The Reel Rejects - PLATOON (1986) MOVIE REVIEW!! FIRST TIME WATCHING!!

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Starting point is 00:01:53 So without further ado, let's see what platoon does to us in three, two, one. Let's attempt to talk about platoon. By the way, if you are listening on Apple or Spotify, if you don't mind dropping us a rating, we would appreciate it. And also, too, if you want to look as cool as coy and I, rechecked NationShop.com, please help support us. We would appreciate it. I totally understand the hype now that I had been hearing over the years.

Starting point is 00:02:25 And, yeah, Oliverstone. What a magnificent job. as you pointed out at the beginning in our introduction that, you know, we're not as educated in terms of the Vietnam War, but I thought this film just did a good job highlighting just the horrors and atrocity on war in general, but especially this one, but I thought it was an interesting take just on some of the evils that go on, not just with like the actual missions and stuff, but like what they were doing to the actual people. I thought that would, like I wasn't expecting stuff like that.

Starting point is 00:02:58 I was just more, like, I was just expecting more of, like, the team camaraderie and just, like, you know, the mental acuity that you have to, like, the morale that we're going to have to fight through in terms of that, the actual, you know, action and fight and violence and all that. But I was, there was so much more, there was a character development. You have Charlie Sheen at the beginning, seeing like, all right, this is a brand new thing for him. He volunteered. He had no purpose. We're going to go on a journey with this character while also, you know, building up a lot. having a lot of personality and different characters that you're going to remember on this entire unit here.

Starting point is 00:03:34 On top of that, there's going to be other things that you're not going to like what a lot of these characters are going to do here. I mean, you're going to agree with some of the thing. You're going to have this divide here where you're going to agree with here. If you have no soul, you're probably going to agree with some of these other guys. But I was not expecting that. So that was an interesting perspective that Oliver Stone and the writers took, which I'm going to assume that happened. I wasn't there. But again, I wasn't expecting that. That was a deeper

Starting point is 00:04:03 touch than I could have encompassed. I think one of the things that I appreciated the most, though, I love seeing the contrast, though, between Tom Berringer and Willem Defoe's character. That was... And then the parents at the end, like, for me, it is all those things. I totally agree with you, but also it wasn't a nihilistic film. I was really afraid about halfway through the second act that it was going to be a very much hands-off ending where it was we've shown you the horrors

Starting point is 00:04:35 of war and now you are going to look at war differently and then movie ending I was afraid the movie's arc would be about the war and I wouldn't feel as strong of an arc about Charlie Sheen's character. I was a little worried that the film would be just a commentary on war

Starting point is 00:04:50 which it absolutely is an incredible one but I really really appreciate the last lines being about his purpose in that we've got to make the world better and it's our responsibility. That's such a beautiful sentiment from a film that's so negative and I think a lesser filmmaker would have made a nihilistic film. And I think there are so many incredible war movies that paint the shades of gray of everyone involved in war is doing atrocious things. And I don't even like to, I don't personally like to watch war films that much. I don't personally like to speak on

Starting point is 00:05:24 war. I don't find any merit in talking about something that is such a net negative. What's the war? What is it good for? Absolutely nothing is kind of my sentiment. But unfortunately with humanity, it's what we do. And so I was a little afraid

Starting point is 00:05:39 in my own predisposed notion of humans are awful towards one another and we've got to find a way to limp on. I really love that the ending was so optimistic in 30 seconds. It was flying towards the sun. It was green. It was this beautiful message. And I also

Starting point is 00:06:00 love how bittersweet that is because now with this film coming out in 87, it had the benefit of hindsight with how horribly we treated our veterans. So 20 years later, like this took place in 67, 87, this movie comes out. One of the things I did know about the film was that Oliver Stone was considered like, you know, this crazy liberal anti-war movie. This movie's dedicated to the soldiers, and it feels dedicated to the soldiers. So clearly the people that are saying that have a very different view of the film than I do and a very different view of war than I do.

Starting point is 00:06:30 And I, you know, there's going to be inevitably people in the comments that are complaining that I'm aggressively anti-war and like finding excuses for war to exist and all that. And frankly, you do you. But for me, I don't even like spending two hours in war, in the

Starting point is 00:06:46 comfort of California drinking coffee. So I was really impressed that it was able to land something even close to optimism. Yeah, well, I'm a pacifist, so I'm not going to disagree with you there, but I think I'm just an idealist, because I think that, you know, talk shit get hit is deserved, but I think war isn't. So I can't say I'm a pacifist because I've used to box. Like, I'm not a pacifist, but I do think an idealist believes that war can end and a realist thinks it can't. Yeah, no, no, totally. I agree with all your points. I will say too, I love in the

Starting point is 00:07:14 beginning. Once we got past, you know, Charlie Sheen entering, just seeing like what he was in for, which again, I think like Oliver Stone just he made every single shot count like before all the mayhem and the violence started like you got all these ants on him you got the strenuous heat like it's just not a nice haven it's a very tumultuous and disgusting place

Starting point is 00:07:38 to be in. I'm sure you know Vietnam might be a beautiful place but the way it was painted. You're not sleeping outside. Yeah, no for sure exactly. Great to visit not necessarily in a hole. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah like the situation that like we were putting these characters in. I'm like, like again, no violence has happened, no fighting, no, you know, no gunfire or anything. But I'm like, I'm already feeling for these

Starting point is 00:08:01 characters and like, this is not a place I would want to be. So I love again, the mood, the atmosphere, the music was enhancing that. And again, just Oliver Stone was just nail, and the cinematography, they were just nailing all that down in the first five, 10 minutes. I was like, and nothing has happened yet. Other than like, oh my God, it's Mancy. It's the environment. In the literature sense that, you know, man versus self, man versus man, man versus environment, it was a really beautiful way to establish man versus environment before we got to man versus man or man versus self. And this movie featured great examples of all three. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:08:33 I thought this film also did a good job of just like having characters reaching their breaking points. Yeah. And feeling it through all lenses. Yeah, for sure. And then also to just, you know, we're talking about Willem Defoe's character and Tom Barringer and Tom Perringer. I know we were praising Will and Defoe. He was fantastic. I loved him so much.

Starting point is 00:08:52 I loved how caring he was. Even if someone was a shitty human being, like he was still, I mean, he would put them in their place, but he was still caring. And, you know what I mean? He had that loyal, you know, personality. And I just appreciated his character, and it just pissed me off all the more, which is how you're supposed to feel in the moment when Tom Berringer did what he did. And then Tom Berringer is the literal exact opposite. He's cold. He's self-righteous.

Starting point is 00:09:17 He's selfish. And, you know, he's, again, he's extremely bloodthirsty. But, again, I love that, that it's just very interesting, that contrast between the two of them. And it created that split and that divide in the unit, if you would call it. But I thought that was just such a wise choice to have those two on separate ends versus each other in the film. I also really appreciate that the film did something that I'm so impressed with in that

Starting point is 00:09:46 war films are usually a two-sided affair and good ones show that everyone is losing, in my opinion. And I think this did a really good job pulling us on a journey where everyone was losing in ways that were more horrific in that you are somehow still invested in these characters after you see them do the worst things. You've got an investment in them from the beginning of the movie. You care for them, you sympathize, but you never really empathize after that point. And then from that point on, there's this inner conflict of self of why, for me anyway, why do I care if any of them live? Like, why am I even able to want? Because at the absolute best, you're Willem DeFoe or Charlie Sheen's character, Keith David's character,

Starting point is 00:10:40 and you're complicit by proxy. And I'm not saying that's guilty, but at the best, you've that, but 90% of them are just the worst. And since their brothers in arms, it gives you that sense of camaraderie that you'd have to have. Like, it puts you in the position of being in a foxhole with soldiers. And at no point do you forgive, at no point do you forget, but you are able to want them to live. And that is so impressive. And by the time Keith David gets out that that one beautiful, saccharine sweet moment of escape, I love that there are so many moments in the movie and I kept marking them that wouldn't work if you haven't gotten to that

Starting point is 00:11:17 point in the film. If I was flipping through TV and I'd never seen Platoon and I caught the turnaround of Keith David smiling and waving, I'd be like, what is this Hallmark movie? But you earn it. If I'd gotten to the very end of the movie with the guy like, you know, Tuscan raidering, it would have felt like, why is this so big? But the movie is so good at staying so real that those moments feel plausible and you are

Starting point is 00:11:39 somehow invested in everyone as much as they discussed you. Yeah, I completely, again, I completely agree with what you're saying. And I'm glad, though, in that scene where they were doing those horrible atrocities to the townspeople because I guess they were saying that they were supplying, you know, the guys. Yeah, yeah, for sure. But I love that at least Willem Defoe, even though we said that they're guilty by a proxy, that Willem Defoe, like he got in there.

Starting point is 00:12:04 He's our guy. I'm saying he's the only one like him, maybe Charlie, because he physically tried to stop. But I think also, too, because, yeah, even though they're guilty by proxy, like, they're, and they are your brother in arms. Well, it's all situational. What are you going to do? For sure. But Tom and Tom Barringer, like, he's just one that you don't trifle with. Like, he's really done a good job of asserting his authority and intimidating the rest of them to not mess with him and do, you know what I mean? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:12:31 And we saw when he gets unhinged what he does. He's capable of soul, yeah. I mean, blew a woman's head off right in front of his entire unit. I mean, all she was doing was just complaining because they were defiling their entire town. So, I mean. And the dialogue leading up to that scene, the Ahab bit. I like, I like to believe, like, again, I would have done something different. I would have been willing to phone that moment and put him in his place and punched him.

Starting point is 00:12:53 But I probably would have been afraid to say or do anything in that moment. I don't know. Yeah. That dude, just looking at him scared me. I mean. And the makeup is such a great effect. We talked about during. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:13:03 It's a really impressive visual film of how much you're able to accomplish just in a frame. and then the acting ads and then the storytelling and then the music. And I really loved how much I was upset. Like two hours of being upset, whether that's upset at war, whether that's upset at the soldier's actions, whether that's upset at how we dehumanize each other, whether that's upset at the human instincts to belittle each other to the point of dehumanizing. But like on a species wide scale, we other each other. so much. So the idea that we make the people whose country we're in, that we

Starting point is 00:13:44 invaded, not human, and how consistently they were like, oh, they're actually more impressive than you think. They're able to communicate. Like, even when they're complimenting their military savvy, they're making sure to belittle them. Like, I can't believe they can do this. We were in their country. And it's so upsetting

Starting point is 00:14:00 to acknowledge that, you know, we're the bully that broke down the door and we're mad at people for being in their house. And it's incredible that the movie is able to do that and have those characters that are like, you know, Charles, again, idealist. Charlie Sheen volunteered for this.

Starting point is 00:14:15 And I think the, we didn't know what the Vietnam War was. Like, it was kept from us. Like, even to this day, we acknowledged the top of the video. We weren't taught a lot about it. A lot of the things we know about Vietnam War have been taught in movies to a lot of my generation.

Starting point is 00:14:28 And it's insane that someone would volunteer that was educated, that was all those things to find their identity. But then it's effectively, you know, horrible things in someone's house. Yeah, no, I mean, I may, I kind of made the joke off camera before we started. I said, the only thing I really know much about the Vietnam War is the 15, 20 minutes I saw in the film, Forrest Gump. And obviously, I know we have the internet. I could

Starting point is 00:14:51 always look it up. But yeah, no, this film definitely did a lot to educate me. It's just, you made such great points. Like, yeah, it's the bully kicking down the door. And I'm like, I'm not really rooting for America right here right now. You know, I mean, obviously, again, just in general, I don't want war. at all. I'm more, you know, I'm a peaceful guy and I just prefer if we can come, come to a peaceful resolution just in general. I prefer always going that route. Um, you know, obviously if it's a humanitarian issue and like we, situations like that, I understand, but I'm just like, I'm all about, unless it's for film and entertainment, I'm usually not a very, I just don't, you know,

Starting point is 00:15:30 condone violence usually. But, um, yeah, no, great points. And I'm not educated enough on most wars to speak on them. And I think that's also a problem in that. I don't feel comfortable researching and diving into the atrocities because I like to see the world as decent, not even good, but decent. But the problem is that there's so much in our education that shines a really dangerous light on history being written by the victors. And I think it's important that movies are able to tell stories that show the other side, that it is communicated through entertainment that what we've done. And there's a reason I don't watch them a lot. Like this, to me, this was five stars is my scale on Letterbox. I use Letterbox.

Starting point is 00:16:14 And this would be a four and a half. Like, this was an incredible film. I probably won't ever watch this again. Yeah, it's the same thing for me, like with Schindler's List, phenomenal movie. And as a Jew, I'm never watching that movie again. This is probably one of those two. I'm probably not going to watch. It's a hard one to watch.

Starting point is 00:16:31 It's a great film. But I think it's important to acknowledge that just because something is exceptional doesn't mean you should have to live in it. And I'm appreciative of being informed. And I also think it's going to be, again, that's another thing that's going to get all these comments are like, oh, but like, live your life, how you choose to live. But I think it's important that movies like this do affect you. And I think it's important that stories like this make you not want to experience the end because that means it worked. That means that I'm thinking about the world differently because of how effective it was. And this was a movie that I didn't necessarily want to react to because I didn't want to deal with the people that will be in the comments.

Starting point is 00:17:03 But I think it's important to acknowledge that education doesn't. always have to leave you feeling good. And to your point as well, I, for me, I like watching movies to escape reality. And again, this was a great film, but this is not the type of film like that for me has rewatchability. If it does, again, to you, as Koi said, great. I'm glad that this is a film you can rewatch. As we pointed out, it's a fantastic film, but I'm not, I'm not going to rewatch it. Last thing I want to say before we get into the trivia, I thought this film did such a masterful job. Oliver Stone just again, when he was in his prime, just knows how to build suspense and tension. There were so many times, as you said, we were literally on the edge

Starting point is 00:17:42 of our seat. I can only imagine seeing this film in theaters. We're like just on pins and needles, but I mean, there was just so many times, I'm like, when's the ambush going to happen? And I can only imagine, like, and Oliver Stone just painted a picture for me. I can't even imagine for on both sides, like, how that must have felt for living that. I mean, yeah. So, like, from that perspective, he did a good job of just, like, putting me in a visceral spot. Like, living vicariously through these characters. Yeah, totally agree. So, I mean, and again, the music just,

Starting point is 00:18:13 I love that the composer, whoever was, like just dramatically enhanced it when we need to feel those moments. Also, too, there were a couple of times where I'm like, yes, Coy's exactly saying what I'm feeling. We're like, that uncomfortable silence. I'm like, shit, what's it going to have now?

Starting point is 00:18:29 I'm like so uncomfortable. The editing is also incredible. Oh, yeah, the editing, the cinematography. And there were a couple of tracking shots. I cannot fathom. How did they do that? Willow running in 19... They would have filmed this in 87 or 88.

Starting point is 00:18:41 How did they film those shots through the woods with Lovufo running with that technology? Yeah, there were a couple great... I mean, there was many great lines he had, too. He's like, no, I run better alone. And then also, even about Tom Barringer's character, he was talking to Charlie Sheen. After he had punched him, he's like,

Starting point is 00:18:57 no, he's doing what he believes. Yeah, I really like that dialogue back and forth of just someone's belief. The dialogue in general in this film, so damn good. Yeah. I can understand now why this, movie won however many awards it won. It's going to be one of the most classic films I'm

Starting point is 00:19:11 really glad to have seen. Yeah. And that shot too with Willem Defoe. That could have been, I remember, I assume you've seen Tropic Thunder. I was going to say, it was, this movie's so good it didn't have Tropic Thunder flashing them. I had the whole time, but Tropic Thunder is so good that I was so glad I hadn't rewatched it recently. Yes, for sure. I'm all, and I'm only now thinking about it after the fact, but I, yes, I agree with you. And obviously, too, that was just meant to be a parody moment where he's just like, you know. Right. Because I I watched The Godfather and I think of Men in Tights. No disrespect to the Godfather, but that was a movie I had seen Men in Tights too much.

Starting point is 00:19:43 So by the time I got to Godfather, I was thinking of that movie. So Platoon is so incredible because I think Tropic Thunder is one of the great comedies of all time. And this was so investing. I wasn't going like, oh, Drak Black. I wasn't thinking at all about it. I was so into the moment with this film for sure. All right, we'll read a few fun facts, or sad fun facts, I guess. All right, let's see.

Starting point is 00:20:05 According to Oliver Stone, he intends. intentionally cast Tom Barringer and Willem Defoe against type. Berringer was most famous for playing good guys. While Defoe had primarily played villains up until then, both men received Oscar nominations for their work. Well, I got to say, Oliver Stone, fantastic job. Both were fantastic because, I mean, up to this point, I've only really seen Tom Barringer in, you know, good guy roles.

Starting point is 00:20:31 Yeah. So that makes sense. So seeing him in this type of role, I'm like, damn. Like I said, just that first frame, like you said, with that scar, he scared the shit at him. I mean, he didn't say one damn word. Also, Willem Defoe, I love that I discovered in this movie how much his smile with how he frames it is either malice or joy. Like, there's such a warmth to his smile here, and that smile can also be so sinister other times. And I've been lucky enough to interview Willem a couple times.

Starting point is 00:20:56 And one of the things that's so fun is he's got this mischievousness to him that I was asking questions before No Way Home. And he was giving me soundbites that he knew would only. be good after the movie came out? He was playing chess. He was so far ahead of the curve that at one point I asked him about the meme of I'm something of a scientist myself which wasn't in any of the marketing

Starting point is 00:21:15 but it's in the film. So his answer made it clear that it was in the film. He's like, that's from the first movie but don't worry. But his answer was so mischievously playful and I think that really this is the first time I can think of where I saw

Starting point is 00:21:28 all of the mischief, but in a warm way. And I love them in poor things and I love them in the Northman and I love them in those films. But it's really cool. cool to see that you can still be that like fun little like puckish figure but be joy i really got to watch him in more stuff i've only seen him i've only seen him in john wick one aquaman i guess sack sniders got a justice league and then uh obviously spider man poor things a northman i haven't

Starting point is 00:21:51 seen any of those but look small because he's so good good when he's flex i mean yeah this movie just showed me he has got such damn range he's so freaking versatile incredible excuse me uh in many u.s military leadership classes, the character of Lieutenant Wolf is used as an example of how not to behave as a junior officer. That's interesting because he was constantly flailing and pointing the finger and like that was a really

Starting point is 00:22:15 effective failure of a character. Yeah. Well, also being realistic. Yeah, but I love too that, you know, we use forms of entertainment in films, especially war films, that they use that in a lot of different, you know, in regards to like the military and something like, here, use this, don't do that, don't do that,

Starting point is 00:22:32 because they know a lot of people. have seen this stuff, so they're going to be able to relate that. It's more approachable. You're going to get the message more if you're not watching someone talk about it. If you're watching something that like... Yeah, if you put on like a VHS, something from like the 70s, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's like, how much did a recruitment go up a top gun? Oh, you know what? Right after that, you're absolutely, it's like, you're going to want to watch something that's entertaining, but also inspire.

Starting point is 00:22:52 It's cool to fly like Maverick. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, for sure. All right, I'll read three more for you guys. Oliver Stone wrote the script's first draft in 1971. and sent it to Jim Morrison in hopes he would play the part Charlie Sheen ultimately played. Wow. Morrison had the script on him when he was found dead in Paris.

Starting point is 00:23:16 That's trippy. Wow, that's haunting. He had it on him. He had it on him when he was found dead in Paris. So that also means it took him 16 years to get this movie made. I'm going to add something that this doesn't have. Kevin Dillon, who you know, obviously,

Starting point is 00:23:29 obviously all you know is Johnny Drama and was in this film, was also in the film The Doors. which has Jim Morrison that Val Kilmer played so that's wow dude just adding to what an interesting

Starting point is 00:23:41 it also contextualizes how long it would have taken to get a movie made that was so not pro war that era oh right then yeah that would have been tough to make that in the 70s

Starting point is 00:23:52 and he'd had it at the ready yeah I can't imagine but I could see why you'd want to attach Morrison because he's already an anti you know he's an outsider but he's got money and he's got an audience and on top of that We talked, I mean, at least I mentioned a few times.

Starting point is 00:24:05 I can't imagine how difficult this film was to make in 86. There's documentaries, right? I think of Platoon as one of those movies that has a lot of... I'm pretty sure it's got. I got to imagine in the 70s, like with all... I mean, because there was like so many times where bombs were going off, rocket lines, I can't even imagine how hard this would have, like... And practical.

Starting point is 00:24:23 They actually shot this movie. Everything was practical. There's no CGI or not one... 89. Yeah, well, this was 86. I think they filmed it in 87, came out, 89, I think. but I can be wrong. I'll do two more.

Starting point is 00:24:37 Special packs of Marlboro cigarettes were made for the movie on the insistence of Oliver Stone, who wanted the cherry red color on the pack to more closely match that made during the late 1960s. Cool. I love the attention details. Yes, authentic. Yes, very cool. Okay. All right, I'll do one more.

Starting point is 00:24:58 The Vietnamese child that Kevin Dillon and Charlie Sheen torment had cataracts, but his family was too poor to pay for treatment. Reportedly, Dylan and Sheen felt so bad about it that they pooled money together so that the boy could have surgery. I like ending on that note because it shows how good Kevin Dylan is in real life. And he's a great actor because man, did I hate him? Yes, we did. What an incredible film.

Starting point is 00:25:22 What an incredible experience. I hope it was obvious through media literacy that us saying we didn't want to watch it again doesn't mean you understand. This movie was sensational. It is a legendary film for a reason. I am so glad it's over and I'm going to go eat some ice cream or something. And I'm so appreciative. I might be an idealist that doesn't believe in war, but I do want to say I am aware that this country is able to exist because of our troops and because of soldiers.

Starting point is 00:25:46 So my not wanting war doesn't mean I don't appreciate the fuck out of each and every one of you that allows me to go get an ice cream to heal from the trauma of watching this. So anyone that has served, anyone that has done the horrible things to survive for us. Thank you, and I am in need of escape. So much love, Reject Nation, like, subscribe, get some ice cream, hug your families, appreciate every single moment. And if you love this film, as you should, it's incredible. Think on the last 30 seconds. And if you're alive right now, make the world a better place because you're in it, not costing because you're in it. Much love you all.

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The Reel Rejects - PLATOON (1986) MOVIE REVIEW!! FIRST TIME WATCHING!!

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