Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) decides to abandon his promising future in college and instead heads to Vietnam for a call of duty in combat. Taylor has problems being accepted upon his arrival. Not only is he the new guy but he’s obvious from the different side of the track compared to the majority of his platoon. As time goes on, Taylor receives a firsthand understanding of the reality of the Vietnam War and acquires an appreciation for his fellow experienced battalion. The question is can he stay alive long enough to learn the ins and outs to survive.
The enemy isn’t always the ones in the shadows but the ones among you as well. After a night that the squad is ambushed, Taylor becomes the scapegoat by Staff Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger) but is defended by Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe). Taylor quickly sees first hand the power struggle within their own team. In fact, Captain Harris (Dale Dye) may be charge on paper but he is incapable to compete against the strong presence of Barnes.
As times goes on, Taylor finds a father figure of sorts in the platoon from King (Keith David). King may be a low on education but is wise in the field. King helps Taylor to find his footing within the platoon and in the jungle.
Platoon is one of those seminal films that changed how we looked at war forever. Gone was the gung ho action hero that John Wayne did so well. Oliver Stone used his first hand experience to deliver a well crafted tale full of rich characters in the middle of hell. The cast makes up some of the who’s who of Hollywood. From Charlie Sheen, Kevin Dillon from HBO’s Entourage, John C. McGinley of TV’s Scrubs, Forest Whitaker and of course Captain Jack Sparrow himself, a very young Johnny Depp. But of course the three that shine is Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and yes, Charlie Sheen. Sheen had such great promise with this film, it’s a shame he wasted his talent.
Extras
The 25th anniversary comes with a standard def disc but everything you want is on the Blu-ray. Many of the extras originally appeared on the two-disc Special Edition DVD from a few years back. However, the extra as well worth your time and I’m happy they included them again here. There are two commentary tracks, one by the director himself and one by military advisor Capt. (Ret.) Dale Dye. Both have their merit, Dye of covers more ground and is more focused on his information whereas, Stone can go off on crazy tangents. Yet, make sure you take the time to experience them both.
The deleted/extended scenes even have a commentary option by Stone. Many of the deleted scenes are brief but it’s the final one, that is a alternate ending, that is worth noting and checking out. Either way, watch the scenes first without the commentary and then again with it on.
Flashback to 'Platoon is the new big feature for this anniversary edition. This is a three-part feature entitled, Snapshot in Time: 1967-68, Creating the 'Nam, and Raw Wounds: The Legacy of 'Platoon. These cover everything from the history, the making of the film and the aftermath of the war.
There are also a pair of documentaries, vignettes, TV spots and trailers to round out the extras.
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Special Features
