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Platoon
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Platoon (1986) -- A young recruit in Vietnam faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 68% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Oliver Stone
Writer:
Oliver Stone (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Platoon on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 December 1986 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Drama | War more
Tagline:
The first casualty of war is innocence.
Plot:
A young recruit in Vietnam faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 4 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 9 nominations more
User Comments:
Perfection... or as close to it as we're ever likely to see more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Keith David ... King

Forest Whitaker ... Big Harold

Francesco Quinn ... Rhah

Kevin Dillon ... Bunny

John C. McGinley ... Sgt. O'Neill
Reggie Johnson ... Junior

Mark Moses ... Lt. Wolfe
Corey Glover ... Francis

Johnny Depp ... Lerner
Chris Pedersen ... Crawford
Bob Orwig ... Gardner
Corkey Ford ... Manny
David Neidorf ... Tex

Tom Berenger ... Sgt. Barnes

Willem Dafoe ... Sgt. Elias
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Additional Details

Runtime:
120 min
Country:
UK | USA
Language:
English | Vietnamese
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Filming Locations:
Philippines
Company:
Hemdale Film more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The cast and crew arrived in the Philippines in early 1986, almost simultaneous to the beginning of the Edsa Revolution of 1986 that toppled Marcos. Willem Dafoe said that a day or two after he arrived in Manila, he awoke to see a column of tanks rolling down the streets. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: During the patrol at the beginning of the movie, Staff Sergeant Barnes's helmet band has two sewn-on reflective patches. These "cat's eyes" were only adopted much later in the 1980s. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Pvt. Gardner: [seeing body bags] Aw, man, is that what I think it is?
Sergeant: All right, you cheese-dicks, welcome to the 'nam! Follow me.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Rambo (2008) more
Soundtrack:
SITTIN ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY more

FAQ

What happened to the men of the platoon?
What is the song that plays towards the beginning of the movie, as the squad goes out for the night ambush and in the end of the movie?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more
117 out of 149 people found the following comment useful:-
Perfection... or as close to it as we're ever likely to see, 28 April 2004
Author: Mark Davies (blinkchester@aol.com) from Chester, England

Its hard to know where to start with such a breathtaking film. Oliver Stone's Platoon is quite simply the best Vietnam war film ever made in my opinion. Everything about it is as close to perfection as we are likely to see. Charlie Sheen plays the lead, and Willem Defoe and Tom Berenger play the two sergeants that form a key part of the plot.

Chris Taylor (Sheen) is torn between the sergeants. Barnes (Berenger) is the battle hardened, brutal murderer, who uses the war as an excuse to tender to his sadistic pleasures. Elias (Defoe) is the other side of the spectrum. We get the sense that he has wrestled with his inner demons, but he has successfully come through to the other side. He has compassion for his fellow man, and he uses drugs as a form of escapism from this brutal war. The two symbolise the struggle that Taylor must face if he is to survive out in Vietnam.

Oliver Stone perfectly captures war. The shooting is frantic and impossible to follow. It perfectly disorientates us, just as the soldiers were. We have no idea who is being shot at, and neither do they. We follow the war at ground level, and see the brutalities first hand. Having served in Vietnam, the film is loosely based on Stone's time out there, and Taylor loosely based on himself.

Full Metal Jacket showcases how inhumane the war was, Apocalypse Now turns it into a story about life in general, and hopelessness, but Platoon has everything. Trying hard to avoid the old cliché, but if you only watch one war film, make sure it is this one. Nothing else can come close.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Platoon (1986)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
VC point of view? valleyboy12
Anyone else loved Bunny? philipdsj
Good war movie, but not history. bajama
Wolfe given too much crap stigger108
Help! Identify this character - Who is he??? ablaze13
What did Bunny say to Junior? luv_to_shop
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