Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19264 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-09-10
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Original language: English, Vietnamese
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 114 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Winning a raft of awards, not least of which four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, Oliver Stone's Platoon was a box-office smash heralding Hollywood's second wave of Vietnam war films. Where predecessors The Deer Hunter (1978) and Apocalypse Now (1979) were elaborate epics, Platoon simply showed the daily reality of the war from the point of view of ordinary soldiers. Stone's own service in Vietnam gives his work a unique authenticity. Charlie Sheen gives his best performance to date, enduring a series of increasingly large-scale and bloody battles which retrospectively make one wonder why Saving Private Ryan was hailed as so new. Against this gruelling verity the film falters over the symbolic conflict between good and evil sergeants played by Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger. Even though this was also based in real life, it strikes a too conventionally Hollywood-like note in a film which otherwise maintains much of the raw power of Stone's other film from 1986, Salvador. Johnny Depp fans should look out for an early appearance by the star. Stone would return to Vietnam with the more sophisticated Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Heaven and Earth (1993).

On the DVD: The 50-minute documentary "Tour of the Inferno" goes beyond the usual "making-of" to present a personal account both of the film and of Stone's own time in Vietnam. Likewise the two audio commentaries--one by Stone, the other by Captain Dale Dye, fellow veteran and military technical advisor--range between the making of the film and the degree to which the actors came to inhabit their parts, to their own wartime experiences. Both commentaries bring a fresh level of appreciation and understanding to the film. Also included is the original trailer and three TV commercials, together with well-presented stills galleries of behind-the-scenes photos and poster art. Following a credit sequence marred by dirt on the print, the anamorphically enhanced 1.77:1 image is sharp and clear. The many night scenes are very dark but remain easily comprehensible. The three-channel Dolby Digital sound is suitably raw and powerful, though an early sequence featuring rain in the jungle suffers from very distracting repeated drop-outs in the left channel. --Gary S Dalkin

DVD Description
DVD Special Features:

Original Theatrical Trailer
Salvador Special Edition DVD Trailer
Documentary - "Tour Of The Inferno"
3 TV Spots
Stills Galleries
Collectable Booklet
Languages in Dolby Digital 5.1: English, Spanish
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Portuguese, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Hebrew, Turkish, Czech, English for the Hard of Hearing.

Synopsis
In PLATOON, Oliver Stone uses his experience as an infantryman in Vietnam to convey the immediacy of guerrilla warfare: the brutal heat of the jungle, the brushes with such wildlife as snakes and leeches, and, most powerfully, the presence of the unseen enemy. Charlie Sheen stars as Chris, a raw recruit, or "new meat," who serves as the film's narrator. At first he wilts under the rigorous conditions of jungle life, freezes up in a firefight, and wonders whether he'll be able to survive. But he gradually adapts and, as time goes by, begins to see that the platoon is divided into two groups. One consists of lifers, juicers, and subintelligent whites, the other of blacks and heads. Sgt. Barnes, a combat-loving burnout (Tom Berenger), is the informal leader of the lifers, and Sgt. Elias, a free spirit (Willem Dafoe), leads the latter group. When the platoon takes some gruesome losses while on an o.p., an enraged Barnes kills some Vietnamese who may or may not have been VC and orders the burning of their village, outraging the temporarily absent Elias. As the conflict between these two reaches its tragic denouncement, Chris must decide what he really values. Widely regarded as one of the finest war films ever made, PLATOON reflects not only the nation's division over Vietnam but it intimately conveys timeless verities of battle: terror, disorientation, exhilaration, and horrible loss.

Customer Reviews

Platoon
This is probably one of the best Vietnam movies out there. It has a moving soundtrack, great cinematography and you find yourself engrossed and involved when watching the development of one naive recruit as he becomes hardened by the war and his experiences. You also see him profoundly changed in his outlook, that you too will share, as the film closes. A brilliant film, that should be watched by all.

Very good war film, if a little over-rated at times
I have to admit, this really is a good film. It captures the Vietnam war is ways other films have and tried and failed, with a great soundtrack, realistic effects, and good acting. Though thats just my point - this is a 'good' film, but at the time, it was classed as amazing because nothing like it had ever been done. But now, I don't feel its as compelling or indeed 'unique' as it once was, as nowadays were bombarded with movies left, right and centre, that try anything. And Platoon in the midst of all this, leaves you feeling that it may be still be successful in sales and reviews simply because of its reputation when it first came out.
Cut long story short, Charlie Sheen plays a young character who opts to go to the war in Vietnam after a recruitment set-up in his school. The propaganda involved leads him to thinking that this is going to be an adventure, but as we saw on 'All quiet on the western front' the truth of war couldn't be more different. His time with the other recruits leads him to learn vital skills needed to tackle the Vietcong, and other activites that also bring out the humour of soldier life - smoking dope in what is know as the 'shotgun' method.
While the film primarily surrounds Sheens time in the war, it doesn't pick up on actual storyline thats solid enough to give a final conclusion, or that allows the characters to develop. It feels more like documentary of war life than a film to sit down to and know your going to enjoy. This might frustrate some people, but its a unique way of filming. The ending to the film follows this path, as although we see Sheen flying off in a helicopter, it doesn't wrap up the film. But as I said, this feels like more of a war account than an action film.
I suspect people will rate this a bad review. As I said, this film recieves to much praise for what is now, just a good film, with an idea that was once unique, but now lost its X-Factor. But this doesnt stop what made it so popular in the first place - amazing effects, great acting, and an almost haunting musical score with the constant repition of Barbers Adagio for the Strings makes this a film with the elements of a fine piece of work.

The best Vietnam Movie
I have watched Platoon more than any other war movie. So much so that I've had to give it a rest over the last few years.
Why is it so good?
Perhaps because it is the most realistic (certainly Vietnam) war movie ever made. Its based on Oliver Stones own experiences in Vietnam. Now I doubt whether there were actually two so clearly good and bad characters, as represented by Willem Dafoe and Tom Beringer in the film, but it is the spark between these two that creates much of the films atmosphere.
There are quite a few scenes in this film, such as when the Charlie Sheen character wakes up in the middle of the night (in the jungle), that are wonderfully done. You really get an idea of just how scary being a soldier might be.
I'm also sure that the film would not not have been as successful as it was, without its marvellous soundtrack. Most noteably Samuel Barbers 'Adagio for Strings'. This piece of music alone adds an extra dimension to the scenes it is used in. A very haunting and sad piece of music.
The ending of the film is perhaps the only weak point, but it is a minor quibble about a very powerful and moving film.