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Platoon | Year: 1986 Classification: War Country: USA Directed: - Oliver Stone Actors/Actresses: - Tom Berenger - Johnny Depp - Willem Dafoe - Charlie Sheen - Forest Whitaker - Forest Whitacker Perhaps the greatest war epic... Oliver Stone's magnum opus should be required viewing for all political hawks and 18-24 year-old's. I'll reserve the balance of my time for a few remarks about the Special Edition DVD... If you love this film it's imperative that you get the "Special Edition"--it's well worth the few bucks extra. The hour-long Documentary "Tour of the Inferno" is truly spectacular and contains extensive interviews with Stone, Defoe, Berenger, Sheen, et al, describing the "method direction" Stone employed to create an atmosphere of reality unparalleled in other war films. By method direction, I'm referring to the boot camp experience Stone and Dale Dye employed to cultivate a sense of the psychosis felt by those who served in the Nam, and impart that sense to the actors who were to portray very tangible characters drawn from Stone's own Vietnam experience as an infantryman. While listening to Stone's commentary I finally found the answer to a question about Platoon that had dogged me for years. In the scene after Barnes is killed, Chris is sitting down and is discovered by US soldiers followed by an American tank flying a Nazi swastika flag. I never understood this and scoured the Internet looking for an answer. In the commentary, Stone explains that the APC units were very extreme and used to adorn themselves with Nazi regalia[?]. Although some DVD's contain a lot of extras that simply aren't worth the effort, this is not the case with the Special Edition of Platoon. Outstanding!!! 5/5 Death? What do y'all know about death? Platoon is a gritty portrayal of a young man's introduction to war and Vietnam. This is definitely not an uplifting flag-waving film, but what would you expect from Oliver Stone? Very real, and surreal at times, Platoon unveils the tragedy, destruction and dehumanization of war. Sheen does a decent job, but it's Berenger and Dafoe that deserve all of the acting acclaim here. Just bubbling below the surface of over the top territory, Berenger and Dafoe unleashe fierce performances. Though Stone does showcase the terrible truths of war, he also portrays the camaraderie and bonds of the men trying to keep each other alive. The fighting scenes are violent and scary and impossible to turn away from. This is a very dark and gritty depiction of the Viet Nam war. Naturally, one must compare this movie to other 'Nam motion pictures. I still think Apocalypse Now was the best. Platoon is pretty much tied with Full Metal Jacket. Some viewers compared Platoon to Saving Private Ryan- no way. Ryan was an epic World War II film, where there was a clear definition of morality. Platoon focuses on the "greyness" of good and evil. There was no triumph at the end of the film. What were they fighting for anyway? I had a major problem with American soldiers killing each other, but that was probably the point of the film. It's a good movie to watch, but not the "end-all" war movie that some think it is. What I enjoyed most about Platoon is it tells the story how Vietnam (probably) was. It says there is no winner in a war. It's miserable for everybody. It breaks even the toughest people down emotionally and physically. I highly recommend it. not God as some people praise it at but pretty damn good very very enjoyable flick, mainly because it reminded me of FMJ(full metal jacket) and the humor was pretty good too. i might have preferred this film a little better if charlie s. wasnt in it but he actualy didnt do that bad of a job one part i found hysterical was that johnny depp has a part in it. with short blonde hair and he just is walking by then gets blown up. this film should deffinalty be in a war collects colection. Buy Platoon at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Platoon Search with the Priority Search Engine on Platoon This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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