My dad was a Vietnam vet, and he said no war movie ever came close to what Vietnam was really like.....that is, until he saw Platoon. Other than fragging each other, my Dad said it was a pretty close. He said one scene took him back there; The hump thru the jungle at the beginning was so accurate, he could smell it again. My Dad was a great man rest his soul.
Same here - my father spent 15 months throughout the Mekong Delta on raids and setting ambushes - he drew the same conclusions as your father and particularly was moved by the theme driven home in the ending that we are all born from two fathers. I wish he lived to see Saving Private Ryan.
My dad was also in Vietnam, we watched all those war movies that came out in the 80s and even up to a few years ago. The two that actually bothered him were Platoon and We Were Soldiers. He cried at the end of both. He never talked much about his experience either and I never really asked because even as a kid I kind of knew he was dealing with a lot, to his credit he never let it stop him. He’s been gone now for several years and my hope is he finally has peace after a lifetime’s worth of awful memories that he couldn’t get away from. RIP Dad 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Prior to this movie, Tom Berenger (Barnes) usually played good guys and Willem Dafoe (Elias) more often played bad guys, so it was interesting that they were cast against type for this film.
Shows great director getting range out of actors. Same with Paul Vorhoeven and Robocop with Dick Jones and Boddickers actors, all previously being ncie good guys. Made them so hate able.
I respect the Hell outta you because you said We can't be the generation that forgets. You're rare. Back in 1987, when I was 15, our basketball coach took our whole team to watch Platoon because he was a Vietnam vet, but he walked out of the theater "because it was too real."
Yet here we are, at bhe BRINK of a CIVIL War in the US, the world is waiting on multiple iNvasions*China, Isreal, Iran, North Korea.... WE havent had war in along time, so Its time because the vast majority of US havent expereinced it...But this time.....its going NUCLEAR>
One of my great uncles served. He said it very very much like the battle scene in Forrest Gump. You'd be bored for weeks and weeks then bam in an instant your in a fierce firefight
As soon as I saw she was doing this movie, I knew Cassie was going to go through emotional hell during the village scene. It's one of the most tense, gut-wrenching scenes in film history.
@@playedout148Not My Lai. That scene does not and was never intended to represent the My Lai massacre, which was far worse. Oliver Stone’s intention was to represent the many smaller interactions with villagers that never got the attention that My Lai did. I wasn’t there. Some who were there said Stone did a good job in his representation. Others who were there said he did not. I don’t doubt that there are many very different stories known by those who were part of the Vietnam War, or that Stone’s portrayal is not far from the truth for some of them.
Yeah, that was the first thing I thought of. Great film, but once was enough for me and I don't think I want to see the impact that scene will have on Cassie.
My dad was a Vietnam veteran and he said platoon was the one Vietnam movie that reminded him of his experience. He said he couldn't watch it more than once.
I can relate. My father is an Angola Independence Veteran, and he said exactly the same thing, that this movie is the one that gets closer to what jungle combat is.
@@lexkanyima2195. No. It brings back the ghosts of the past. It’s not depression. It’s PTSD. A smell, a sound, a feeling when walking up stairs in shadows. Anything can cause a flood of memories of bad times. Same for us Iraq vets. Combat costs a lot if you’re unprepared for what we can do to each other.
As a combat veteran myself Platoon is one of the most accurate films not only about Vietnam but about platoon and leadership politics and how divisive and damaging they can be.
As a person with a Vietnamese ex-girlfriend who is now a divorce attorney, I can confirm Vietnamese women are exceptionally beautiful, but dating a lawyer is relationship suicide.
I was an Army Captain in Iraq and I saw these 19 year olds with machine guns and I realized...this is insane. Like what are we doing? And of course no one has an answer for these questions. So whatever, i just get drunk.
The acting was great by the entire cast. That said, Berenger’s SSGT. Barnes was a once in a generation level performance. You have to see the movie several times to spot the characters nuances. Barnes may have been ruthless and homicidal, but he was not a psychopath like Bunny. It was how the war dehumanized him incrementally that makes his portrayal of Barnes impossible to forget.
Apocalypse Now... but yes this is top 5 War movies to me also.. such a hard list to pick! just behind AN for Vietnam for me.. But this is simply shattering .. For WWII etc, Id choose something different..
@@inlandindieP35 A lot of people don't understand the difference between Bunny and Barnes. If not for the war, hBNarnes would have had a productive life. Bunny would would have either been a serial killer or one of those types that bought businesses and destroyed them to make a buck leaving ruin in his wake. Bunny didn't strike me as intelligent so would have been the violent type of sociopath.
I have Vietnam Vets in my family. They've been home 50 years and they're still carrying it with them. PTSD, drinking, flashbacks.. and being looked down upon by soldiers of previous wars, ignored by our government & carrying guilt for things beyond their control. My country, NZ - including the Govt who sent them, has treated its Vietnam Vets appallingly.
I remember the young men from the summer of 68 Flying Tigers stopped long enough to disembark my family. I remember some of them from Camp Hospital, Japan they weren't much older than me. I remember they were prescents
Village scene was reference to the My Lai massacre on 16th March 1968 , when 1st Lt. William L. “Rusty” Calley, Jr., with his platoon murdered 300-500 people . Massacre lasted over 4 hours , so if few minute in this movies makes you feel bad , imagine the real event , helicopter pilot Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson reported the incident and used his helicopter to protect Vietnamese civilians, in the end 13 officers and enlisted men were charged with “war crimes or crimes against humanity.” Another 12 officers were charged with having actively covered up the massacre. After that US army changed its rules to prevents any other similar war crimes .
@tileux Can't say that surprised me. I've heard a lot about Australian troops: from my grandad who was at Gallipoli, my uncles in the African desert + family in Vietnam. Absolutely zero positive things to say about Australian soldiers.
Chris (Charlie's) final words as the helicopter pulled away, while Adagio for Strings was playing, hits hard on my heart. I was lucky to make I home, my older brother was not. MIA, now P-02E/L101. The war will always be a part of me.
Saw this in a Westwood theater and Charlie Sheen was in the back of the theater, watching with the rest of the audience. He was shaking hands afterwards with men who looked like Viet Nam vets. Then he got in the back of the theater to watch with the next showing.
I was going to eat at a restaurant in Orange County, CA once. As I approached the door, this fella was holding the door open for others to enter. As I looked up, I said hey, I know you, you're David Keith. He said no, I'm Keith David. I apologized. He said it happens every day. He was there with his family. We sat one table away from them. He was very focused on his kids. Seemed like a loving, great dad.
My favorite scene in "Naked Gun" is where Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley are coming out of a theater, laughing their asses off, and the camera slowly reveals that they just watched Platoon!
My dad was a Ranger in Vietnam. He was awarded 2 Silver Stars and a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He said Platoon is the only Vietnam movie that came close to showing what the war was like.
I'm so glad you finally watched 1987 Best picture Platoon. My wife's father served as a tank officer in the Army during Vietnam. When we first met i was still in the Marines, we shook hands but no words words were said. I could tell he was here but we both knew his mind was still in Vietnam. After that for next 30 years untill his passing evry greeting began with "welcome home" my nephew asked me once why did i always say that to Pa-pa? Because unlike today Vietnam Veterans never received a "welcome home" greeting so it was the least i could when i saw him. "Semper Fi"
But thats not the real world ...we dont forget we sell war to profit the rulers of the world. The massive arms producers are all friends with the politicians.
I agree it’s an important message, but history has shown us we do forget, or nowadays it’s being rebranded as misinformation. It’s really sad, but this is who we are as humans.
I don't think I've ever been in a full movie theater that was as quiet as the one in which I saw this movie. Nobody was talking. There was barely any noise at all after this ended. It was absolutely stunning, and we were stunned.
Written and directed by a Nam veteran, it hits home for most Nam veterans. His follow up with Tom Cryise Born On 4th of July was also a great film and true story
My father turned 18 the year the war ended, but his older brother (my uncle) was drafted and served as a medic. Knowing him now, I have a hard time seeing him as a soldier. He's one of the happiest people I know and doesn't have any of the classic "issues" a lot of vets have; when I was younger (and stupider) that led me to think he didn't have it that bad. Maybe he didn't, I still don't know: when I was a teenager I asked him, kind of out of nowhere, what it was like during the war. He wasn't looking at me when I asked, and he didn't respond in any way: didn't say anything, didn't turn towards me, nothing. I wasn't sure he heard me, but before I could repeat myself my father walked up to me and quietly said "he doesn't talk about that". Maybe ten minutes later, my uncle walked by where I was sitting and, out of nowhere, bent down and kissed the top of my head, which was not something I think he ever did before or since. Said nothing and kept on walking. I've talked to my father subsequently about it, and he knows just as little as I do: it's just understood that, whatever happened over there, my uncle has chosen to leave it behind. Given some of the horror stories you hear from guys who can't escape it, I think maybe that's the best way to handle it.
I can't speak for your uncle, and the Vietnam generation was my father's generation. All I can say is that I was a paratrooper and deployed to Central America in the '80s, and was in combat , despite what was reported. I was never in anything consistently as bad as what was portrayed in this movie, but I will say that i came away with the conviction that medics are the bravest of the brave. I wish your uncle well.
As a Medic, you get to experience all the carnage twice. once when it happens to the guy, and when you treat them*or try. That type of Job, i wouldnt and couldnt DO.... Bless him, watch over him. May he be at peace.
I saw this movie when it first came out in a packed theatre. When it was over not one person made a sound when they were leaving the theatre. No small talk, no chatty teenagers talking to each other, nothing. Everyone just had a glassy stare in their eyes.
Same here..During the movie there was a guy behind me sobbing..All and any war is horrible. I wonder if those who start them, fought them, would stop them
@@MrDonJBergwell, I can answer that. Big countries (USA, Soviet union, and China) "started" the wars but not in their countries. Small countries like Vietnam "fought" these war. In the Vietnam war, Vietnamese people "stopped" the war by paying millions of lives.
@@phamtiendat7563 The US could have "won" that war if the politicians would have stayed out of it and let the military take over. While it for the noble cause of to get rid of Communism...It just did not end to well for anyone
@@MrDonJBerg of course, winning the US is impossible if the motivations of both sides are equal. However, it was a war between "freedom" vs "power". The Vietnamese needed freedom while the US goverment only wanted to spread its power. Thus, Vietnam won the war by paying the price which the US couldn't affort. That victory costed million of lives but that was unavoidable.
As for the hierarchy between Barnes and Elias, Barnes was a Staff Sergeant and thus one rank above Sergeant Elisas. More importantly he also was the Platoon Sergeant, so the unit's second in command, while Elias led one of its squads.
@@andrewnewton2246 He was given the Leadership Role of Platoon Sergeant since he was the ranking NCO. But, at the rank he currently held. He may be meritoriously promoted otherwise has to serve time in his current rank before being promoted.
@@andrewnewton2246 He just was the highest-ranking soldier (or most senior sergeant) left in the platoon since everybody else was dead or wounded and thus became the acting platoon commander.
To me this is one of the most honest war films in cinema history. My dad served in Vietnam for 2yrs consecutively and another shorter tour. He was there during the Tet Offensive. He refuses to watch this movie ever again due to accuracy and emotion portrayed
Other war movies and TV shows obliquely hint that war crimes happened and civilians died, but largely dance around it -- think of the brief clips of soldiers shooting surrendering Germans in "Saving Private Ryan," or the scene in "Band of Brothers" Episode 3 of a French family huddled in their house while troops toss grenades in every neighboring house (do you believe that was the only house with civilians inside?) -- but this movie puts it front and center.
This movie should make you feel angry, numb, hopeless, sad, confused. That's what makes this movie so great. It's a very human look at the inhumanity of war. It's a very fitting quote at the end - when plunged into such hellish acts, you fight yourself just as you fight the "enemy."
@@raymondterry2346 No its not lol. Read history about your country.. not just the positive things you saw in some Pentagon recruit video. But that's the problem really, saw a documentary on Netflix about US soldiers in Fort Hood, who suffer from PTSD. "Beer Not Therapy" I think it was called. While they are "brave" in some sense, it was so painfully obvious how many of them have low education, average at best IQ and aren't particularly educated or well-read, even when they are veterans. You can hear it in how they talk, low education low knowledge, low understanding of world events or history. Exactly kind of people US army needs, and exactly the kind of people that sign up for it. Exactly the kind of people... like you. You get upset when someone points out that US soldiers have not always been valiant, pure-minded heroes, who defend the weak, freedom and justice. Read about "My Lai massacre" for starters. After that, google "Fragging in Vietnam War" and "Drug use in Vietnam War". And "Failure of the drafting system in Vietnam War". That's not even getting into the whole Agent Orange BS which actually killed 300K of USA's own soldiers (and 400K Vietnamese, lot of them civilians)
This film is the first of Oliver Stone's Vietnam war trilogy. The second film is Born on the 4th of July and the third film is Heaven and Earth. Each film gets darker, grittier and more disturbing, but they are well worth the watch- especially Heaven and Earth.
Born on the 4th of July is a core memory from my childhood. When you're a kid and still have simple notions about what a war might be and the repercussions. And then you watch that and - yeah, sharply puts it into perspective.
I saw this in theaters when it came out. The death scene of Elias is one of the most memorable in all of cinema. The music used as the platoon left the village as it burned, the imagery, and the music, were just so haunting, so effective. I have never forgotten it. Such a powerful movie.
I just want to Thank you for your reactions and comments for Platoon.... it is a very hard watch . Those that fought and died in that war deserve to not ever be forgotten ....in the good and bad they gave everything they had . I appreciate you and your channel very much for watching even the toughest movies here . Thank you again
I post this here as a reply although it deserves an own comment but then it's bound to go down: You mourn about the things going on this movie. Guess what same things going on right in this moment all over Ukraine in countless occasions and varieties but politicians keep extending the war by pumping more guns and ammo into it. They choose massacres like in platoon and inconceivable human tragedy over a so called country losing it's so called independence. For what? To show ONE MAN the West isn't gonna have it? Think about it. Is all of this really worth it? In other words: Avoiding the neutrality of a country justifies unleashing all hell over millions of innocent civilians and traumatizing teenage soldiers probably for decades to come? Yeah call me a Russkie bot. Just shows you didn't understand anything this and other anti-war movies were trying to tell you. In this case the only cure is an own war experience and probaby ptsd. Then you might see through the brainwash war propaganda gave you and you might get the point of what i just wrote.
I’m so happy you watched this. This is one of the most important movies ever made in many ways. 60 Minutes showed this movie to a group of Vietnamese who survived the My Lai Massacre (depicted in the village scene) - the survivors reactions was so emotional and powerful. I travel regularly to Vietnam. The love and generosity of the Vietnamese people is overwhelming - they do not hold this against Americans. One should never forget the tragedy of war.
That massacre was a million times worse than what they showed in this movie and those involved should have been given death sentences, because what they did was so horrific that that's the only fitting punishment, or just being handed over to the NVA would have been fine with me, they would have really made them pay for murdering those people and those children and babies!!!!!!!
@@HonRevPTBI don’t honestly think the majority of the NVA give any more of a shit about Vietnamese villagers than the Americans did. They were fighting to invade the south for the communists, remember.
@tileux It really wasn't a free fire zone against Vietnamese civilians and that mindset, incorrect yet so pervasive among some, is what led to Vietnam vets being spit on and called baby killers when they returned. Being anti-Vietnam War is respectable, but the rumors planted by many in that spectrum was downright cruel.
Wow, the strongest reaction I've ever seen from Cassie, which makes me feel even more that there are certain movies that might be too much for her to handle. She's right to say she'll never watch Exorcist. I also think she shouldn't watch Seven - too dark, don't do it! And who else but Cassie implores Chris to not shoot Barnes at the end? An amazing heart, she has.
That's why I watch this channel. Cassie gives this old man hope for humanity at a point I've all but given up on us and regard us as a failed species. She is a light in a dark world.
I had a teacher review this movie in high school. He said the action was more intense than an actual new soldier would experience, however the overall feel of being a new guy was portrayed well. The movie portrays the feeling of being brand new, knowing nothing, then being immersed in an environment with an intense learning curve.
I served In the army for 6 years in the 80s. Was fortunate to serve with many Vietnam war veterans and many of us saw this in the theater when it came out. Brutal and important film!
Kevin Dillon played “Bunny” and he absolutely NAILED that part. I read in a couple of articles about him that said he had a hard time getting acting jobs because he was always seen as “Bunny”. If you noticed on the back of his helmet he had a scalp tied to it. You can see it plainly in the village scene.
Watching this film in 1986 was harrowing. A masterpiece from Oliver Stone. Charlie Sheen narrating, and Tom Berenger as Sgt Barnes and Willem Dafoe as Sgt Elias were outstanding. Forest Whittaker, Keith David, Kevin Dillon and John C McGinley good too.
The director, Oliver Stone, is also a Vietnam veteran, and earned the Bronze Star for valor and Purple Heart, having been wounded twice in action. He made a couple about the war, but Platoon is probably the one that is closest to his personal experiences.
This is my all-time favorite war movie. Tom Berenger as Barnes was such a scary and intimidating villain. The characters of King, Junior, Bunny, and O'Neal were also superbly portrayed.
Yes after all these years, what still amazes me is how good and believable all these actors were. They disappeared into their characters. Actually everyone in the movie. Amazing. But John McGinley as Red is particularly good. The scene where he asks Barnes for leave and is shot down is particularly heartbreaking. Not the most heartbreaking in the movie, but worth mentioning.
@@phila3884 He was a cunt though. I didn't feel even slightly sorry for him. He got just the taste of his own medicine, after being a faithful lackey to Barnes the whole movie (and cunt towards several others like LT, Elias, King, Taylor) he got shown how much Barnes really appreciates him
In 72' I dropped out of high school at 17 and joined the Army, my MOS was infantry, I had 16 months guaranteed at Ft. Carson, we trained for Nam, they stopped the war 3 months before my guarantee was up, so I didn't have to go. Met a lot of guys who had been there who wound up in our company before they got out. Crazy times for sure... Salute to all the Vets!!!
Yeah, I have a granduncle who was in Vietnam. The way he tells it, he and his family went in to see this movie and he came out of it crying his eyes out because it brought back so much of what he went through. He said it's the most realistic depiction of what he experienced during that war.
Other war movies and TV shows obliquely hint that war crimes happened and civilians died, but largely dance around it -- think of the brief clips of soldiers shooting surrendering Germans in "Saving Private Ryan," or the scene in "Band of Brothers" Episode 3 of a French family huddled in their house while troops toss grenades in every neighboring house (do you believe that was the only house with civilians inside?) -- but this movie puts it front and center.
When I was in highschool, I took my girlfriend to see this in the theatre. That was about 10-12 years after Vietnam actually ended so it was still pretty fresh in the public consciousness. It was a pretty sobering to realize that it was people not that much older than we were had been there and not all of them came back (you can take that statement in whatever way you want and it will probably be true). Afterwards, we were both very quiet and it was a while before either of us could really put together what we were feeling. That was possibly the first time in my life I actually felt like an adult in that I had no illusions left. I don't know which disturbs me more, that memory or watching how the movie affects you. 😟
When this came out we all went down to Westwood to see it. The six o’clock showing was sold out. The REST of the night was sold out. We wound up going to see The Three Amigos instead. We all hated it because we were ready for a serious war movie. Years later I saw The Three Amigos again and it was much better than I remembered. I hope Cassie does the movie Jacobs Ladder sometime soon. About a vet after he returns from Viet Nam. More kind of creepy scary but the ending never fails to make me cry no matter how many times I see it. And also features Macaulay Coughlin before Home Alone.
I so wish Cassie had watched this with Carly. It was utterly heart wrenching to watch her endure all those painful scenes alone and to see her so upset, with no one to turn to for comfort.😢Big hugs coming your way, girl.
The Deer Hunter is a great war movie. Probably one of the best war movies without featuring too many scenes of the actual war, but shows the impact of the experiences which change all of their lives.
Oliver Stone volunteered to go to Vietnam and the character of Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is basically a representation of himself, while the film is largely an autobiographical depiction of his own experiences during his tour of duty. Pretty much everything depicted here is exactly as Oliver Stone himself experienced it and is widely regarded as the true, honest screen depiction of what it was REALLY LIKE in the Vietnam War. Also, the characters of Barnes and Ellias are depictions of the inner conflict in every soldier. Whether they act like Staff Sgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger) or Sgt. Elias (Willem Dafoe) during conflict. There is a conflict between good and evil in everyone, but it's up to us to decide which one wins.
Dale Dye was the movie's military advisor, and seeing he served as well in the Vietnam war, the actors said that they could see that both Oliver Stone and Dye had flashbacks on set.
What a load of crap. I spent two years in Nam and NOTHING from this film is remotely true. Watch we were Soldiers. The most accurate depiction of the Vietnam war.
What a load. As if Oliver Stone "personally experienced" everything from broken arrow, My Lai, to a soldier who murdered another soldier, raped, pillaged and burned - virtually every evil act performed in the war, real or imagined.
Fact is, many people grow up to be thieves and murderers and rapists -- the military just drafted them before they could harm their own citizens first. Then they get put in that mess and they go nuts.
Yes. Stone earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart there. Elias and Barnes are also based on real people Oliver Stone met in Vietnam. The real Elias died in a friendly fire incident (in sketchy circumstances, actually), after Stone left Vietnam. Oliver Stone told about this in Joe Rogan's podcast (and his book). He didn't know the real Elias that well, but admired him, because he was experienced and charismatic. Most of the characters are based on real people, they had a platoon reunion at Stone's apartment before the movie was publicly released, and many of his platoon members could recognize themselves in the film. Several events in the movie are also based on real events, the ending battle for an example. Air strike was ordered in their own position and over 400 NVA died. Only difference is that Oliver Stone didn't fire a shot in that battle. He just took cover as low as he could, from the bombing they knew was coming. Afterwards they used tractors to bury the 400 dead in a huge hole, just like depicted
Barber's "Adagio for Strings" was the perfect musical theme for this film. It conveyed the hopelessness and despair most of our soldiers felt in the this war.
My father, when he went to Nam back in 68, the first thing he saw getting off the transport was body bags being loading on a cargo plane to be sent home. That scene always gives him chills when he sees it .
I spent one year in Vietnam and I am aware these king of things happened. Having said that, my experiance in Vietnam was not like that. I think most who served did so honorably and where good people doing a hard job.
@theylied1776 How did you come up with such a specific number ? 🤔 Did Oliver Stone himself say this was 60% accurate ? in any case a very powerful movie .
@@harveylee51 Oliver Stone. He won the academy award for best director for Platoon. He has given several interviews about Platoon. I'm sure you could probably find one on UA-cam if you tried.
@@theylied1776 I will look for those interviews then and i wasn't implying you didn't know what you were talking about , just off the top of my head i didn't recall him saying that . CHEERS .
@@harveylee51 yeah, I understand. Oliver Stone did so many interviews after he won the Oscar for best director. He talked about how he originally cast Johnny Depp to be the star but the studio said, no he's too young. And how actor David Keith saved Charlie Sheen's life because Charlie Sheen almost fell out of one of the helicopters.
About this film- Your reaction was perfect. Defoe's nephew couldn't pronounce "William" so he chose Willem as his professional name. When you hear them talk about being "short" in the beginning, they are referring to how many days left of their tour. The closer to the end, the "shorter" they became and the more fear they had that they wouldn't make it home in one piece after suffering so long "in country". The one job most gladly volunteered to be selected for was the burning of marijuana fields. It grew wild everywhere and it helped a lot of the guys handle the stress of being there. I sobbed when I left the movie theater because of a wave of guilt I felt for being lucky enough to not have to go (high draft number) when so many others my age and older had no choice once they were drafted. Had I been, I would have gone as a naive patriot, just like Oliver Stone's next visit in "Born on the Fourth of July". About this war- War was glamorized throughout the 60's in films and television shows of my childhood. We had been fed a constant diet for years of "stopping communism from spreading like a domino effect". The reality is that war, any war, is insanity. The enemy we kill today often later becomes our allies, like the Japanese and Germans. And our fathers that fought them in WWII at least had a clear reason as to why. A friend, while in Vietnam, noticed a lot of civilian geologists looking for anything of value like oil or minerals to take but there wasn't any profit to be made except in the war machine itself. General Dynamics, Dow Chemicals, Nixon's political gain, et al. A poster of the time said "War is good business. Invest your son!". What an ugly, horrible chapter in our history. I've always had mad respect to my brothers and sisters that suffered through it. It's shameful what they endured both there and when they came home.
When they came back home it was worse, because they were spit on and had rocks thrown at them. They were only doing what they were told to do. Nothing more and nothing less. War is hell. That's plain and simple.
For the record, when the Captain informs Sergeant O'Neill that he's now in command of Second Platoon, O'Neill isn't looking incredulous because he isn't going anywhere. He just can't believe Barnes is dead.
I actually think it’s a little of both but mostly because deep down he knows he’s no where near Barnes in terms of knowledge & leadership, but mostly courage. I mean, O’Neil doesn’t even know how to throw a frag out and now he knows he’s gonna have to step it WAY the hell up to be even near as efficient. That’s just something he knows he doesn’t have within him.
This was THE war movie of the 1980s. Of all the Vietnam movies that came out during that time this one had the biggest cultural impact, bigger than Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, Good Morning Vietnam etc.
I was in the audience for this opening night. It was one of the hardest movies I ever sat through. I'd just registered for the draft a couple months before and it was all just so real. There was a Vietnam veteran a few seats down during the movie that had a tough time watching. He started losing it in the first firefight where Chris is accused of falling asleep. I had been wearing a surplus army coat for a few years and had it on that night. When I came out I just wanted to lose the coat because I felt like I didn't deserve to be wearing it.
The orchestral piece played throughout is "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber. It's kind of been adopted in cinema as the go to music for emotional scenes.
Also used by Jean Luc Godard, probably for the first time as movie score, in his 1963 movie "Contempt" - and of course it provides a strong melancholy distance, being used multiple times throughout the movie.
I can still remember watching this in the theater in Washington DC on a snowy winter day - I think it was the first R rated film I'd seen in the theater. We were waiting for our showing when the earlier one got out - the audience came out in silence. They were stunned. It was the first American war movie to deal with Vietnam in what, I'm told, veterans considered realistic ways. And it changed the way war movies would be made forever. It was the first time that actors were sent to "boot camp" to live as soldiers to prep for the film - Dale Dye, a retired Marine and the actor who played the senior officer in the final battle here - created an industry for himself doing that. He went on to train the actors from Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and many other productions.
I really appreciate your reactions. I think you're extremely courageous to allow your genuine feelings to show so vividly and publicly. I don't think I can watch Platoon without balling my eyes out. Thank you.
When Sheen's character walks past that guy in the beginning he get the "Death Stare" its one of those things that stick with survivors of war. This film is showing "war is hell" but its much, much more than that. Its the infighting, how morale deteriorates and how it affects the guys. This movie is so well done. And the theme of this movie is so powerful and gut-wrenching.
I saw this in a fully packed theater when it first came out. At the end, everyone walked out stunned in complete silence. It was the first war movie I can remember that really tried to convey the horror of war.
My dad joined in ‘47 and helped rebuild Japan. He served in Korea and Vietnam. He would talk about Korea, and would tell us stories. But we learned not to ask him about Vietnam. He would just get quiet and be in a bad mood for the rest of the day.
My dad was a career soldier too. The Pacific in WWII, Japanese Occupation, two tours of duty in Korea (he was one of the Chosen Frozen... look it up) that's where his PTSD came from... We kids were not allowed to eat our Halloween candy in front of him just in case we got some Tootsie Rolls...(look up that reference too) it would be one of the things that would trigger him. He also served in Vietnam...😢
My pops was in Vietnam. I was in Iraq. He never said much about his war, but before I went over he told me that the worst thing was not being able to tell who was a friend and who wanted to kill you. He told me about how he saw guys he knew, and liked, lose it and begin to see everyone as the enemy. I know what he meant now. It gets really hard to see the line between the good guys and the bad guys when they look, act, and talk the same and you end up feeling alone and surrounded real quick. You end up carrying that worry and anxiety with you for a long time afterwards.
Problem with Vietnam was that many civilians and farmers there didn't really want to be liberated, they wanted to live under communism. They secretly supported the NVA and Viet Cong, and hoped Americans would leave. American soldiers were told they are helping Vietnamese people, but then when they arrived, they weren't welcomed with open arms. It must have been paranoid environment to be in, just walking on the street. Never know who is after you, because civilians might be helping the Viet Cong or even part of it. That's why it's easier to understand why things like My Lai massacre happened.
Discerning friend from foe just at the rudimentary level was a primary driver that pushed me not to reenlist after a decade in combat arms. Even in training simulations I saw my ability to make the distinction decline. Nevermind the complexity of foe versus civilian etc etc. War is awful and such a waste.
@@t0dd000 I can't speak for the Vietnam-era folks, but I know that in the early 2000s when they sent us over we were fighters. We saw our purpose as being to destroy the enemy. We were trained to hate the enemy. They had killed civilians and wanted to kill not only us, but our friends and families too. On an instinctual level we didn't think of them as being people like us. Our job was to eliminate the enemy. They trained us to do that. Getting over there and having to check ourselves... That wasn't easy, to put it mildly. Especially when you saw your hesitation get your buddies hurt. I think the military remembered what happened in Vietnam and tried its best to draw a distinction between enemy and civvy, but part of me also wonders how many of my buddies got hurt because we had that leash on us, and if that leash was worth them getting hurt.
Saw this in the theatre when I was 17 years old and still remember all the emotions I felt leaving the theatre. It totally blew me away. Now if I try to watch it all these years later I do it alone because if my wife is around she will instantly tell me to change the channel. Her reaction is exactly like yours was.
Not a big fan of Vietnam war films but this is my favourite one. Director Oliver Stone served in Vietnam and this is loosely based on his experience. He was also very tough on the actors during filming he even had them go throught boot camp. Also the actor that played the captain also served in vietnam and served as the techincal advisor for this film.
If you listen to interviews with Stone, it might not be too loosely based. Agree he didn't participate in the my lai massacre, etc., but this sounds like it was pretty close to what he experienced.
If I remember correctly I heard Oliver stone actually served in the same army infantry division as in the movie, 25th infantry division (tropic lightning).
@@playedout148 All of the main characters are based on real people Oliver Stone fought with in Vietnam. Barnes, Elias, Rhah, King and number of others. Some of them even gathered in platoon reunion at Stone's apartment to see the movie, before public release. Many of them could recognize themselves in the movie. The real-life Elias died in a friendly fire incident, shortly after Stone left the war. And Barnes was based on real person too. Stone talked about it Joe Rogan's podcast, and his book. The infamous village scene however was not based on Stone's experience, but the My Lai massacre. (Which was similar in nature, but much worse than seen in this movie) The ambush scene where Taylor moves up and throws a grenade, is based on the real moment Stone won the Bronze Star (awarded for exceptional courage under fire). The ending battle is also based on a real battle Stone experienced, where after a very chaotic firefight at night, a Phantom F-4 dropped napalm in their own position, over 400 dead once the morning came (mostly NVA). In that battle however, Stone didn't fire a single shot, according to his own words. He just took cover in a foxhole and hoped that the airstrike doesn't hit him. The burial of the dead (when the movie ends) was also true to life, they had a tractor to dig a giant hole where the 400 were thrown in and buried. Stone however served in 3 separate units, one of them being LARPs, Long Range Recon Patrol (where he met the real Elias). So it's a combination of people he met, at different times. Stone was wounded twice, and received also the Purple Heart.
Sgt. Barnes was played by the legendary Tom Berringer. He went on to star in several military themed movies. He was in the 1989 film Firebirds, which was like Top Gun, bht witn Apache helicopters. Then in 1993 he started the Sniper film franchise. There's been like 7 or 8 Sniper films to date. Tom has been in most of them.
The best and worst of humanity was expertly portrayed in this movie. Especially the village scene. That was a very hard watch and I couldn't hold back my tears while watching.
I was a usher in a theater when Platoon was out, the one time I heard people loudly cheer was when Sheen's character shot Barnes to death. I got my Dad in to see the film. This was a powerful film.
My father spent 15 months in Vietnam, and had a very rough readjustment back. He started talking about his experiences with me when I was in high school, partly as a way to help deal with his memories and partly to explain why he behaved certain ways at certain times. I went and saw this with my girlfriend at the time, and it hit me HARD. Everything made sense, and I was flooded more with how what had happened to my dad had changed him, and the parts of him that were lost. Still, I ended up in the military and had my own experiences - thankfully nothing like this (although Bosnia had its own demons). Much like Schindler's List, this is one of those fantastic (and dreadful) movies that's important to see - but it's hard to see twice.
@@TheGnolla Sarajevo HQ for JOINT GUARD and JOINT FORGE, 99-00, trying to keep everyone from killing each other, removing the millions of mines, and hunting out the war criminals with Delta. So many people lost everything, especially the Bosniak muslims. 800 years of hate unleashed in a few months. IEDs kept showing up in our compounds and at the air head, but we never caught who was planting them. I spent time working with all of them as the C4I liaison with the USAF TACPs.
So glad Cassie watched this by herself. No way Carly would of been able to handle the village scene. Outside of Schindlers list this one of the toughest movies to watch. This is one of my favorite war movies
It dawns on me - I’m amazed by Kevin Dillon’s range. To be so crazy in Platoon and so funny in Entourage! I wish he had a more robust career in between.
The music heard throughout is Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. It was originally written as a string quartet but full orchestral arrangements like this one are truly impactful.
This is a really good movie and pretty realistic. You asked what the explosions were. They are small anti-personal mines called Claymores. Basically a small amount of plastic explosive called C4 and thousands of little steel balls that shoot out in one direction.
Strong reaction to a personal favorite war film. Much respect Cassie for powering through these films. I've been looking forward to this and other Oliver Stone films on the channel. Director Oliver Stone made this film after having been in Vietnam himself and much is inspired by his own experiences. I was at a seminar of his several years ago listening to him speak, where he mentioned he has himself killed people in the war. The scene where Charlie Sheen's character is shooting the ground making the one-legged man dance was apparently very difficult to film since Oliver Stone kept breaking down crying during the filming of it because he himself had done that to someone and was deeply ashamed. Thanks again Cassie, be well.
A little known trivia in this movie is Johnny Depp was dating Sherilyn Fenn at the time. If you notice when the platoon was walking through a field the name Sherilyn was on Johnny Depp’s helmet.
My uncle did 2 tours in Vietnam and was very closed mouth about his experience. He would only let you know that it was horrible. He never spoke of it to any of us kids. The only story I knew was my aunt told me he had a friend die in his arms, but I am sure that is far from the only trauma he experienced. You can tell it damaged him deeply, whatever it was he experienced.
Other war movies and TV shows obliquely hint that war crimes happened and civilians died, but largely dance around it -- think of the brief clips of soldiers shooting surrendering Germans in "Saving Private Ryan," or the scene in "Band of Brothers" Episode 3 of a French family huddled in their house while troops toss grenades in every neighboring house (do you believe that was the only house with civilians inside?) -- but this movie puts it front and center.
Historical context: most of the action in Platoon takes place in January of 1968. The activity the platoon is encountering is the North Vietnamese Army moving troops and supplies into position for the 1968 Tet Offensive, which you saw in Full Metal Jacket. You also might recognize the platoons company CO, played by Dale Dye (a former Marine who also served as a technical adviser on the film). He also played Easy Company's battalion CO, Col. Sink, in Band of Brothers. Edit: excuse me. Regimental CO.
I was Charlie Company 1-21 Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. I didn't fight in Vietnam, but I did fight in Iraq in 2004. Funny thing is our (25 Infantry Division) deployment to Iraq in 2004 was the first major deployment of the 25th Infantry since Vietnam.
The blu-ray/dvd has 2 different audio commentary that you can turn on while the movie is playing of the director Oliver Stone (who fought in Vietnam) and the other a veteran who fought in Vietnam who actually trained all the actors during filming (the one who radio’d to have an air strike on the entire place they were fighting). They explain how scenes were filmed and reasoning behind why the scene was chosen and written in the way it was and also stories of their time in the war and what it was like for them. It’s worth listening to if you can make it through another viewing of it. This movie is one of the best movies made on any war right up there with Saving Private Ryan.
I listened to both of those commentaries. The only thing I remember is Captain Dale Dye did not agree with all of Oliver Stones decisions in the film. Dye just said simply that Stone was the director so he can make the film how he wants.
@@blastechee-3546 I remember that. I liked how they had them do separate commentaries so you got to hear both of their opinions on topics talked about. If I remember correctly, that was Captain Dye’s first role, after that he was getting quite a few roles in some big movies too. I think I remember him having a part in Saving Private Ryan. I think I liked his commentary the best out of the two.
The actor who played the Captain in the Movie is Dale Dye. He served in Vietnam as well and was the technical advisor. HE was the one who made the movie realistic. He also did Saving Private Ryan.
Interesting that this popped up in my feed. Just this morning I quoted Barnes when he said “there’s the way it ought to be-and there’s the way it is” in a conversation with my wife. 😂
I was a freshman in college when this movie came out. iI was the first film that I say up to that point that stayed with me for days and weeks afterwards. I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. So impactful at the time.
I’ve seen this movie at least a dozen times and to see your reactions was surreal. Your empathy was so honest and heartfelt. I almost teared up during your recap at the end. Bravo!! Great great great reaction. Thank you!!
19:55 The Captain they are all reporting to is played by former USMC Captain Dale Dye Jr . He is a highly decorated Vietnam combat vet in real life. So he has literally been where these characters are. Dye is also the military consultant for this movie and others like Saving Private Ryan and Casualties of War. When directors want the actors in a movie to appear authentic they call him.
Platoon, Born on July 4th, Full Metal Jacket, are just three examples where you can see that not only we Germans have a lot of guilt on us. In war, people become animals
Yeah no. In war, people do not become animals. In war, animals show their true nature. None of that absolves or excuses Germany of guilt, and German crimes against humanity are on an entirely different scale to Vietnam
@@commanderkeen3787 not all Germans were evil. The SS and hardcore nazis were bad, but the regular Army guys were just like us. They were just on the wrong side of history. Just like how not Americans in Vietnam were absolute animals.
@@commanderkeen3787 Don’t be so sure. Half a million dead in Guatemala, again in Philippines, a million more in Vietnam, keep adding ‘‘em up and before long you’re starting to talk about some real numbers.
My dad was a career army veteran and served in Nam. He served 2 tours and got 2 purple hearts. I brought back alot of troubling memories. He had nightmares for the rest of his life. Vietnam vets are for sure a different breed
The stories I heard from those veterans man, unbelievable. All that madness was because they sent us into a winless situation and the government knew this and still drafted young americans to go and die for nothing, not to mention it was a time of peace, love, dove. Those poor guys were not trained killers and they snapped. Im not a military fanatic nor do I get teary eyed over red white and blues but my heart definitely bleeds for Vietnam vets. They were forced into that hell.🫡
Some years ago I tried watching this with my late husband and I couldn't get through more than half of it, I was crying so much, I can't watch it still. I am here to give this a view and Cassie support. As well as the veteran's of this war I feel for you with the way the majority of you were treated, so horribly by the public, your own government, VA hospitals. All who serve are amazing! Thank you! ❤
I saw this movie in the theater with my Dad when I was in High School and several Vietnam vets cried loudly throughout the film. One of the most powerful movie going experiences.
My father was a Chaplain in the Army and was wounded in Vietnam. We saw this movie with my family together in the theater to understand what he might have experienced. Even though, I was young I was so moved by this movie. Sitting next to my father during the movie, I could feel how he was reliving Vietnam and the visceral action in this movie. This movie was a gift. The Vietnam War was the curse.
I can't imagine you being able to watch and appreciate this movie when you started your channel. You have truly grown leaps and bounds on this journey. Thank you for your perspective as always.
I knew this would be a tough watch for you. My parents took me to see this in the theater in 86' when it came out, at 8 years old. I think back like WOW! "Strong, visceral filmmaking from fearless director Stone". Highly acclaimed Best Picture, Dest Director Oscar winner. One of the most powerful war films ever put on screen.
Up until Saving Private Ryan came out, that last battle was the most intense one I had ever seen. My adrenalin was off the charts when I walked out of that movie.
Hi Cassie...Platoon is probably the film that best portrayed the Vietnam War and shocked the World when it was shown in the Theaters... and received 4 Oscars in 1987
The 80s there were a lot of Vietnam movies that came out. I feel like this one only one of the most powerful. Good for you in terms of pushing yourself to watch it despite how disturbing it is.
The guy who played the captain is Dale Dye. Not only was he a Vietnam vet, he has been a military consultant and trainer on a number of movies. You've seen an older version of him in Saving Private Ryan, and he's the one who put all the actors in that movie through their mini boot camp.
My dad served in Vietnam. He was there from 70 to 71. And he had really bad PTSD The only person he would really talk about is time with over there. With was his father, who was a World War 2 vet who fought in Pacific.
My dad was a Vietnam vet, and he said no war movie ever came close to what Vietnam was really like.....that is, until he saw Platoon. Other than fragging each other, my Dad said it was a pretty close. He said one scene took him back there; The hump thru the jungle at the beginning was so accurate, he could smell it again. My Dad was a great man rest his soul.
Same here - my father spent 15 months throughout the Mekong Delta on raids and setting ambushes - he drew the same conclusions as your father and particularly was moved by the theme driven home in the ending that we are all born from two fathers. I wish he lived to see Saving Private Ryan.
My dad was also in Vietnam, we watched all those war movies that came out in the 80s and even up to a few years ago. The two that actually bothered him were Platoon and We Were Soldiers. He cried at the end of both. He never talked much about his experience either and I never really asked because even as a kid I kind of knew he was dealing with a lot, to his credit he never let it stop him. He’s been gone now for several years and my hope is he finally has peace after a lifetime’s worth of awful memories that he couldn’t get away from. RIP Dad 🇺🇸🇺🇸
The fraggin part is accurate it really happened
@@BaconSlayer69 I'm not saying that fragging didn't happen. My Dad said it happened, but it was exceptionally rare.
God rest his soul your father was a true hero in every sense of the word
Prior to this movie, Tom Berenger (Barnes) usually played good guys and Willem Dafoe (Elias) more often played bad guys, so it was interesting that they were cast against type for this film.
It worked so well though, made both of their careers
Willem Dafoe's crazy warrior from Escape from New York and Sgt. Elias act so different, but I think Elias would turn into that person if locked up.
Shows great director getting range out of actors. Same with Paul Vorhoeven and Robocop with Dick Jones and Boddickers actors, all previously being ncie good guys. Made them so hate able.
Like once upon a time in the west with Fonda
Tom Berenger scarred me for life he played a serial killer in Looking for Mr. Goodbar. The last five minutes of that film are disturbing as hell.
I respect the Hell outta you because you said We can't be the generation that forgets. You're rare. Back in 1987, when I was 15, our basketball coach took our whole team to watch Platoon because he was a Vietnam vet, but he walked out of the theater "because it was too real."
Yet here we are, at bhe BRINK of a CIVIL War in the US, the world is waiting on multiple iNvasions*China, Isreal, Iran, North Korea....
WE havent had war in along time, so Its time because the vast majority of US havent expereinced it...But this time.....its going NUCLEAR>
My late uncle served in Vietnam, US Army, and had PTSD. He considered this movie as accurate to how things were.
👍👍👍Greetings from Helsinki, Finland 🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸
I had an Uncle who served in Vietnam as well. He could never get it out of his system. Died by suicide.
Condolences to you and your family@@jeffreyschmidbauer1172
One of my great uncles served. He said it very very much like the battle scene in Forrest Gump. You'd be bored for weeks and weeks then bam in an instant your in a fierce firefight
@@jeffreyschmidbauer1172 Respect Bro!!👍👍👍👍
As soon as I saw she was doing this movie, I knew Cassie was going to go through emotional hell during the village scene. It's one of the most tense, gut-wrenching scenes in film history.
I thought the exact same thing because this movie is intense.
My lai. A bunch of former boy scouts and little leaguers committed a massacre. Lessons to be learned from it.
@@playedout148and they should have paid dearly for what they did!!!!!!!
@@playedout148Not My Lai. That scene does not and was never intended to represent the My Lai massacre, which was far worse. Oliver Stone’s intention was to represent the many smaller interactions with villagers that never got the attention that My Lai did. I wasn’t there. Some who were there said Stone did a good job in his representation. Others who were there said he did not. I don’t doubt that there are many very different stories known by those who were part of the Vietnam War, or that Stone’s portrayal is not far from the truth for some of them.
Yeah, that was the first thing I thought of. Great film, but once was enough for me and I don't think I want to see the impact that scene will have on Cassie.
My dad was a Vietnam veteran and he said platoon was the one Vietnam movie that reminded him of his experience. He said he couldn't watch it more than once.
I can relate. My father is an Angola Independence Veteran, and he said exactly the same thing, that this movie is the one that gets closer to what jungle combat is.
mine, as well.
Why it is depressed to watch ?
@@lexkanyima2195. No. It brings back the ghosts of the past. It’s not depression. It’s PTSD. A smell, a sound, a feeling when walking up stairs in shadows. Anything can cause a flood of memories of bad times. Same for us Iraq vets. Combat costs a lot if you’re unprepared for what we can do to each other.
My brother was the same. He said it was the most realistic movie he had seen, and he only watched it once too..
As a combat veteran myself Platoon is one of the most accurate films not only about Vietnam but about platoon and leadership politics and how divisive and damaging they can be.
F you haven't watched it already, I highly recommend the Vietnam War film: Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan.
As a former member of the Secret service, and also an ex-astronaut who orbited the moon, and an ex SR71 pilot. And a heart surgeon, I agree with you.
As a person with a Vietnamese ex-girlfriend who is now a divorce attorney, I can confirm Vietnamese women are exceptionally beautiful, but dating a lawyer is relationship suicide.
I was an Army Captain in Iraq and I saw these 19 year olds with machine guns and I realized...this is insane. Like what are we doing? And of course no one has an answer for these questions. So whatever, i just get drunk.
One of the most realistic war movies ever made! Absolutely stunning and unforgettable! The actors didn't just play the characters, they BECAME THEM!
The acting was great by the entire cast. That said, Berenger’s SSGT. Barnes was a once in a generation level performance. You have to see the movie several times to spot the characters nuances. Barnes may have been ruthless and homicidal, but he was not a psychopath like Bunny. It was how the war dehumanized him incrementally that makes his portrayal of Barnes impossible to forget.
Apocalypse Now... but yes this is top 5 War movies to me also.. such a hard list to pick! just behind AN for Vietnam for me.. But this is simply shattering .. For WWII etc, Id choose something different..
@@inlandindieP35 A lot of people don't understand the difference between Bunny and Barnes. If not for the war, hBNarnes would have had a productive life. Bunny would would have either been a serial killer or one of those types that bought businesses and destroyed them to make a buck leaving ruin in his wake. Bunny didn't strike me as intelligent so would have been the violent type of sociopath.
I have Vietnam Vets in my family. They've been home 50 years and they're still carrying it with them. PTSD, drinking, flashbacks.. and being looked down upon by soldiers of previous wars, ignored by our government & carrying guilt for things beyond their control. My country, NZ - including the Govt who sent them, has treated its Vietnam Vets appallingly.
Hello !! I recommend you watch the movie casualties of war. 🎥🎥
They were not looked down on by previous war vets. They were looked down on by draft dodging young Liberals. Who are today's old Liberals.
I remember the young men from the summer of 68 Flying Tigers stopped long enough to disembark my family. I remember some of them from Camp Hospital, Japan they weren't much older than me. I remember they were prescents
Village scene was reference to the My Lai massacre on 16th March 1968 , when 1st Lt. William L. “Rusty” Calley, Jr., with his platoon murdered 300-500 people .
Massacre lasted over 4 hours , so if few minute in this movies makes you feel bad , imagine the real event , helicopter pilot Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson reported the incident and used his helicopter to protect Vietnamese civilians, in the end 13 officers and enlisted men were charged with “war crimes or crimes against humanity.” Another 12 officers were charged with having actively covered up the massacre. After that US army changed its rules to prevents any other similar war crimes .
@tileux Can't say that surprised me. I've heard a lot about Australian troops: from my grandad who was at Gallipoli, my uncles in the African desert + family in Vietnam. Absolutely zero positive things to say about Australian soldiers.
Chris (Charlie's) final words as the helicopter pulled away, while Adagio for Strings was playing, hits hard on my heart. I was lucky to make I home, my older brother was not. MIA, now P-02E/L101. The war will always be a part of me.
I’m sorry for your loss and what you went through.
So sorry for your loss.
I can't imagine the pain you must feel.
We are proud of you and grateful that you served this nation. Sorry for your losses.
💔❤️
Saw this in a Westwood theater and Charlie Sheen was in the back of the theater, watching with the rest of the audience. He was shaking hands afterwards with men who looked like Viet Nam vets. Then he got in the back of the theater to watch with the next showing.
What’s a “Westwood” theatre?
Reading this just gave me a new respect for Charlie Sheen
@@maxsparks5183a neighborhood in West Los Angeles.
Keith David is a treasure in every role he plays.
Yes he is. Great actor under the radar and memorable roles.
"Is it zipped in the beans or the frank?"
Yes, he's awesome
I was going to eat at a restaurant in Orange County, CA once. As I approached the door, this fella was holding the door open for others to enter. As I looked up, I said hey, I know you, you're David Keith. He said no, I'm Keith David. I apologized. He said it happens every day. He was there with his family. We sat one table away from them. He was very focused on his kids. Seemed like a loving, great dad.
Best line he ever uttered: “Now, what exactly is the situation here? What did you shit yourself or something?”
My favorite scene in "Naked Gun" is where Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley are coming out of a theater, laughing their asses off, and the camera slowly reveals that they just watched Platoon!
😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂
My dad was a Ranger in Vietnam. He was awarded 2 Silver Stars and a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He said Platoon is the only Vietnam movie that came close to showing what the war was like.
I’ve heard that being said a lot by so many veterans.
Oliver Stone was an Infantryman in Vietnam so he knew all about what kind of movie he wanted to make.
"came close" is the key, he knows it's impossible to portray real combat
Full Metal Jacket?
@@MetaphixBold director.
I'm so glad you finally watched 1987 Best picture Platoon. My wife's father served as a tank officer in the Army during Vietnam. When we first met i was still in the Marines, we shook hands but no words words were said. I could tell he was here but we both knew his mind was still in Vietnam. After that for next 30 years untill his passing evry greeting began with "welcome home" my nephew asked me once why did i always say that to Pa-pa? Because unlike today Vietnam Veterans never received a "welcome home" greeting so it was the least i could when i saw him. "Semper Fi"
"We can't be the generation that forgets." Very well put, Cassie.
I wish we could, but we are in forever war, sadly.
But thats not the real world ...we dont forget we sell war to profit the rulers of the world. The massive arms producers are all friends with the politicians.
Rah.
But we already have.
I agree it’s an important message, but history has shown us we do forget, or nowadays it’s being rebranded as misinformation. It’s really sad, but this is who we are as humans.
I don't think I've ever been in a full movie theater that was as quiet as the one in which I saw this movie. Nobody was talking. There was barely any noise at all after this ended. It was absolutely stunning, and we were stunned.
This movie and Saving Private Ryan were the two movies where silence occurred at the end
I remember.
do people in the US just talk normally in the cinema? It's dead quiet here in Europe always, unless something funny happens
@@krulak292 Depends on the crowd, and on the movie.
Written and directed by a Nam veteran, it hits home for most Nam veterans. His follow up with Tom Cryise Born On 4th of July was also a great film and true story
My father turned 18 the year the war ended, but his older brother (my uncle) was drafted and served as a medic. Knowing him now, I have a hard time seeing him as a soldier. He's one of the happiest people I know and doesn't have any of the classic "issues" a lot of vets have; when I was younger (and stupider) that led me to think he didn't have it that bad. Maybe he didn't, I still don't know: when I was a teenager I asked him, kind of out of nowhere, what it was like during the war. He wasn't looking at me when I asked, and he didn't respond in any way: didn't say anything, didn't turn towards me, nothing. I wasn't sure he heard me, but before I could repeat myself my father walked up to me and quietly said "he doesn't talk about that". Maybe ten minutes later, my uncle walked by where I was sitting and, out of nowhere, bent down and kissed the top of my head, which was not something I think he ever did before or since. Said nothing and kept on walking. I've talked to my father subsequently about it, and he knows just as little as I do: it's just understood that, whatever happened over there, my uncle has chosen to leave it behind. Given some of the horror stories you hear from guys who can't escape it, I think maybe that's the best way to handle it.
I can't speak for your uncle, and the Vietnam generation was my father's generation. All I can say is that I was a paratrooper and deployed to Central America in the '80s, and was in combat , despite what was reported. I was never in anything consistently as bad as what was portrayed in this movie, but I will say that i came away with the conviction that medics are the bravest of the brave. I wish your uncle well.
As a Medic, you get to experience all the carnage twice. once when it happens to the guy, and when you treat them*or try. That type of Job, i wouldnt and couldnt DO....
Bless him, watch over him. May he be at peace.
I saw this movie when it first came out in a packed theatre. When it was over not one person made a sound when they were leaving the theatre. No small talk, no chatty teenagers talking to each other, nothing. Everyone just had a glassy stare in their eyes.
Probably everyone was just glad to be alive and that every day is now gravy.
Same here..During the movie there was a guy behind me sobbing..All and any war is horrible. I wonder if those who start them, fought them, would stop them
@@MrDonJBergwell, I can answer that.
Big countries (USA, Soviet union, and China) "started" the wars but not in their countries.
Small countries like Vietnam "fought" these war.
In the Vietnam war, Vietnamese people "stopped" the war by paying millions of lives.
@@phamtiendat7563 The US could have "won" that war if the politicians would have stayed out of it and let the military take over. While it for the noble cause of to get rid of Communism...It just did not end to well for anyone
@@MrDonJBerg of course, winning the US is impossible if the motivations of both sides are equal.
However, it was a war between "freedom" vs "power".
The Vietnamese needed freedom while the US goverment only wanted to spread its power.
Thus, Vietnam won the war by paying the price which the US couldn't affort.
That victory costed million of lives but that was unavoidable.
I was born in 68 when my Dad was in VIETNAM. God bless all Vietnam Veterans, and God bless you Dad.
As for the hierarchy between Barnes and Elias, Barnes was a Staff Sergeant and thus one rank above Sergeant Elisas. More importantly he also was the Platoon Sergeant, so the unit's second in command, while Elias led one of its squads.
Exactly! And even if they were the same rank; their leadership positions with in the platoon dictates who’s in charge.
What was Sgt O'Neil promoted too, if at all, when Captain Harris told him: "You've got 2nd platoon"?
@@andrewnewton2246 He was given the Leadership Role of Platoon Sergeant since he was the ranking NCO. But, at the rank he currently held. He may be meritoriously promoted otherwise has to serve time in his current rank before being promoted.
@@aaronroman5667Thank you. That's very interesting. So one doesn't have to be a Staff Segeant in order to be a platoon Segeant?
@@andrewnewton2246 He just was the highest-ranking soldier (or most senior sergeant) left in the platoon since everybody else was dead or wounded and thus became the acting platoon commander.
To me this is one of the most honest war films in cinema history. My dad served in Vietnam for 2yrs consecutively and another shorter tour. He was there during the Tet Offensive. He refuses to watch this movie ever again due to accuracy and emotion portrayed
Other war movies and TV shows obliquely hint that war crimes happened and civilians died, but largely dance around it -- think of the brief clips of soldiers shooting surrendering Germans in "Saving Private Ryan," or the scene in "Band of Brothers" Episode 3 of a French family huddled in their house while troops toss grenades in every neighboring house (do you believe that was the only house with civilians inside?) -- but this movie puts it front and center.
This movie should make you feel angry, numb, hopeless, sad, confused. That's what makes this movie so great. It's a very human look at the inhumanity of war. It's a very fitting quote at the end - when plunged into such hellish acts, you fight yourself just as you fight the "enemy."
What a heart Cassie has! Those emotions and tears were raw! I'm sure everyone that knows her personally are blessed by her caring nature!
Well, I'm a grown man and this is one of the few movies ever that made me cry. So I don't blame her.
Exactly She IS Awesome Lady 👍👍👍 Greetings from Helsinki, Finland 🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸
She is so precious for sure
Too bad the movie is almost pure nonsense.
@@raymondterry2346 No its not lol. Read history about your country.. not just the positive things you saw in some Pentagon recruit video. But that's the problem really, saw a documentary on Netflix about US soldiers in Fort Hood, who suffer from PTSD. "Beer Not Therapy" I think it was called. While they are "brave" in some sense, it was so painfully obvious how many of them have low education, average at best IQ and aren't particularly educated or well-read, even when they are veterans. You can hear it in how they talk, low education low knowledge, low understanding of world events or history. Exactly kind of people US army needs, and exactly the kind of people that sign up for it. Exactly the kind of people... like you. You get upset when someone points out that US soldiers have not always been valiant, pure-minded heroes, who defend the weak, freedom and justice. Read about "My Lai massacre" for starters. After that, google "Fragging in Vietnam War" and "Drug use in Vietnam War". And "Failure of the drafting system in Vietnam War". That's not even getting into the whole Agent Orange BS which actually killed 300K of USA's own soldiers (and 400K Vietnamese, lot of them civilians)
This film is the first of Oliver Stone's Vietnam war trilogy. The second film is Born on the 4th of July and the third film is Heaven and Earth. Each film gets darker, grittier and more disturbing, but they are well worth the watch- especially Heaven and Earth.
To this day I still think Tom Cruise should have won an Oscar for Born on the Fourth of July.
Born on the 4th of July is a core memory from my childhood. When you're a kid and still have simple notions about what a war might be and the repercussions. And then you watch that and - yeah, sharply puts it into perspective.
@@TheEldritchStromyes i saw that movie in tv
What about The Deer Hunter? That was a good one too.
@@antonsebastian2622that and Casualties of War are gems.
I saw this in theaters when it came out. The death scene of Elias is one of the most memorable in all of cinema. The music used as the platoon left the village as it burned, the imagery, and the music, were just so haunting, so effective. I have never forgotten it. Such a powerful movie.
I just want to Thank you for your reactions and comments for Platoon.... it is a very hard watch . Those that fought and died in that war deserve to not ever be forgotten ....in the good and bad they gave everything they had . I appreciate you and your channel very much for watching even the toughest movies here . Thank you again
Thats what you get when you go to other countries pretending to be saviour.
I post this here as a reply although it deserves an own comment but then it's bound to go down:
You mourn about the things going on this movie. Guess what same things going on right in this moment all over Ukraine in countless occasions and varieties but politicians keep extending the war by pumping more guns and ammo into it. They choose massacres like in platoon and inconceivable human tragedy over a so called country losing it's so called independence. For what? To show ONE MAN the West isn't gonna have it?
Think about it. Is all of this really worth it? In other words: Avoiding the neutrality of a country justifies unleashing all hell over millions of innocent civilians and traumatizing teenage soldiers probably for decades to come?
Yeah call me a Russkie bot. Just shows you didn't understand anything this and other anti-war movies were trying to tell you. In this case the only cure is an own war experience and probaby ptsd. Then you might see through the brainwash war propaganda gave you and you might get the point of what i just wrote.
I’m so happy you watched this. This is one of the most important movies ever made in many ways. 60 Minutes showed this movie to a group of Vietnamese who survived the My Lai Massacre (depicted in the village scene) - the survivors reactions was so emotional and powerful. I travel regularly to Vietnam. The love and generosity of the Vietnamese people is overwhelming - they do not hold this against Americans. One should never forget the tragedy of war.
That massacre was a million times worse than what they showed in this movie and those involved should have been given death sentences, because what they did was so horrific that that's the only fitting punishment, or just being handed over to the NVA would have been fine with me, they would have really made them pay for murdering those people and those children and babies!!!!!!!
I can’t believe we’re able to visit that beautiful country and not be spit on.
@@HonRevPTBI don’t honestly think the majority of the NVA give any more of a shit about Vietnamese villagers than the Americans did. They were fighting to invade the south for the communists, remember.
@tileux It really wasn't a free fire zone against Vietnamese civilians and that mindset, incorrect yet so pervasive among some, is what led to Vietnam vets being spit on and called baby killers when they returned. Being anti-Vietnam War is respectable, but the rumors planted by many in that spectrum was downright cruel.
“Operation Phoenix”
Wow, the strongest reaction I've ever seen from Cassie, which makes me feel even more that there are certain movies that might be too much for her to handle. She's right to say she'll never watch Exorcist. I also think she shouldn't watch Seven - too dark, don't do it! And who else but Cassie implores Chris to not shoot Barnes at the end? An amazing heart, she has.
"and who else but Cassie implores Chris to not shoot Barnes at the end?" That one got to me too, amazing indeed.
Seriously Every Reactors Has Seen The Exorcist But Cassie Will Love Seven Because It has 7 deadly Sins To Learn And a Twist in the End
I was thinking the same. She wants to expand her horizons not be traumatized.
That's why I watch this channel. Cassie gives this old man hope for humanity at a point I've all but given up on us and regard us as a failed species. She is a light in a dark world.
@@michaeldique Also She Haven't Seen Kill Bill
I had a teacher review this movie in high school. He said the action was more intense than an actual new soldier would experience, however the overall feel of being a new guy was portrayed well. The movie portrays the feeling of being brand new, knowing nothing, then being immersed in an environment with an intense learning curve.
I served In the army for 6 years in the 80s. Was fortunate to serve with many Vietnam war veterans and many of us saw this in the theater when it came out. Brutal and important film!
Kevin Dillon played “Bunny” and he absolutely NAILED that part. I read in a couple of articles about him that said he had a hard time getting acting jobs because he was always seen as “Bunny”.
If you noticed on the back of his helmet he had a scalp tied to it. You can see it plainly in the village scene.
Ripped his lip practicing that beer trick.
He gets a protagonist role in the exceptional Blob remake
I thought it was a racoon tail, not a scalp.
Called bunny yet people think he has something other than a rabbit tail on his helmet@@jamesmcbeth4463
Brother of Matt Dillon?
Watching this film in 1986 was harrowing. A masterpiece from Oliver Stone. Charlie Sheen narrating, and Tom Berenger as Sgt Barnes and Willem Dafoe as Sgt Elias were outstanding. Forest Whittaker, Keith David, Kevin Dillon and John C McGinley good too.
The director, Oliver Stone, is also a Vietnam veteran, and earned the Bronze Star for valor and Purple Heart, having been wounded twice in action. He made a couple about the war, but Platoon is probably the one that is closest to his personal experiences.
This is my all-time favorite war movie. Tom Berenger as Barnes was such a scary and intimidating villain. The characters of King, Junior, Bunny, and O'Neal were also superbly portrayed.
Fun fact: Oliver stone cut most of Depps scenes as he found him to be to intriguing as an actor and would take focus off the main characters
Yes after all these years, what still amazes me is how good and believable all these actors were. They disappeared into their characters. Actually everyone in the movie. Amazing. But John McGinley as Red is particularly good. The scene where he asks Barnes for leave and is shot down is particularly heartbreaking. Not the most heartbreaking in the movie, but worth mentioning.
@@phila3884 He was a cunt though. I didn't feel even slightly sorry for him. He got just the taste of his own medicine, after being a faithful lackey to Barnes the whole movie (and cunt towards several others like LT, Elias, King, Taylor) he got shown how much Barnes really appreciates him
If only there had been women troops !
And you women want to be equal to men lol
In 72' I dropped out of high school at 17 and joined the Army, my MOS was infantry, I had 16 months guaranteed at Ft. Carson, we trained for Nam, they stopped the war 3 months before my guarantee was up, so I didn't have to go. Met a lot of guys who had been there who wound up in our company before they got out. Crazy times for sure... Salute to all the Vets!!!
Yeah, I have a granduncle who was in Vietnam. The way he tells it, he and his family went in to see this movie and he came out of it crying his eyes out because it brought back so much of what he went through. He said it's the most realistic depiction of what he experienced during that war.
Other war movies and TV shows obliquely hint that war crimes happened and civilians died, but largely dance around it -- think of the brief clips of soldiers shooting surrendering Germans in "Saving Private Ryan," or the scene in "Band of Brothers" Episode 3 of a French family huddled in their house while troops toss grenades in every neighboring house (do you believe that was the only house with civilians inside?) -- but this movie puts it front and center.
During the filming of the village scene, both Stone and Dye had to walk away at some point because it became too much for them.
When I was in highschool, I took my girlfriend to see this in the theatre. That was about 10-12 years after Vietnam actually ended so it was still pretty fresh in the public consciousness. It was a pretty sobering to realize that it was people not that much older than we were had been there and not all of them came back (you can take that statement in whatever way you want and it will probably be true). Afterwards, we were both very quiet and it was a while before either of us could really put together what we were feeling.
That was possibly the first time in my life I actually felt like an adult in that I had no illusions left.
I don't know which disturbs me more, that memory or watching how the movie affects you. 😟
When this came out we all went down to Westwood to see it. The six o’clock showing was sold out. The REST of the night was sold out.
We wound up going to see The Three Amigos instead. We all hated it because we were ready for a serious war movie. Years later I saw The Three Amigos again and it was much better than I remembered.
I hope Cassie does the movie Jacobs Ladder sometime soon. About a vet after he returns from Viet Nam. More kind of creepy scary but the ending never fails to make me cry no matter how many times I see it. And also features Macaulay Coughlin before Home Alone.
Your comment moved me.
I so wish Cassie had watched this with Carly. It was utterly heart wrenching to watch her endure all those painful scenes alone and to see her so upset, with no one to turn to for comfort.😢Big hugs coming your way, girl.
The Deer Hunter is a great war movie. Probably one of the best war movies without featuring too many scenes of the actual war, but shows the impact of the experiences which change all of their lives.
Might have been the first war movie that was fictional but not glossed over. I was 18 when it came out and it shocked me.
The Deer Hunter I think is a must watch movie.
A tough watch- scarred me a little in my teens, haven't watched it since.
lol just finished watching The Deer Hunter like 10 minutes ago, watched it many many times over the years
This is This.
Oliver Stone volunteered to go to Vietnam and the character of Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is basically a representation of himself, while the film is largely an autobiographical depiction of his own experiences during his tour of duty. Pretty much everything depicted here is exactly as Oliver Stone himself experienced it and is widely regarded as the true, honest screen depiction of what it was REALLY LIKE in the Vietnam War.
Also, the characters of Barnes and Ellias are depictions of the inner conflict in every soldier. Whether they act like Staff Sgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger) or Sgt. Elias (Willem Dafoe) during conflict. There is a conflict between good and evil in everyone, but it's up to us to decide which one wins.
Dale Dye was the movie's military advisor, and seeing he served as well in the Vietnam war, the actors said that they could see that both Oliver Stone and Dye had flashbacks on set.
What a load of crap. I spent two years in Nam and NOTHING from this film is remotely true. Watch we were Soldiers. The most accurate depiction of the Vietnam war.
What a load. As if Oliver Stone "personally experienced" everything from broken arrow, My Lai, to a soldier who murdered another soldier, raped, pillaged and burned - virtually every evil act performed in the war, real or imagined.
Fact is, many people grow up to be thieves and murderers and rapists -- the military just drafted them before they could harm their own citizens first. Then they get put in that mess and they go nuts.
Yes. Stone earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart there. Elias and Barnes are also based on real people Oliver Stone met in Vietnam. The real Elias died in a friendly fire incident (in sketchy circumstances, actually), after Stone left Vietnam. Oliver Stone told about this in Joe Rogan's podcast (and his book). He didn't know the real Elias that well, but admired him, because he was experienced and charismatic.
Most of the characters are based on real people, they had a platoon reunion at Stone's apartment before the movie was publicly released, and many of his platoon members could recognize themselves in the film. Several events in the movie are also based on real events, the ending battle for an example. Air strike was ordered in their own position and over 400 NVA died. Only difference is that Oliver Stone didn't fire a shot in that battle. He just took cover as low as he could, from the bombing they knew was coming. Afterwards they used tractors to bury the 400 dead in a huge hole, just like depicted
Barber's "Adagio for Strings" was the perfect musical theme for this film. It conveyed the hopelessness and despair most of our soldiers felt in the this war.
My father, when he went to Nam back in 68, the first thing he saw getting off the transport was body bags being loading on a cargo plane to be sent home. That scene always gives him chills when he sees it .
Cassie has come so far with being able to handle the violence but this one is right up there.
Both CASSIE and CARLY would enjoy watching Sylvester Stallone in *FIRST BLOOD* . It's not too deadly violent.
@@hughjorg4008 I'm still hoping for "Born on the Fourth of July".
No joke she's a movie pro now
Yeah, this is a tough one to watch
Always thought it was interesting that the 80's had so many Vietnam themed movies and then.... Around 1995 they stopped referencing that war at all.
I spent one year in Vietnam and I am aware these king of things happened. Having said that, my experiance in Vietnam was not like that. I think most who served did so honorably and where good people doing a hard job.
Ditto my father. Thank you for your service. You and all these Vets deserved to be treated better when you all came home.
@mud6992 you have no conception of honor , the reasons why these men were there, or even what imperialism is.
HALF OF THE PEOPLE WHO SERVED IN VIETNAM WHERE CLERKS, COOKS, AND SUPPORT PERSONAL , THEY NEVER LEFT THE BASE CAMPS , THEY NEVER BEEN IN THE BUSH !
This is 60% a true story. Oliver Stone wrote this movie based on the journal he kept as a soldier during the Vietnam War.
@theylied1776 How did you come up with such a specific number ? 🤔 Did Oliver Stone himself say this was 60% accurate ?
in any case a very powerful movie .
@@harveylee51 Oliver Stone. He won the academy award for best director for Platoon. He has given several interviews about Platoon. I'm sure you could probably find one on UA-cam if you tried.
@@theylied1776 I will look for those interviews then and i wasn't implying you didn't know what you were talking about , just off the top of my head i didn't recall him saying that .
CHEERS .
@@harveylee51 yeah, I understand. Oliver Stone did so many interviews after he won the Oscar for best director. He talked about how he originally cast Johnny Depp to be the star but the studio said, no he's too young. And how actor David Keith saved Charlie Sheen's life because Charlie Sheen almost fell out of one of the helicopters.
@@harveylee51pretty sure he mentions it in his Book Chasing The Light as well. A great read.
About this film- Your reaction was perfect. Defoe's nephew couldn't pronounce "William" so he chose Willem as his professional name. When you hear them talk about being "short" in the beginning, they are referring to how many days left of their tour. The closer to the end, the "shorter" they became and the more fear they had that they wouldn't make it home in one piece after suffering so long "in country". The one job most gladly volunteered to be selected for was the burning of marijuana fields. It grew wild everywhere and it helped a lot of the guys handle the stress of being there. I sobbed when I left the movie theater because of a wave of guilt I felt for being lucky enough to not have to go (high draft number) when so many others my age and older had no choice once they were drafted. Had I been, I would have gone as a naive patriot, just like Oliver Stone's next visit in "Born on the Fourth of July". About this war- War was glamorized throughout the 60's in films and television shows of my childhood. We had been fed a constant diet for years of "stopping communism from spreading like a domino effect". The reality is that war, any war, is insanity. The enemy we kill today often later becomes our allies, like the Japanese and Germans. And our fathers that fought them in WWII at least had a clear reason as to why. A friend, while in Vietnam, noticed a lot of civilian geologists looking for anything of value like oil or minerals to take but there wasn't any profit to be made except in the war machine itself. General Dynamics, Dow Chemicals, Nixon's political gain, et al. A poster of the time said "War is good business. Invest your son!". What an ugly, horrible chapter in our history. I've always had mad respect to my brothers and sisters that suffered through it. It's shameful what they endured both there and when they came home.
When they came back home it was worse, because they were spit on and had rocks thrown at them. They were only doing what they were told to do. Nothing more and nothing less. War is hell. That's plain and simple.
02:57 That extra has barely 5 seconds of screen time and no lines but his performance of one look is completely enthralling. Unbelievable!
For the record, when the Captain informs Sergeant O'Neill that he's now in command of Second Platoon,
O'Neill isn't looking incredulous because he isn't going anywhere.
He just can't believe Barnes is dead.
he looked up to Barnes and knew he was a much better leader
I actually think it’s a little of both but mostly because deep down he knows he’s no where near Barnes in terms of knowledge & leadership, but mostly courage. I mean, O’Neil doesn’t even know how to throw a frag out and now he knows he’s gonna have to step it WAY the hell up to be even near as efficient. That’s just something he knows he doesn’t have within him.
@negtype13 only thing worse than overconfidence is lack of
This is complete BS, where did you get this from?
This was THE war movie of the 1980s. Of all the Vietnam movies that came out during that time this one had the biggest cultural impact, bigger than Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, Good Morning Vietnam etc.
Causalities of War has to be included.
Because this movie is accurate than Others.
As soon as I saw you were watching this, all I could think was, "She's not ready for this."
I was in the audience for this opening night. It was one of the hardest movies I ever sat through. I'd just registered for the draft a couple months before and it was all just so real. There was a Vietnam veteran a few seats down during the movie that had a tough time watching. He started losing it in the first firefight where Chris is accused of falling asleep. I had been wearing a surplus army coat for a few years and had it on that night. When I came out I just wanted to lose the coat because I felt like I didn't deserve to be wearing it.
my parents told me the line went around the street, on a rainy night.😮
The movie came out in 1986 and there wasn't a draft going on. Do you mean you registered for Selective Service?
Platoon came out in 1986, The last time anyone was actually drafted was 1972, You had ZERO chance of actually being drafted.
@@gailbatty1702shhhhh he’s trying to get some likes 😂😂😂
If he's going to lie, at least make it plausible. LOL@@MrGrifter123
The orchestral piece played throughout is "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber. It's kind of been adopted in cinema as the go to music for emotional scenes.
Also used in “The Elephant Man” to strong effect.
Also used by Jean Luc Godard, probably for the first time as movie score, in his 1963 movie "Contempt" - and of course it provides a strong melancholy distance, being used multiple times throughout the movie.
I can still remember watching this in the theater in Washington DC on a snowy winter day - I think it was the first R rated film I'd seen in the theater. We were waiting for our showing when the earlier one got out - the audience came out in silence. They were stunned. It was the first American war movie to deal with Vietnam in what, I'm told, veterans considered realistic ways. And it changed the way war movies would be made forever. It was the first time that actors were sent to "boot camp" to live as soldiers to prep for the film - Dale Dye, a retired Marine and the actor who played the senior officer in the final battle here - created an industry for himself doing that. He went on to train the actors from Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and many other productions.
I really appreciate your reactions. I think you're extremely courageous to allow your genuine feelings to show so vividly and publicly. I don't think I can watch Platoon without balling my eyes out. Thank you.
When Sheen's character walks past that guy in the beginning he get the "Death Stare" its one of those things that stick with survivors of war. This film is showing "war is hell" but its much, much more than that. Its the infighting, how morale deteriorates and how it affects the guys. This movie is so well done. And the theme of this movie is so powerful and gut-wrenching.
Very observant. The "1,000 yard stare."
corrodes the spirit
It's like he's looking at a reflection of his future self and deep down he knows if he survives, he will become that person.
I saw this in a fully packed theater when it first came out. At the end, everyone walked out stunned in complete silence. It was the first war movie I can remember that really tried to convey the horror of war.
My dad joined in ‘47 and helped rebuild Japan. He served in Korea and Vietnam. He would talk about Korea, and would tell us stories. But we learned not to ask him about Vietnam. He would just get quiet and be in a bad mood for the rest of the day.
My dad was a career soldier too. The Pacific in WWII, Japanese Occupation, two tours of duty in Korea (he was one of the Chosen Frozen... look it up) that's where his PTSD came from... We kids were not allowed to eat our Halloween candy in front of him just in case we got some Tootsie Rolls...(look up that reference too) it would be one of the things that would trigger him. He also served in Vietnam...😢
My pops was in Vietnam. I was in Iraq. He never said much about his war, but before I went over he told me that the worst thing was not being able to tell who was a friend and who wanted to kill you. He told me about how he saw guys he knew, and liked, lose it and begin to see everyone as the enemy. I know what he meant now. It gets really hard to see the line between the good guys and the bad guys when they look, act, and talk the same and you end up feeling alone and surrounded real quick. You end up carrying that worry and anxiety with you for a long time afterwards.
Problem with Vietnam was that many civilians and farmers there didn't really want to be liberated, they wanted to live under communism. They secretly supported the NVA and Viet Cong, and hoped Americans would leave. American soldiers were told they are helping Vietnamese people, but then when they arrived, they weren't welcomed with open arms. It must have been paranoid environment to be in, just walking on the street. Never know who is after you, because civilians might be helping the Viet Cong or even part of it. That's why it's easier to understand why things like My Lai massacre happened.
Discerning friend from foe just at the rudimentary level was a primary driver that pushed me not to reenlist after a decade in combat arms. Even in training simulations I saw my ability to make the distinction decline. Nevermind the complexity of foe versus civilian etc etc.
War is awful and such a waste.
That's interesting. Don't hear it put in those terms that often. Very honest of you. Makes a lot of sense, though.
@@t0dd000 I can't speak for the Vietnam-era folks, but I know that in the early 2000s when they sent us over we were fighters. We saw our purpose as being to destroy the enemy. We were trained to hate the enemy. They had killed civilians and wanted to kill not only us, but our friends and families too. On an instinctual level we didn't think of them as being people like us. Our job was to eliminate the enemy. They trained us to do that. Getting over there and having to check ourselves... That wasn't easy, to put it mildly. Especially when you saw your hesitation get your buddies hurt.
I think the military remembered what happened in Vietnam and tried its best to draw a distinction between enemy and civvy, but part of me also wonders how many of my buddies got hurt because we had that leash on us, and if that leash was worth them getting hurt.
Anyone who runs is a combatant. Anyone who stands still is a well disciplined combatant. (Sic.)
Saw this in the theatre when I was 17 years old and still remember all the emotions I felt leaving the theatre. It totally blew me away. Now if I try to watch it all these years later I do it alone because if my wife is around she will instantly tell me to change the channel. Her reaction is exactly like yours was.
Not a big fan of Vietnam war films but this is my favourite one.
Director Oliver Stone served in Vietnam and this is loosely based on his experience.
He was also very tough on the actors during filming he even had them go throught boot camp.
Also the actor that played the captain also served in vietnam and served as the techincal advisor for this film.
If you listen to interviews with Stone, it might not be too loosely based. Agree he didn't participate in the my lai massacre, etc., but this sounds like it was pretty close to what he experienced.
Dale Dye has been the technical advisor on many war movies, including Saving Private Ryan and Band Of Brothers.
If I remember correctly I heard Oliver stone actually served in the same army infantry division as in the movie, 25th infantry division (tropic lightning).
@@playedout148 All of the main characters are based on real people Oliver Stone fought with in Vietnam. Barnes, Elias, Rhah, King and number of others. Some of them even gathered in platoon reunion at Stone's apartment to see the movie, before public release. Many of them could recognize themselves in the movie.
The real-life Elias died in a friendly fire incident, shortly after Stone left the war. And Barnes was based on real person too. Stone talked about it Joe Rogan's podcast, and his book. The infamous village scene however was not based on Stone's experience, but the My Lai massacre. (Which was similar in nature, but much worse than seen in this movie)
The ambush scene where Taylor moves up and throws a grenade, is based on the real moment Stone won the Bronze Star (awarded for exceptional courage under fire). The ending battle is also based on a real battle Stone experienced, where after a very chaotic firefight at night, a Phantom F-4 dropped napalm in their own position, over 400 dead once the morning came (mostly NVA). In that battle however, Stone didn't fire a single shot, according to his own words. He just took cover in a foxhole and hoped that the airstrike doesn't hit him. The burial of the dead (when the movie ends) was also true to life, they had a tractor to dig a giant hole where the 400 were thrown in and buried.
Stone however served in 3 separate units, one of them being LARPs, Long Range Recon Patrol (where he met the real Elias). So it's a combination of people he met, at different times. Stone was wounded twice, and received also the Purple Heart.
Sgt. Barnes was played by the legendary Tom Berringer. He went on to star in several military themed movies. He was in the 1989 film Firebirds, which was like Top Gun, bht witn Apache helicopters. Then in 1993 he started the Sniper film franchise. There's been like 7 or 8 Sniper films to date. Tom has been in most of them.
Firebirds didn't star Tom Berringer. That was Tommy Lee Jones that also starred in the other Vietnam War movie from Oliver Stone: Heaven and Earth
@@richardwl5773 I think the accent might have confused them. :D
Stone literally subjected his actors to the similar strains and stresses of war. It shows in some scenes. Stone was a Vietnam vet.
The best and worst of humanity was expertly portrayed in this movie. Especially the village scene. That was a very hard watch and I couldn't hold back my tears while watching.
In Korean war, US soldier also did similar thing but nobody talked except older generation
I was a usher in a theater when Platoon was out, the one time I heard people loudly cheer was when Sheen's character shot Barnes to death. I got my Dad in to see the film. This was a powerful film.
My father spent 15 months in Vietnam, and had a very rough readjustment back. He started talking about his experiences with me when I was in high school, partly as a way to help deal with his memories and partly to explain why he behaved certain ways at certain times. I went and saw this with my girlfriend at the time, and it hit me HARD. Everything made sense, and I was flooded more with how what had happened to my dad had changed him, and the parts of him that were lost. Still, I ended up in the military and had my own experiences - thankfully nothing like this (although Bosnia had its own demons). Much like Schindler's List, this is one of those fantastic (and dreadful) movies that's important to see - but it's hard to see twice.
Where in Bosnia were you, and when. I was deployed with NORMEDCOY near Tuzla in 1993-94. It was an ugly war, to put it mildly.
@@TheGnolla Sarajevo HQ for JOINT GUARD and JOINT FORGE, 99-00, trying to keep everyone from killing each other, removing the millions of mines, and hunting out the war criminals with Delta. So many people lost everything, especially the Bosniak muslims. 800 years of hate unleashed in a few months. IEDs kept showing up in our compounds and at the air head, but we never caught who was planting them. I spent time working with all of them as the C4I liaison with the USAF TACPs.
So glad Cassie watched this by herself. No way Carly would of been able to handle the village scene. Outside of Schindlers list this one of the toughest movies to watch. This is one of my favorite war movies
Carly would be depressed after that movie
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas".
I'd recommend against Cassie ever watching "Come and see". It's one of the most devastating war movies ever made.
Facts when bunny beats that kid to death I can stand to watch that scene
Watching you react makes me realize there is still good, innocent people left in this world, sometimes its easy to forget- thank you.
It dawns on me - I’m amazed by Kevin Dillon’s range. To be so crazy in Platoon and so funny in Entourage! I wish he had a more robust career in between.
He’s great in the Blob remake too
I always thought it would be my bad luck to be stuck with somebody like bunny or junior in my foxhole.
@@tbirdUCW6ReAJ I always thought that too.
Don’t forget your sunblock Drama!
@@Kristen_kiki You brought your own robe??
The music heard throughout is Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. It was originally written as a string quartet but full orchestral arrangements like this one are truly impactful.
I was an infantryman in the Army for 4 years, including 1 year in Afghanistan. You can sleep anywhere under any conditions if you're tired enough.
This is a really good movie and pretty realistic.
You asked what the explosions were. They are small anti-personal mines called Claymores. Basically a small amount of plastic explosive called C4 and thousands of little steel balls that shoot out in one direction.
700 1/8-inch steel balls per mine, not "thousands."
Strong reaction to a personal favorite war film. Much respect Cassie for powering through these films. I've been looking forward to this and other Oliver Stone films on the channel. Director Oliver Stone made this film after having been in Vietnam himself and much is inspired by his own experiences. I was at a seminar of his several years ago listening to him speak, where he mentioned he has himself killed people in the war. The scene where Charlie Sheen's character is shooting the ground making the one-legged man dance was apparently very difficult to film since Oliver Stone kept breaking down crying during the filming of it because he himself had done that to someone and was deeply ashamed. Thanks again Cassie, be well.
A little known trivia in this movie is Johnny Depp was dating Sherilyn Fenn at the time. If you notice when the platoon was walking through a field the name Sherilyn was on Johnny Depp’s helmet.
My uncle did 2 tours in Vietnam and was very closed mouth about his experience. He would only let you know that it was horrible. He never spoke of it to any of us kids. The only story I knew was my aunt told me he had a friend die in his arms, but I am sure that is far from the only trauma he experienced. You can tell it damaged him deeply, whatever it was he experienced.
Other war movies and TV shows obliquely hint that war crimes happened and civilians died, but largely dance around it -- think of the brief clips of soldiers shooting surrendering Germans in "Saving Private Ryan," or the scene in "Band of Brothers" Episode 3 of a French family huddled in their house while troops toss grenades in every neighboring house (do you believe that was the only house with civilians inside?) -- but this movie puts it front and center.
@@charlize1253 Casualties of War also addresses this topic head on and central to the plot.
Historical context: most of the action in Platoon takes place in January of 1968. The activity the platoon is encountering is the North Vietnamese Army moving troops and supplies into position for the 1968 Tet Offensive, which you saw in Full Metal Jacket.
You also might recognize the platoons company CO, played by Dale Dye (a former Marine who also served as a technical adviser on the film). He also played Easy Company's battalion CO, Col. Sink, in Band of Brothers.
Edit: excuse me. Regimental CO.
I was Charlie Company 1-21 Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. I didn't fight in Vietnam, but I did fight in Iraq in 2004. Funny thing is our (25 Infantry Division) deployment to Iraq in 2004 was the first major deployment of the 25th Infantry since Vietnam.
Schofield Barracks?
The blu-ray/dvd has 2 different audio commentary that you can turn on while the movie is playing of the director Oliver Stone (who fought in Vietnam) and the other a veteran who fought in Vietnam who actually trained all the actors during filming (the one who radio’d to have an air strike on the entire place they were fighting). They explain how scenes were filmed and reasoning behind why the scene was chosen and written in the way it was and also stories of their time in the war and what it was like for them. It’s worth listening to if you can make it through another viewing of it. This movie is one of the best movies made on any war right up there with Saving Private Ryan.
I listened to both of those commentaries. The only thing I remember is Captain Dale Dye did not agree with all of Oliver Stones decisions in the film. Dye just said simply that Stone was the director so he can make the film how he wants.
@@blastechee-3546 I remember that. I liked how they had them do separate commentaries so you got to hear both of their opinions on topics talked about. If I remember correctly, that was Captain Dye’s first role, after that he was getting quite a few roles in some big movies too. I think I remember him having a part in Saving Private Ryan. I think I liked his commentary the best out of the two.
@@leon300_79 Did not realize this was Dale Dye first movie role.
The actor who played the Captain in the Movie is Dale Dye. He served in Vietnam as well and was the technical advisor. HE was the one who made the movie realistic. He also did Saving Private Ryan.
Interesting that this popped up in my feed. Just this morning I quoted Barnes when he said “there’s the way it ought to be-and there’s the way it is” in a conversation with my wife. 😂
I was a freshman in college when this movie came out. iI was the first film that I say up to that point that stayed with me for days and weeks afterwards. I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. So impactful at the time.
I’ve seen this movie at least a dozen times and to see your reactions was surreal. Your empathy was so honest and heartfelt. I almost teared up during your recap at the end. Bravo!! Great great great reaction. Thank you!!
19:55 The Captain they are all reporting to is played by former USMC Captain Dale Dye Jr . He is a highly decorated Vietnam combat vet in real life. So he has literally been where these characters are.
Dye is also the military consultant for this movie and others like Saving Private Ryan and Casualties of War. When directors want the actors in a movie to appear authentic they call him.
Dale Dye also played Col Sink in Band of Brothers
Elias’s death is one of the heart breaking deaths in all off cinema history.
Platoon, Born on July 4th, Full Metal Jacket, are just three examples where you can see that not only we Germans have a lot of guilt on us. In war, people become animals
more than most though.
The guilty ones are the politicians sending out soldiers to fight senseless wars for power and money gains.
Yeah no. In war, people do not become animals. In war, animals show their true nature. None of that absolves or excuses Germany of guilt, and German crimes against humanity are on an entirely different scale to Vietnam
@@commanderkeen3787 not all Germans were evil. The SS and hardcore nazis were bad, but the regular Army guys were just like us. They were just on the wrong side of history. Just like how not Americans in Vietnam were absolute animals.
@@commanderkeen3787 Don’t be so sure. Half a million dead in Guatemala, again in Philippines, a million more in Vietnam, keep adding ‘‘em up and before long you’re starting to talk about some real numbers.
My dad was a career army veteran and served in Nam. He served 2 tours and got 2 purple hearts. I brought back alot of troubling memories. He had nightmares for the rest of his life. Vietnam vets are for sure a different breed
The stories I heard from those veterans man, unbelievable. All that madness was because they sent us into a winless situation and the government knew this and still drafted young americans to go and die for nothing, not to mention it was a time of peace, love, dove. Those poor guys were not trained killers and they snapped. Im not a military fanatic nor do I get teary eyed over red white and blues but my heart definitely bleeds for Vietnam vets. They were forced into that hell.🫡
American "Democracy".
Some years ago I tried watching this with my late husband and I couldn't get through more than half of it, I was crying so much, I can't watch it still. I am here to give this a view and Cassie support. As well as the veteran's of this war I feel for you with the way the majority of you were treated, so horribly by the public, your own government, VA hospitals. All who serve are amazing! Thank you! ❤
"War is Hell" no better words to describe that
I saw this movie in the theater with my Dad when I was in High School and several Vietnam vets cried loudly throughout the film. One of the most powerful movie going experiences.
Oliver Stone's other two Vietnam films, "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Heaven and Earth" are definitely worth watching.
"Heaven & Earth" is sadly so underrated...such a brilliant film!
@@ca9968 It was actually my favorite of the three, followed by BOTFOJ.
Never heard of “Heaven and Earth” but I’ll definitely watch it! Thanks!
My father was a Chaplain in the Army and was wounded in Vietnam. We saw this movie with my family together in the theater to understand what he might have experienced. Even though, I was young I was so moved by this movie. Sitting next to my father during the movie, I could feel how he was reliving Vietnam and the visceral action in this movie. This movie was a gift. The Vietnam War was the curse.
I served a year in Vietnam and you can never image what one human being can do to another
From one Vietnam Vet (596th Signal Co. U.S. Army, Phu Bai 1970) to another. "Welcome home brother".
I can't imagine you being able to watch and appreciate this movie when you started your channel. You have truly grown leaps and bounds on this journey. Thank you for your perspective as always.
I knew this would be a tough watch for you. My parents took me to see this in the theater in 86' when it came out, at 8 years old. I think back like WOW! "Strong, visceral filmmaking from fearless director Stone". Highly acclaimed Best Picture, Dest Director Oscar winner. One of the most powerful war films ever put on screen.
Up until Saving Private Ryan came out, that last battle was the most intense one I had ever seen. My adrenalin was off the charts when I walked out of that movie.
Hi Cassie...Platoon is probably the film that best portrayed the Vietnam War and shocked the World when it was shown in the Theaters... and received 4 Oscars in 1987
Forgot about the Oscar.
He was also nominated for his writing in Salvador.
This one to me is the meca of all Vietnam War Films. Proud of you Cassie, I know this one was gonna be rough for you and you got through it bravely. 👊
The 80s there were a lot of Vietnam movies that came out. I feel like this one only one of the most powerful. Good for you in terms of pushing yourself to watch it despite how disturbing it is.
The guy who played the captain is Dale Dye. Not only was he a Vietnam vet, he has been a military consultant and trainer on a number of movies. You've seen an older version of him in Saving Private Ryan, and he's the one who put all the actors in that movie through their mini boot camp.
Dye also played Colonel Sink in Band of Brothers.
@@michaeldmcgee4499 and he was the President in Range15... but I don't think that's a Popcorn In Bed kind of movie lol
Did he play Col. Briggs in Outbreak?
@@heatherryan3969 Yep!
My dad served in Vietnam. He was there from 70 to 71. And he had really bad PTSD The only person he would really talk about is time with over there. With was his father, who was a World War 2 vet who fought in Pacific.