Posted on 05/10/2007 8:19:21 PM PDT by Philistone
So I'm watching Platoon on demand for about the 15th time.
I saw it the first time in a theater when it first came out with a former army grunt. The fact that I was a snot nosed, 24 year-old white boy who'd never been in the service and he was a 50 year-old black engineer had nothing to do with it. He told me he used to go out on patrol with no food or water so he could carry more guns and ammo. He wasn't going down without a fight.
Walking out, he told me "that's EXACTLY what it was like."
All I could think about was how HOLLYWOOD the whole film was (the guy who reads the letter from his mom only to get blown up in the next scene, The good vs evil Sargeants, etc.)
I'd be interested in hearing from some other vets as to their reaction to this film.
He wrote Platoon from his own experiences and the Charlie Sheen character was 'him'.
(An aside maybe Stone is wacky now from smoking all that VN weed???)
And a draftee at that. Thanks
RA 16716---
I was speaking more of the DI persona & combat scenes in FMJ. You are right - Kubrick, Stone & co. are major flakes.
I think both are right. I think during the later stages of Viet Nam it became weird like Platoon. The eary stages of Viet Nam were like We Were Soldiers. Also, I guess it depends on where you were and whether you were Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine; in the bush or a REMF.
All just my opinion.
Basically, you’re right. When WW II started, I don’t think the United States was rated in the top ten militaries of the world. People need to remember that during the 30’s, our army trained with broomsticks, yelling bang, and cars drove around with signs of TANK on them, acting as tanks. Years ago, I use to marvel at how all these great military leaders where around at the time we needed them. Found out it was not by accident. George Marshall, during his time in the army, when he would meet someone who impressed him, would write that person’s name in a black book. When WW II hit the fan, he had a ready list of leaders. I have also read and heard that when war comes, the incompetant’s are eventually swept aside or killed.
ping
Rather than watch a movie, read STOLEN VALOR by BG Burkett.
Up until recently, I never asked my father about VN because I knew there was pain there and repected him too much to ask. I will never forget the look in his eyes when he told me that his replacement whom he knew very well was killed the very next day after my father left, he carries the guilt to this day I beleive.
Platoon is every cliche about serving in VN lumped into one movie. A far more realistic movie is “Hamburger Hill.” Or the second half of “Full Metal Jacket” although that is cliche-riddled as well (just an interesting change from the jungle movies).
See Hamburger Hill. Far better (except for Dylan McDermott’s hair).
You left out ‘Boys of Company C’. Pretty good one.
Will do. I will add that my father has yet to see “We Were Soldiers” but read the book and recommended it to me.
A very good film about the war in Viet-Nam that's is sadly over looked by other films such as Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket.
It's on my list to see again.
That scene from one those VN movies, where it’s raining, and the one who has the duty is trying deperately to stay awake, and he’s shaking from being wet and cold, and he’s having problems processing reality he’s so tired, and he’s looking at the terrain and he doesn’t see anything (and you don’t either) and all of a sudden (good thing he wasn’t blinking at that moment) he sees a part of the “terrain” he’s been staring at move (NVA)- that’s the real thing.
"Platoon" doesn't really reflect my Vietnam experience, nor evidently that of Robert Hemphill who was CO of "Platoon: Bravo Company" who's book by the same name details his own record.
I was a medic in Armor, 1/1 CAV, Americal Division, I Corps 1968-69.
I think the movie that best reflects some of the experiences I had is "84 Charlie MoPic". 'Kind of obscure, but interesting.
Captain Dale Dye wrote the script for Platoon, therefore I tend to believe it’s pretty much the way it was.
I'm up by the way.
Since I was born in 1963, I can’t testify to the veracity of Platoon. I’ve seen it several times, as I watched “Tour of Duty”, which I thought was an EXCELLENT potrayal of what went on in VN.
From personal experience, I’ve hunted a good bit as a younger guy. From what I have read, the rural guys who were hunting savvy adjusted very quickly to Vietnam.
I see guys doing stuff in EVERY movie that I see and think “That’s stupid. If I’m trying to sneak up on another person or keep hidden, I would NOT be doing that.”
The plot is about Fratricide, every word of dialog is moral eroding blather, and the sub-plots have nobody obeying the chain of command.
It's written by and directed toward an audience that loaths military.
I haven't payed to see a single Oliver Stone project in my adult life, and THANK GOD!
You’ve just said it all right there.
A similar thing happened during the Civil War. At the beginning, the Union Army was for the most part, a mess. Four years later as the true leaders emerged through the ranks, it was by far the most powerful army the world had ever seen.
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