Film 37 in the "1001 films to see before you die" challenge was 1986's "Platoon". I can describe this film in one sentence, "Shit got real!" Was nice to see Charlie Sheen the actor than the Charlie Sheen I've known these last few years as a former member of "Two and a Half Men" snorting cocaine and drinking tiger blood. I thought some of the scenes were very touching. The iconic shot of Elias dying in battle was something I had never seen but heard a lot of people saying that it's one of the most saddest deaths in film history. This film is based on life during the Vietnam War, a subject I know a bit about as I did a one hour radio show in college about war and played anti-war songs and quotes from "Good Morning, Vietnam" which got me a distinction. Charlie Sheen's narrations echo those of his father, Martin Sheen, in "Apocalypse Now". Oliver Stone wrote "Platoon" back in 1971 and had planned on having The Doors frontman Jim Morrison play the role of Taylor but was found dead when he got the script. Johnny Depp was also considered for the role but was deemed too young and unknown at the time and was given another role in the film. It was reported that Denzel Washington lobbied for the role of Elias before it was given to Willem Dafoe. Charlie Sheen's helmet in the film read ""When I die, bury me upside-down, so the world can kiss my ass", Johnny Depp's helmet read "Sherilyn" as a tribute to Sherilyn Fenn who he was dating at the time. If you have seen this film then let me know your thoughts and opinions are in the comments. Here is what I had to say about 1986's "Platoon"
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Film - Platoon
Year - 1986
Director - Oliver Stone
Staring - Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe
IMDb Rating - 8.2/10
My Rating - 8.4/10
Reading
Bring out your dead
"Welcome to Nam"
The words "their fucked" spring to mind instantly
TIMBER!!!
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work we go
Can't see a thing it's that dark
I wonder if Call of Duty used this film as influence for one of their games
Taylor's knackered
I think an ant just bit him
Taylor hates war already and he's only been there a week
"Boo-Coo?!?"
Why is Bob's face deformed?
Goddamn politics!
Is "Cheese-Dick" really a name to call someone?
Thunderbolt and Lightning, Very very frightning
Are they wearing bin bags for ponchos?
All these men come from towns no one heard of... until now!!!
Pulaski, Tennessee
Brandon, Mississippi
Pork Bend, Utah
Wampum, Pennsylvania
I wouldn't trust Charlie Sheen with a gun in this film or in real life
You are covered in worts
This don't look good
OPEN FIRE!!!
That woke everyone up
GRENADE!!!
Tex has lost his arm!!
Taylor's hit!!
Taylor asks Big Harold if he's gonna be alright
It's pretty clear Junior doesn't like him
Gardner's dead!!!
And Taylor takes the blame for everything
Their making them clean toilets
332 days left for Taylor before he can go home
Taylor says he volunteered to be in the army and gave up college for it
"White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane! TUNE!!!
Is it a requirement to share bongs with everyone
You remind me ofEXP Jimmy Bullard
Merle Haggard on the radio singing about how he don't smoke marijuana
Tough guy! Biting through an empty beer can!
Rodriguez really likes Jesus
Haha, Jewish people are rich!
Bob is covered in scars
SMOKEY & THE ROBINSONS!!! TRACKS OF MY TEARS!!!
It's New Year's Day 1986
I wish I knew what those hand signals meant
That is the worst looking bunker I've ever seen
Prepare for Ambush... or other types of bush
I ain't sleeping in that bed
IT'S A TRAP!!!
There dead!!!
No one can find Manny
Manny's dead!!!
He just killed a pig for no reason
FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!
He's laughing through that whole thing
Well he's dead
Time to interrogate randomers
That'll shut her up! Shoot her in the head
Shit just got real!
Now shit just got real
FIGHT!!! - It's Elias vs Barnes!! The match ends with a pull apart
What the hell did I just watch?
Time to burn the entire village
Taylor just walks around and watches the carnage take place
Taylor just saved those women
EXPLOSION
Junior thinks everything has gotten out of control
Taylor and Elias have a chat at night under the stars
Elias says he believes in 1965 but not now
He says their gonna lose the war
Taylor just got bit by a leech
Did Junior just say he wants maleria
Lerner's hit!!!
Warren's hit!!
AMBUSH!!!
Taylor just got a grenade kill
Gator got hit!
Barnes loves shouting at people
Crawford's hit!!!
Barnes has found Taylor and the others and tells them to pull back
Barnes is now on the hunt for Elias
Elias is a one man killing machine
Barnes and Elias have found each other
Barnes just shot him - What a dick!
Taylor has found Barnes and says Elias is dead
Here come the air ambulances
They got out... just
The bad guys have Elias!!
Elias is still alive... Just!
Now he's dead!
Back at base
Taylor says Barnes killed Elias and wants to kill him
Did he just accuse God of being a drunk?
Barnes overheard the whole thing
I think Barnes wants to start a revolution
Barnes wants them to kill him
Taylor attacks Barnes and almost gets killed
Barnes gives Taylor a slice under the eye as a reminder
"Death? What you know about death?"
They fly over the village they burned and the war zone from the last visit
They're in Cambodia?
King and Taylor have a chat about life
O'Neill says King can go home
Junior's feet are covered in blisters
Barnes is gonna put a centipede in Junior's crotch
O'Neill wants Barnes's permission for 3 days leave
Barnes says no
King is off home
"Goodbye, motherfucker"
Here comes the enemy
Taylor and another dude are in the same hole
Where's that whistle coming from
Taylor is now a one man killing machine
Junior and his mate are dead
O'Neill just hid under a dead enemy to hide from them
They're surrounded
"It's a lovely fucking war"
Barnes was about to kill Taylor but got stopped by an air strike
How the fuck did Taylor survive that?
How the fuck did that deer survive that?
Everyone is dead!
Taylor finds Barnes crawling away
Taylor killed Barnes!!!
O'Neill climbs out of his hole after help arrives
Roll out your dead!
O'Neill gets told he's Second Platoon
And away Taylor goes to the hospital
"We did not fight the enemy, we fought ourselves"
THE END
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Film - Platoon
Year - 1986
Director - Oliver Stone
Staring - Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe
IMDb Rating - 8.2/10
My Rating - 8.4/10
Reading
Bring out your dead
"Welcome to Nam"
The words "their fucked" spring to mind instantly
TIMBER!!!
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work we go
Can't see a thing it's that dark
I wonder if Call of Duty used this film as influence for one of their games
Taylor's knackered
I think an ant just bit him
Taylor hates war already and he's only been there a week
"Boo-Coo?!?"
Why is Bob's face deformed?
Goddamn politics!
Is "Cheese-Dick" really a name to call someone?
Thunderbolt and Lightning, Very very frightning
Are they wearing bin bags for ponchos?
All these men come from towns no one heard of... until now!!!
Pulaski, Tennessee
Brandon, Mississippi
Pork Bend, Utah
Wampum, Pennsylvania
I wouldn't trust Charlie Sheen with a gun in this film or in real life
You are covered in worts
This don't look good
OPEN FIRE!!!
That woke everyone up
GRENADE!!!
Tex has lost his arm!!
Taylor's hit!!
Taylor asks Big Harold if he's gonna be alright
It's pretty clear Junior doesn't like him
Gardner's dead!!!
And Taylor takes the blame for everything
Their making them clean toilets
332 days left for Taylor before he can go home
Taylor says he volunteered to be in the army and gave up college for it
"White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane! TUNE!!!
Is it a requirement to share bongs with everyone
You remind me ofEXP Jimmy Bullard
Merle Haggard on the radio singing about how he don't smoke marijuana
Tough guy! Biting through an empty beer can!
Rodriguez really likes Jesus
Haha, Jewish people are rich!
Bob is covered in scars
SMOKEY & THE ROBINSONS!!! TRACKS OF MY TEARS!!!
It's New Year's Day 1986
I wish I knew what those hand signals meant
That is the worst looking bunker I've ever seen
Prepare for Ambush... or other types of bush
I ain't sleeping in that bed
IT'S A TRAP!!!
There dead!!!
No one can find Manny
Manny's dead!!!
He just killed a pig for no reason
FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!
He's laughing through that whole thing
Well he's dead
Time to interrogate randomers
That'll shut her up! Shoot her in the head
Shit just got real!
Now shit just got real
FIGHT!!! - It's Elias vs Barnes!! The match ends with a pull apart
What the hell did I just watch?
Time to burn the entire village
Taylor just walks around and watches the carnage take place
Taylor just saved those women
EXPLOSION
Junior thinks everything has gotten out of control
Taylor and Elias have a chat at night under the stars
Elias says he believes in 1965 but not now
He says their gonna lose the war
Taylor just got bit by a leech
Did Junior just say he wants maleria
Lerner's hit!!!
Warren's hit!!
AMBUSH!!!
Taylor just got a grenade kill
Gator got hit!
Barnes loves shouting at people
Crawford's hit!!!
Barnes has found Taylor and the others and tells them to pull back
Barnes is now on the hunt for Elias
Elias is a one man killing machine
Barnes and Elias have found each other
Barnes just shot him - What a dick!
Taylor has found Barnes and says Elias is dead
Here come the air ambulances
They got out... just
The bad guys have Elias!!
Elias is still alive... Just!
Now he's dead!
Back at base
Taylor says Barnes killed Elias and wants to kill him
Did he just accuse God of being a drunk?
Barnes overheard the whole thing
I think Barnes wants to start a revolution
Barnes wants them to kill him
Taylor attacks Barnes and almost gets killed
Barnes gives Taylor a slice under the eye as a reminder
"Death? What you know about death?"
They fly over the village they burned and the war zone from the last visit
They're in Cambodia?
King and Taylor have a chat about life
O'Neill says King can go home
Junior's feet are covered in blisters
Barnes is gonna put a centipede in Junior's crotch
O'Neill wants Barnes's permission for 3 days leave
Barnes says no
King is off home
"Goodbye, motherfucker"
Here comes the enemy
Taylor and another dude are in the same hole
Where's that whistle coming from
Taylor is now a one man killing machine
Junior and his mate are dead
O'Neill just hid under a dead enemy to hide from them
They're surrounded
"It's a lovely fucking war"
Barnes was about to kill Taylor but got stopped by an air strike
How the fuck did Taylor survive that?
How the fuck did that deer survive that?
Everyone is dead!
Taylor finds Barnes crawling away
Taylor killed Barnes!!!
O'Neill climbs out of his hole after help arrives
Roll out your dead!
O'Neill gets told he's Second Platoon
And away Taylor goes to the hospital
"We did not fight the enemy, we fought ourselves"
THE END