Chris Taylor, a neophyte recruit in Vietnam, finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one good and the other evil. A shrewd examination of the brutality of war and the duality of man in conflict.
Chris Taylor is a young, naive American who gives up college and volunteers for combat in Vietnam. Upon arrival, he quickly discovers that his presence is quite nonessential, and is considered insignificant to the other soldiers, as he has not fought for as long as the rest of them and felt the effects of combat. Chris has two non-commissioned officers, the ill-tempered and indestructible Staff Sergeant Robert Barnes and the more pleasant and cooperative Sergeant Elias Grodin. A line is drawn between the two NCOs and a number of men in the platoon when an illegal killing occurs during a village raid. As the war continues, Chris himself draws towards psychological meltdown. And as he struggles for survival, he soon realizes he is fighting two battles, the conflict with the enemy and the conflict between the men within his platoon.Written by
Jeremy Thomson
Kevin Dillon got along great with Writer/Director Oliver Stone, who he described as a "really interesting guy, incredible filmmaker." He met him about a year before they started shooting the film, auditioning for him. Then they went out to the Philippines, which was right during the whole Marcos takeover. "There were tanks in the streets, so it was a pretty scary time to be there, but a lot of fun" he stated. He got called in to meet him again to audition for a role in The Doors (1991). He told Oliver he was a great drummer - which he was not. See more »
Goofs
Towards the end of the movie where Chris (Charlie Sheen) finds Sgt. Barnes wounded, Sgt. Barnes's shirt initially and covered in sweat and blood. Right before Chris shoots him, his shirt is ripped on his right side and mostly dry. Present as well is a big patch of dried blood (black) on his right hand, not visible in the previous shot. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Pvt. Gardner:
[seeing body bags]
Oh, man. Is that what I think it is?
Sergeant:
All right, you cheese-dicks, welcome to the Nam. Follow me!
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Alternate Versions
TV version has much of its dialogue redubbed and shots refilmed, replacing such lines as "He thinks he's Jesus F---in' Christ!" with "He thinks he's George Freakin' Washington!" See more »
Platoon is the landmark definition of a war film. Pulse-pounding sequences stacked on well-performed portrayal of soldiers (Sheen, Berenger & Dafoe) as well as a couple of heart-wrenching scenes that would be somewhat difficult to view. The film is Oliver Stone's most significant to date, especially since it's based off his own personal experience in the Vietnam War.
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Platoon is the landmark definition of a war film. Pulse-pounding sequences stacked on well-performed portrayal of soldiers (Sheen, Berenger & Dafoe) as well as a couple of heart-wrenching scenes that would be somewhat difficult to view. The film is Oliver Stone's most significant to date, especially since it's based off his own personal experience in the Vietnam War.