1986’s Platoon is a semi-autobiographical film. Writer/director Oliver Stone, who served as an infantryman in Vietnam, integrated several of his own experiences into the film. The main characters are based on people Stone served with. The lead and narrator, Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), is based on Stone himself. Of all of the great Vietnam epics–Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter and Full Metal Jacket—Platoon is perhaps the most effective because it’s so obviously a deeply personal story for the director.
Platoon recounts the tour of duty of Chris Taylor, starting with when he arrives, fresh from basic training, and ending when he is helicoptered out after being seriously injured in a major battle. The new guy, Taylor is given little respect by the men who have been there for awhile; when he reveals that he’s an upper middle class college dropout who enlisted because he doesn’t believe that only the poor should go to war, another soldier mockingly calls him a “crusader.”
As Taylor wanders through threatening jungles, filled with unseen snipers, insects, and wild vegetation, Stone forces us to see and hear the war as Chris does. Platoon won a well-deserved Oscar for Sound, orchestrated with great authenticity by a team of four technicians.
Chris’ loyalty is torn between two of his sergeants: Barnes (Tom Berenger), a gruff, no-nonsense guy who expects the same degree of homicidal brutality from his men that displays, and Elias (Willem Dafoe), a ferocious fighter who has not lost sight of the fact that the men serving under him are human beings. Emassarly in the film, it becomes apparent there’s an underlying tension between the two. After a sequence in which Elias prevents Barnes from executing a small Vietnamese child the strain splits the platoon in two.
Barnes is the perfect example of the dehumanizing power of war. A killing machine, Barnes believes his actions are justified if they will assist in reaching the endgame, and the victims are thought to be collaborators with the enemy. While Elias can be just as brutal when necessary, he has managed to keep some perspective. At the start, Chris is a naïve, innocent, but before the film ends, he’s lost himself, becoming a heartless killer.
Platoon effectively depicts several battles, including a colossal one that takes place at night in which mass casualties are absorbed by the Americans. The key scenes happen when Chris’ platoon enters a Vietnamese village. The men, having just found the mutilated body of one of their own, want revenge, and when they discover the villagers are hiding weapons for and food for the Viet Cong, that desire becomes overwhelming. Civilians are killed, and the village is torched. The only glimpses of humanity occur when Elias saves a child, and Chris prevents a rape.
Twenty-one at the time, Charlie Sheen, though not the director’s first choice, does a fine job as Chris. Though he looks a bit uncomfortable at the start, it works, because it fits the characters personality at the time. Tom Berenger, who up until then was best known for playing likeable guys, brings a burning intensity to the emotionally scarred Barnes. Willem Dafoe, whose played a number of killers and psychos in his career, plays Elias as a contemplative, serious man who tries to be a mentor for Chris. The impressive supporting cast includes Francesco Quinn as Rhah, one of Chris’ friends; Keith David as King, one of the lucky ones who get out alive; John C. McGinley in a memorable turn as the cowardly Sergeant O’Neill; Forest Whitaker as Big Harold; Johnny Depp as Lerner; and Kevin Dillion as the antisocial, bloodthirsty Bunny.
Platoon is Oliver Stone at his best. With not a conspiracy theory in sight, Stone drops the viewer into the center of the action, and keeps them there. The chaos and confusion of the war is palpable. The night battles are lit using “natural lighting” – primarily flares – which gives the picture an authentic look and feel. But again, Stone was making the film from personal experience.
Presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the 1080p transfer is not particularly consistent. Black levels and contrast vary, particularly between day and night scenes. Since the film is twenty-five years old, it would seem some of these inconsistencies are a result of source elements, not the transfer. Grain elements are occasionally on the heavy side, but no noise reduction tricks have been utilized. The film clearly has gone through a cleanup, as the scratches, and dirt apparent on the DVD aren’t visible.
Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix is clear and intelligible. Surrounds provide balanced and seamless environmental and directional effects, though certain scenes with droning insect noises could have been dialed back a bit. LFE is non-existent, and bass activity is a little weak considering the frequent number of explosions, but one would think that’s due to the age of the mix rather than the track itself.
We get the following special features:
- Audio commentary by Director Oliver Stone: Features the director discussing the filming. More interestingly, Stone shares how his personal experiences relate to the film.
- Audio commentary by Military Advisor Dale Dye: Dye provides behind-the-scenes stories about the production, and relays his personal experiences from the Vietnam War.
- Deleted and Extended Scenes (11:31, SD) One gives more context to Taylor’s closing reference to Rah’s “battle over your soul” comment. The most interesting is the alternate ending which, in his commentary, Stone says is what he should have used in the film instead. The additional parts of the commentary, recorded in 2006, relate information about the real people behind characters like King and Rah.
Flashback to Platoon (48:38, SD) is a well-made and informative documentary from 2006. Users can play the piece in its entirety or jump into the following chapters:
Snapshot in Time: 1967-1968 (19:15) provides historical background and analysis of the Vietnam War, in particular the year leading up to the Tet Offensive and the repercussions of that military victory on the political aspect of the war.
Creating the ‘Nam (12:04) provides history of the production, from development to filming on location, and the challenges faced throughout. Includes interviews with Charlie Sheen, Editor Claire Simpson, Production Designer Bruno Rubeo and Producer Arnold Kopelson.
- Raw Wounds: The Legacy of Platoon (17:18) examines the affect the film had on Vietnam Veterans, and the American public. Includes interviews with combat veterans sharing their initial reactions to the film.
- One War Many Stories (25:32, SD) features veterans telling their stories after a special screening of the film, with Oliver Stone sharing his own experiences in a separate interview.
- “Preparing for ‘Nam” Documentary (6:36, SD) includes interviews with Vietnam War veterans talking about their military experiences.
- Caputo and the 7th Fleet (1:38, SD) is a brief interview of author Philip Caputo, who wrote “A Rumor of War,” sharing his experience evacuating from Saigon at the end of the war.
- Dye Training Method (3:23, SD) features the military advisor describing the boot camp experience at Warriors, Inc.
- Gordon Gekko (1:06, SD) is an anecdote from Editor Claire Simpson about how “Wall Street’s” Gordon Gekko got his name.
- Television Spots: Three 30-second commercials for the film.
- Theatrical Trailer (1:44, HD)
- DVD contains the feature presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic video and 448 kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. There is also a Dolby Digital 2.0 Spanish language track and subtitle options of French and Spanish. The theatrical trailer is also included.
