The two sergeants are superb in it Dafoe and Berringer. They were both up for Oscars for the roles not that that makes them brilliant or anything. Barnes is chilling at times, but is the ultimate pragamtist, if the machine breaks down we break down. Elias (another name for Jesus hence the poster) made adagio for strings go stratospheric at the time. I thought it was the best Vietnam film made.
I have absolutely no idea how to load the video but Ralph Fiennes telephone scene from In Bruges is superb. More ****s than you can shake a stick at!
I completely agree. Although I remember back then it seemed "cool" to think Hamburger Hill and Full Metal Jacket were better. For me Platoon was the first and best of that 80's era. Also the symbolism of Barnes and Elias wrestling with his own conscience (and the rights and wrongs of the war) was a brilliant theme of the whole film. I saw interview with Stones who said he made Wall Street to experiment with Sheen's character from Platoon to see what may have happened to him if there had been no Vietnam war.
I don't know, whilst most of the film is great, Defoe's death scene seems to take about half an hour in slow motion, that slightly spoiled it for me although Willem Defoe (he lived in Glasgow for 5 years) is otherwise brilliant. I would say Apocalypse Now just shades Full Metal Jacket as the best Nam Movie. Platoon may be 3rd.
Of the 'Nam movies from the '80's Platoon gets the nod for me.Stone did a trilogy but probably mixing them up,Born on the 4th of July(Tom Cruise),Michael J fox was in one and seem to remember Tommy Lee Jones been in one as well.
That was De Palma I think rather than Stone. I think his third one was called Heaven and Earth. I've never seen it, but I remember it being slated a bit at the time because the other two were decent. I know what you mean about the slow motion bit in Platoon, I liked Full Metal Jacket, but I think it kind of dies a bit for me after Pyle shoots himself (no pun intended). I thought the stuff while they are in training was immense, but like most of Kubrick's later films it's a bit patchy. Apocalypse now has some excellent moments too, Hopper's crazed journalist, Robert Duval's nepalm in the morning. I 'm not really a fan of Conrad, but it's still my second favorite one. It's maybe a bit too long, but it is still a great film. I liked Platoon as at the time I liked the way Stone concentrated in the divisions within the Platoon itself and the two sergeants almost seemed to be battling for the Sheen characters soul. Although I don't know who in their right minds would want Charlie Sheen's soul. Some cracking actors became kind of noticed because or that movie too. Forrest Whitaker, Johnny Depp, John C McGinley, Dafoe (and Berringer) had been in a few things, but it led to a lot of new stuff for them. I didn't know Dafoe lived in Glasgow, that surprised me because of his involvement in the New York theatre scene. I met him once and had a beer with him when the Wooster group were over here quite a long time ago. He's a top bloke, but he never said he stayed here. Dear, dear Willem...and ...Larry...and Johnny...
I had heard it said that he worked at The Citizens's for 5 years but I can't find anything to support it...dammit.
Dafoe was present the night Natalie Wood "drowned". Or it might have been Christopher Walken. Can't remember and can't be bothered googling it.
Yep, that's the rumour. Natalie was on the yacht and stumbled in on her husband and Defoe/Walken havin a shag and she got killed for it. Allegedly.
