Movie #: Title:   Year: 1986         IMDB mediatype
Genre: Director:     IMDB   Rating:  R  Box Set? box set?

FileNameRunTimeFileSize(MB)
0014 Platoon.mp41201399
Actors & their characters
Tom BerengerFilter 
Willem DaFoeFilter 

Synopsis

As seen through the eyes of a college drop-out, the war is a real nightmare, a private hell of fears, with enemies on both sides of the line. His platoon's allegiance is split between leaders Sergeant Barnes and Sergeant Elias. Barnes is a scar-faced, gung-ho fanatic bent on destroying the elusive Viet Cong. Elias is a different type of soldier--he has lost faith in the war, but not in man. Friction between the two sergeants leads to a second war, in every way as deadly as the one being waged against the enemy.  

More Info

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