Platoon
The first casualty of war is innocence.
Platoon (1986)
Production
Budget
$6 000 000
Revenue
$138 530 565
Director
Scenario
Composer
Producer
Actors
Charlie Sheen
Chris Taylor
Willem Dafoe
Sergeant Elias Grodin
Tom Berenger
Sergeant Robert 'Bob' Barnes
Kevin Dillon
Bunny
Forest Whitaker
Big Harold
Mark Moses
Lieutenant Wolfe
Keith David
King
Short description
Platoon follows Chris Taylor, a young American who volunteers for service in Vietnam and is sent to a base near the Cambodian border in 1967. Assigned to an infantry unit, he arrives full of idealism, but the daily reality of patrols, exhaustion and the deaths of comrades quickly wears that idealism down. The greater danger he encounters comes from inside his own unit, where two sergeants, the hardened Bob Barnes and the more humane Elias Grodin, are locked in a bitter rivalry that eventually forces Taylor and the other men around him to take sides.
Oliver Stone wrote and directed the film, his second feature as director, following The Hand and preceding Salvador. Charlie Sheen plays Taylor, with Willem Dafoe as Elias and Tom Berenger as Barnes. The supporting cast includes Kevin Dillon as Bunny, Forest Whitaker as Big Harold and Mark Moses as Lieutenant Wolfe, among a credited cast of forty-five and a crew of ninety-three.
Made for about six million dollars, the film took roughly 139 million dollars at the worldwide box office, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 8.1 out of 10 from around 471,000 votes, while on TMDB it rates 7.7 out of 10 from over five thousand votes. A critics' score of 8.7 out of 10 from 122 reviews places it somewhat above the audience ratings.
What's left behind the scenes
- When choosing a filming location, the filmmakers visited Mexico and the Philippines. The Philippines were preferred because it was more financially advantageous.
- Even before filming began, Stone invited retired Marine Captain Dale Dye, who served as a consultant, ensuring historical accuracy in the film. For two weeks, he trained the actors in the basics of soldier life – they learned to move through jungles, swamps, and rocks with weapons and equipment, ate army food, and slept in trenches; Dye also taught them military slang. Charlie Sheen later said that after the training, he began to respect Vietnam War veterans even more, and Tom Berenger felt how difficult it could be to be at war in reality. Willem Dafoe also emphasized the importance of the training. Dye played the role of Captain Harris in the film.
- Mickey Rourke and Kevin Costner were considered for the role of Sergeant Barnes.
- Willem Dafoe caught Stone's attention after watching "Platoon" and was invited to play the role of Elias.
- Depp was given an episodic role as Private Lerner because the director decided that Depp was not ready to play the lead role at that time.
- Filming took place in the Philippines and lasted 54 days. A military coup occurred in the country shortly before the arrival of the film crew.
- The name of Johnny Depp's then-companion, Sherilyn Fenn, is inscribed on his helmet. Her initials are engraved on Depp's character's guitar.
- Oliver Stone said he decided to make 'Platoon' because he believed that the truth about the Vietnam War had not been shown in any of the previously filmed films, and he considered it his duty to demonstrate what the war was really like.
- Audio samples of some dialogue from the film were used in the song “Flashback” from the Ministry album The Land of Rape and Honey (1988).
- Real Vietnamese refugees were used as extras in the film.
- On the film's promotional poster, the letters “o” in the title are replaced with personal U.S. Army dog tags, known among soldiers as “dog tags”.
- When creating the film, the director relied on his own experience of the war in Vietnam. Oliver Stone said that the key moments of the film were based on real events in which he participated, and the characters were based on the personalities of real people with whom Stone fought.
- The voice-over in the film is read by Charlie Sheen, just as his father (Martin Sheen) did in 'Apocalypse Now' (1979).
- Initially, Charlie Sheen was rejected by the creators due to his age, and the role was offered to his older brother, Emilio Estevez. However, the project ran into financial difficulties, and filming was postponed for two years. When filming resumed, Emilio was already committed to other obligations, and Charlie got the role.
- At the end of the film, a napalm attack is carried out by a Philippine Air Force F-5 fighter jet.
- The scene where Chris saves a Vietnamese girl from rape is based on a real event that happened to Oliver Stone in Vietnam.
- Two years after the film's release, a computer game called Platoon was released for a number of platforms, based on the film.
- The actors were advised by retired Marine Corps officer Dale Dye.
- After Elias's departure, O'Neil says: "He's been in there for three years and thinks he's Jesus fucking Christ!". Notably, two years later, Willem Dafoe would play Christ in "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988).
- Keanu Reeves turned down the role of Chris Taylor, finding it too violent for him.
- The nighttime battle at the end of the film is based on the real battle for the American fire support base Burt (January 2, 1968), in which Oliver Stone participated.
- Taylor's helmet reads: “When I die Bury me Upside down So the world Can kiss my ass”.
- The piece serving as the film's main musical theme is titled “Adagio for Strings,” and was composed by Samuel Barber back in 1936.
- Oliver Stone played a small cameo as an officer in the bunker.
- Before filming the scene where the soldiers smoke marijuana, the actors actually had to try it. But, according to Willem Dafoe, by the time of filming, the effects of the drug had worn off and the actors felt terrible.
- Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay for 'Platoon' in 1976. The script he wrote was autobiographical – in the image of Chris Taylor, the director depicted himself. However, he was unable to bring his project to life at that time due to a lack of support – film studio representatives believed that a film depicting the war in this way would not be financially successful. The first attempt to start filming was made in 1976, the second – in 1984. Initially, producer Dino De Laurentiis was interested in the project, but then refused to participate in it. Only in 1986 did Stone secure funding for the film from the British company Hemdale Film Corporation, which had previously funded another Oliver Stone film – 'Salvador.' The success of 'Salvador' helped the filmmakers raise the necessary financial resources to work on 'Platoon'.
- The Philippine government supported the film crew by providing military equipment and vehicles.
- Keanu Reeves and Kyle MacLachlan turned down the role of ordinary Chris Taylor.
- The U.S. Department of Defense refused to provide any assistance in making the film, deeming it “unpatriotic”.
- Initially, the director intended for Sergeant Elias to be a Native American.
- Before filming began, all the actors underwent thirteen days of military training.
- Charlie Sheen was initially not interested in starting an acting career. This was due to his father, Martin Sheen, having a heart attack during the filming of "Apocalypse Now." He later changed his mind, however.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
