December 19, 1986
Platoon is a 1986 American war film written and directed by Oliver Stone, starring Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, with supporting roles by Forest Whitaker, Francesco Quinn, John C. McGinley, Richard Edson, Kevin Dillon, Keith David, Reggie Johnson, Johnny Depp, Mark Moses, Chris Pedersen and Tony Todd. It is the first film of a trilogy of Vietnam War films directed by Stone, followed by Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Heaven & Earth (1993). The film, based on Stone's experience from the war, follows a new U.S. Army volunteer (Sheen) serving in South Vietnam while his Platoon Sergeant and his Squad Leader (Berenger and Dafoe) argue over the morality in the platoon and of the war itself.
Stone wrote the screenplay based upon his experiences as a U.S. infantryman in South Vietnam, to counter the vision of the war portrayed in John Wayne's The Green Berets. Although he wrote scripts for films such as Midnight Express and Scarface, Stone struggled to get the film developed until Hemdale Film Corporation acquired the project along with Salvador. Filming took place in the Philippines in February 1986 and lasted 54 days. Platoon was the first Hollywood film to be written and directed by a veteran of the Vietnam War.
Platoon was released by Orion Pictures on December 19, 1986. Upon its release, Platoon received critical acclaim for Stone's directing and screenplay, cinematography, the battle sequences' realism, and the performances of Sheen, Dafoe, and Berenger. The film was a box office success upon its release, grossing $137.9 million domestically against its $6 million budget, becoming the third highest-grossing domestic film of 1986. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards at the 59th Academy Awards, and won four: Best Picture, Best Director for Stone, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing.
Platoon is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest films ever made, particularly within the war genre. In 1998, the American Film Institute placed Platoon at #83 in their "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies" poll. In 2019, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Storyline
In 1967, U.S. Army volunteer Chris Taylor arrives in South Vietnam and is assigned to an infantry platoon of the 25th Infantry Division near the Cambodian border. The platoon is commanded by the young and inexperienced Lieutenant Wolfe, who relies on two experienced non-commissioned officers: the ruthless Staff Sergeant Barnes, and the more compassionate Sergeant Elias.
Taylor participates in a night ambush of an invading North Vietnamese Army force and a rebelling Viet Cong force. Taylor is wounded during the firefight while Gardner, another new replacement, is killed. Taylor returns to base from the aid station and bonds with Elias and his circle of marijuana users ("heads"), a clique distinct from Barnes and his hard-edged followers.
During another patrol, two soldiers are killed by a booby trap while Manny is captured and slain by unseen assailants. The platoon finds Manny's body and search a nearby village, finding a supply cache. Barnes aggressively interrogates the village chief and murders his wife in view of the villagers. When he also threatens to murder the chief's granddaughter, Elias intervenes and assaults Barnes. Wolfe breaks up the ensuing fight, orders the supplies destroyed and the village razed. Wolfe feigns ignorance when Elias accuses him of not stopping Barnes. Taylor prevents two girls from being gang-raped by some of Barnes' men, but is remorsefully unable to prevent Bunny from murdering a villager.
Back at base, company commander Captain Harris warns he will pursue an investigation and court martial anyone found to have killed any civilians, leaving Barnes worried Elias will testify against him. On their next patrol, the platoon is ambushed and pinned down, taking casualties. Wolfe accidentally directs artillery fire onto his own unit, causing more casualties, before Barnes calls it off. Barnes orders Elias, Taylor, Rhah and Crawford to intercept flanking enemy troops, pulls the rest of the platoon back, and goes out to retrieve Elias. When Elias is separated from the others, Barnes takes the opportunity to shoot him. Heading towards the helicopter extraction, he tells Taylor that Elias is dead, but as they fly out they see the mortally wounded Elias chased from the jungle by NVA soldiers and VC guerillas before getting killed.
Realizing Barnes was responsible for Elias' death, Taylor attempts to talk the heads into fragging Barnes in retaliation, not realizing Barnes has overheard them. He enters the abandoned bunker they use for gathering and taunts them. Barnes fights off an attack by Taylor, cutting his face with a push dagger before departing.
The platoon is sent back out to a defensive position. Taylor shares a foxhole with Francis. When a major NVA and VC night assault occurs, much of the platoon is killed, including Wolfe and most of Barnes' followers. An NVA or VC sapper destroys the battalion headquarters in a suicide attack, forcing Captain Harris to call an air strike on their shrinking perimeter. In the chaos, Taylor encounters a wounded Barnes, who attempts to kill Taylor before both are knocked unconscious by the air strike.
Regaining consciousness after sunrise, Taylor picks up a rifle and finds Barnes who dares Taylor to kill him, and Taylor shoots him dead. Francis survives the battle unharmed but stabs himself in the leg, reminding Taylor that twice wounded men are returned home. As a helicopter carries the two men away, Taylor sobs as he flies away from the battlefield, reflecting on how his experiences in the war will remain with him.
Movie Trailer
- Platoon (1986) (Trailers)
Sound Effects Used
- Classic Shotgun Fire Sound
- CINESOUND - EXPLOSION TYPE 1
- Hollywoodedge, Grenade Launcher PE230301 (Debut; 2nd explosion only.)
- Hollywoodedge, M14 Automatic RifleS PE094501 (Debut.)