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Platoon [1987]


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Editorial
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


Get the special edition..
Review date: 2008-05-31 Rating: 10 out of 10

Platoon is a cinematic classic from Director Olive stone. And is supposedly his auto-biography of his experiences in Vietnam as a G.I. The characters in this film are based on real-soldiers he met in his 'platoon' in Vietnam.

I'm highly recommending the Special Edition for a feature documentary on the 'making of platoon' which is the best feature I've ever seen on a DVD to date. It shows how Oliver Stone put the cast through hell and back whilst shooting in the jungle. Plenty of accounts from Charlie Sheen, a young Johnny Depp, and Elijah Woods on how much they grew to hate Oliver Stone, which is exactly what he wanted!. A must see.




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Reviews


A must own movie
Review date: 2008-02-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

I bought this movie for the plain and simple reason that its an absolute classic and should be in any movies collecters stack.
The cast is excellent and a near impossible feat nowadays. The soundtrack is a clear sign of the times and worth owning in its own right.
The graphic and emotional telling of the story of one new recruit sometimes makes for uncomfortable viewing, however without which would lose the horrors of the reality of the Vietnam war.
The battle of wills between the charecters set against an environment where death is a moment away is excellently narrated by the main charecters letters to home and is as gripping as the actual action sequences, which are extremely realistic and have you wondering on the actual point and methods used in war.
This is one the few movies that really changed the way movies are made and presented and as such is a must watch for any movie fan.

=]
Review date: 2008-01-31 Rating: 10 out of 10

To sum platoon up, it's a masterpiece. The spitting image of vietnam, from Oliver Stone who, himself fought in the war. It's an emotionally moving film and superbly put together with music which fits so perfectly into the film, it's as if the sole purpose of the songs was for this film.

INACCURATE DESCRIPTION
Review date: 2007-11-08 Rating: 2 out of 10

The film may be great, but the description of the DVD is a LIE.

The DVD does not contain the special features mentioned: there is no 50-minute documentary, no "Collectable Eight Page Behind The Scenes Booklet" and no photo gallery or TV commercials.

Beware the description.

Been 21 years!
Review date: 2007-10-17 Rating: 10 out of 10

I had a bit part in this movie while I was in the Philippines doing stunt and extra work in the mid 80s (i'm one of the marines tossing a body into the pit at the end) and it was good to catch this movie again. Oliver Stone and Dale Dye did a wonderful job of capturing the rawness of the 'grunt' on his first tour. Some truly wonderful memories.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
David Neidorf
Willem Dafoe
Johnny Depp
Mark Moses
Charlie Sheen

Creators:
Charlie Sheen (Primary Contributor)
Johnny Depp (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: MGM Entertainment
Manufacturer: MGM Entertainment
EAN: 5050070003093
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2000-09-18
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 114 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1986-12-24
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Vietnamese (Original Language)

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