is why Elias beat the shit out of Barnes and called out Lt Wolfe.
Also Oliver Stone is known to intentionally falsify information in his films so these atrocities may not have been something he acts witnessed.
Although the My Lai massacre did occur and also the Tiger Force debacle part of the Phoenix program also happened.
This is Hollywood propaganda demonizing people forced to be there rather than demonizing the people who truly deserve it. The Generals and Politicians.
If anyone in here is interested in learning more about the Vietnam War, Ken Burns made a fantastic documentary about it that covers the war from tons of different perspectives. Fantastic documentary.
this is the one movie that I will never forget seeing in the theatre... Remember, this was ONLY 1986 or 11 years after the war ended... that would be like 2012 in relation to 911. I was only 18 and was really affected by the people openly weeping.... and when the movie ended, you could hear a pin drop... everyone just got up and went to the exit without saying a word, most were crying.... I finally brought myself to watching it again as I thought this was a must watch for my kids as we can not forget the sacrifice.. vowed I would never watch it again... so here goes.... with that said, the cast was amazing in this... There is a reason it had something like 40 nominations with 24 wins across the board including 8 Academy and Golden GLobe awards...Yeah, the village seen was hard... what was harder in real life is a lot of those people were killing American Soldiers and the VC often used villages as bases...(hence why enough rice to feed an army) of course that doesn't excuse anything shown... but that was a real challenge...and sorry 17:45 kids killed 1000's of american soldiers... and you have Seen Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen before in a movie... Major League... :) what a contrast....
Hey this is an amazing film... like you I'm travelling I'm in Cambodia right now.
I recommend watching Black hawk Down and Band of brothers. Being in the military for over a decade. Most military movies nowadays I get turned off. But those two I still watch here and there.
Some things were accurate to what happened to Stone, some weren't. Barnes and Elias were based on real people, and the real Elias died in a suspected friendly fire incident, but it happened shortly after Oliver Stone left Vietnam. They also weren't in the same platoon, but leaders of 2 different units Stone served in. So it was influenced by what happened + some My Lai influence added on top. When they filmed the scene where Taylor makes the Vietnamese kid "dance", Oliver Stone broke into tears on set... so he had witnessed (or even done) something similar. The ending battle also happened IRL, except Stone didn't fire a bullet in it. He took cover in a trench, because he knew an airstrike is going to hit near their own positions. Hundreds of Vietnamese soldiers died in that airstrike, and they used catepillar to move the bodies, just like in the ending shots. The scene where Taylor moves up (the ambush scene) and throws a hand grenade also happened, it was the moment that Oliver Stone earned his Bronze Star for (for valor). He moved up and destroyed a suddenly discovered Vietnamese machine gun position with a hand grenade, which saved lives. Also lots of the other characters in the platoon are based on real people, for example King. Before "Platoon" opened in theaters, some members of the real platoon had a re-union in Stone's apartment, and watched the film together. Many people recognised themselves from it.
Need to react to another classic about Vietnam war “ The Deer Hunter“
Chris's demeanor when making the local "dance" was predicated on the emotion of the squad, they had just found a close friend dead, and that dead friend was the other person sent on guard duty and Chris's realization of the 50/50 chance, he knew he won the odds and was feeling guilty he was still alive. He was mentally breaking down at that moment, it is the realization watching his team attacking the girls which brought his humanity back. 🤷
I remember when I was a "fish" in the army when I first got drafted for national service. I ended up crying one day falling to the ground as I couldn't take it anymore. After about 6 months, you get use to it all and feel numb.
I saw this in the Cinema, and it left a negative memory on me. I was just old enough to get in, being 15. We went to see a different movie, but it was full, so we went to Platoon instead. I had a mild headache going in.......it was a miserable evening. It wasn't the movie's fault. It did take me many years to give it a proper chance. It's a damn good movie.
My dad was a medic in Vietnam.
In basic, they practiced burning down huts (hooches) with zippo lighters.. called 'zippo raids'.. he knew some messed up stuff was gonna go down.. and it did.
The thing is that Barnes isn't evil, at least not in the way Bunny (Kevin Dillon's character) is. Barnes isn't sadistic, he doesn't enjoy the war. As Elias says, "Barnes believes in what's he's doing." To that end he operates in the most efficient way he knows how - morality and conscience are just not factors. He doesn't immediately resort to violence, but he also does not give second chances or tolerate anything standing between him and his goal. In the same conversation, Elias says that he used to be like Barnes. At some point he became disillusioned and then sees the war as an unnecessary and likely (ultimately) fruitless evil, which was a very common sentiment amongst soldiers and the general population.* After his change in perspective, Elias prioritizes the lives of those around him and innocent bystanders over the war effort. He still fights, but he fights to protect people. Chris, being new, is caught between Barnes and Elias. He wants to be good, but he also believes in the war to some extent, at least early on. He also doesn't have the experience (or personality maybe) to be able to just "turn off" like either of them and struggles to deal with the stress. Essentially he's feeling like a trapped animal, and the result is him lashing out on a few different occasions, such as in the village. Some minor characters also have a little bit of development, like Junior and Rhah (the dude with the stick).
*Since you mentioned something at some point about Americans' feelings toward the Vietnam war: Despite our governmental proclivity for inserting ourselves in other people's business, there really hasn't been a war popular with the American public since WWII, except for reactionary approval during the very early years of the War on Terror. Vietnam actually faced the most public backlash out of the lot. Korea was similar but was more tolerated since it was much shorter and came on the heels of WWII when moral was high. But more than a decade went by before Vietnam started, and many or most of the new generation (the first boomers) didn't even know where it was, let alone why they had to go there.
Also, strictly speaking no, the draft does not specifically target poor folks. But there's a very strong correlation between how wealthy you are and how many options you have to get out of it. For example, college students tend to be deferred, as do a lot of people with occupations that are not easy to replace. Couple alternatives primarily available to the middle class. If you're rich, the sky is the limit. Hell, with enough of your daddy's money you can even pay a quack doctor to say you have bone spurs or some such bullshit.
Bone spurs? I'm not sure what you're talking about.
@@rustincohle2135 You don't need to know the specifics. Just that doctors know what would disqualify you from military service and some unscrupulous types would forge the paperwork with enough grease on the palms.
@@Stubbies2003 No, I know exactly who he's referring to with the bone spurs remark. Everyone knows who that is. I was just making a joke by playing the clueless fool.
11:09 - The draft for the war was done by lottery, but you could get out of the lottery under certain reasons...
Yes, usually people with money could get out of the lottery’s
Hope you enjoy your trip to Viet nam, I’m heading there in November, can’t wait.
Several of my family members are Vietnam vets. And out of all of the movies about Vietnam, they all say Platoon is the most realistic depiction they have ever seen. This is due to Oliver Stone. He kept a Journal while he was in Vietnam. This is what this script is based on.
Cool thumbnail, bro. Going for the "kneeling in front of the gloryhole" look lol
Casualties of War with Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn...hard to watch as well
Yep, conscription, came with the right to vote, despite what feminists think, the Vote does not come free for men. Me myself, I got conscripted back in 2000 being a 19 year old man in Greece. Had 18 months of my life taken away as a full time soldier in the armed forces. No money, allowed out only 2-3 nights a week if lucky and 4 weeks break in 18 months. The rest of the time I would be sleeping in a room with 40 strangers when I wasn't being trained and marching along with serving meals and cleaning toilets.
An ALLTIME favorit Vietnam war movie of mine ! 🤪
Here are some movies that few people are honoring:
Ben Hur
The Secret Of Roan Inish
Deepwater Horizon
Petticoat Junction (TV series)
The Goonies
Rocketeer
Earnest Goes To Camp
Earnest Saves Christmas
Earnest Goes To Jail
Deer Hunter is probably the toughest to watch.
Beautiful but overrated.
Yeah. Tough to sit through that 9 hour wedding part. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
_Platoon_ is more disturbing than _The Deer Hunter._ _Deer Hunter_ might be the most heartbreaking but it's arguable.
The shooting location was in Vigan Philippines for the movie Platoon.
Your copy of the movie is so clear and green. I love it.
Although it’s also hard to watch, “Casualties of War,” starring Michal J. Fox and Sean Penn, is one of the best Vietnam War movies, and it might be Fox’s best dramatic performance. It’s also a true story.
Try '4 hours in My Lai', a documentary here on YT about the most notorious atrocity in the Vietnam War, if you want more realism about the brutality of the war, and less Hollywood.
An other Vietnam movie suggestion actually made in Vietnam is French : Diên Biên Phu 1992 written and directed by French veteran Pierre Schoendoerffer. This about the time the French ruled Vietnam. In the movie you follow several characters most serving as paratrooper in the French foreign legion, also civilians. This movie was made in co-operation with the Vietnamese army.
If you want another sad/powerful vietnam war movie I can recommend Casualties of War with Michael J Fox, Sean Penn.. don't remember much of it since I haven't seen it in ages but I remember how heart breaking it was....