Platoon Film Analysis

Oliver Stone's Oscar-winning film "Platoon" brought the true horror of the Vietnam War to the big screen. Based on Stone's own experiences as a soldier in the conflict, the film captivated millions of viewers all over the world. "Platoon" tells the story of Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) who leaves his university studies to enlist in combat duty in Vietnam in 1967. Taylor faces a moral crisis and not to mention, imenint danger. The movie expresses many themes and ideals concerning war: cruelty, selfishness, hate, but also, brotherhood, bravery, courage, sympathy and others. Platoon portrays Americans as antagonists rather than the classic heroes; which in turn prevented it from being released by big name movie companies in the U.S. One main

The main altercation that leads to this is the fight that broke out between Sgt. Elias and Sgt. Barnes when Barnes,while questioning the village chief, loses his patience and senselessly kills the man's wife despite his denials that they are aiding the Viet Cong. He is about to murder the man's young daughter to force him to tell them to where the enemy is when Elias intervenes and attacks him out of anger and disgust at the ruthless killing. From this point on, the two butt heads and have resentments toward each other. The soldiers take their sides and there was "a civil war in the platoon. Half with Elias, half with Barnes." (Taylor) Each side focuses mainly on themselves rather than the task and common enemy at hand. Men who once laughed and smoked and drank together now were willing to sacrifice one another, their brotherhood shattered by the

These three triggers were clearly evident throughout the movie, more throughout the second half. No one, not even Taylor remained completely unchanged by the war. A scene where he taunts and shoots at a mentally dissabled villager proves this. The men of the platoon were once reasonable people who were only trying to make it through their 365 days. But the violent acts they had to comit and the extreme fear and trauma they were put through caused them to do unspeakable things. They butted heads with one another and bickered rather than working together to take out the Vietnamese troops. Sergeant Barnes shot a woman in cold blood and almost did the same to an innocent girl. Four of the men, some Barnes' and some Elias' tried to rape an innocent and scared girl. And Sergeant Barnes, even after months if not years of fighting alongside Sergeant Elias, shot him and left him to