Platoon (2 Disc Ultimate Edition Collector's Set) [1986] [DVD]

More so than some of the other Vietnam movies, Platoon seems to address the subject with a certain level of historical detail. In fact, one of the current GCSE syllabuses has a coursework element on the effectiveness of the Vietcong's use of Tunnels and Traps. This movie brings to life the way that the Vietcong wore down the GIs with these and others psychological tactics to the point where many were dehumanised enough to engage in borderline war crimes (such as the "zippo raids" depicted in platoon). If the preceding makes it sound a bit dry and academic; certainly not - it's a great movie with a great cast.

One of the best Vietnam war films with strong characters and some upsetting scenes. The film is 'seen' through the experiences of an educated volunteer Charlie Sheen (pvt Chris Taylor) who encounters two types of soldier groups led by two Sergeants, those in it for the violence and those in it with little choice. Conflict between the soldiers is always there as is the comradery when the going gets tough.You feel the heat and humidity of the place and appreciate the sacrifice ordinary people made. One of the few films that does not glorify war or human suffering.

I love this film. Its such a gritty portrayal of day to day life for the American (and other) soldiers fighting in the jungles of Vietnam. The inner struggle of each of the main protagonists is absorbing viewing, not to mention the set pieces of fighting action!

"We walk through the jungle like ghosts in a landscape". These are director Oliver Stone's words to describe his own experiences as an infantryman in the Vietnam War.After purchasing and watching Stone's films `JFK' and `Nixon', I was impressed enough to continue with his series of films that chronicle aspects of the modern American experience. In `Platoon', the plot is essentially a battle of wills in the jungle between two platoon sergeants, a deadly rivalry that leads to murderous repercussions. Set in the heart of this rivalry is a rookie played by Charlie Sheen in one of his first film roles. He plays a rookie on his first tour of Vietnam, an ingénue to the world of combat, a plain infantryman that would otherwise be called a `grunt'. He gradually loses his innocence and becomes increasingly disillusioned with his own and his country's role. Sheen acts his part very well, but there is, alas, a certain artifice that makes the scenes where he expresses extreme anger and frustration unconvincing.The film replays repeated viewing as so much can and will be missed in the first few screenings; subtle things, for much of the film is shot as a kind of fly-on-the-wall documentary. There are problems with the production's search for realism; for example, the spoken words are sometimes lost in the confusion of battle. And Barber's `Adagio for Strings' is used just a little too often.This is a review of the two-disc `definitive edition' that comes with Oliver Stone's commentary. Throughout this, Stone reminisces about his own service and it soon becomes clear that the Charlie Sheen role mirrored much of his own, except "I never shot my sergeant!" Indeed, he relates to the audience certain actions of which he was certainly not proud. He tells us the script was written not long after his own return from duty but took a decade to find a backer. Incidentally, he also tells us the Pentagon apparently thought the script unrealistic and refused to provide any co-operation.As for the film itself, Stone tells how all the actors went through two weeks training as an infantryman in the jungle before shooting began. It was a very tough shoot, apparently, with snake-bites, mosquitoes, illness and fatigue never far away. For technical guidance he relied on retired Captain Dale Dye, who provides a second commentary for those wanting to know more about the daily grind of a grunt in the jungle.Other extras include an excellent fifty-minute documentary by Charles Kiselyak called `Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting Platoon', which includes some original archive footage of the campaign. In it Sheen confirms that he felt uncomfortable at some key moments, which kind of confirms my view that Sheen is unconvincing at moments of extreme anger; he should feel nothing but the part at these moments.The other extras include about thirty minutes worth of real Vietnam vets talking about the film and how it mirrored their own experiences: so much for the Pentagon thinking the script `unrealistic'! Still, no one learns: witness Iraq and Afghanistan today.

EXCELLENT FILM ,IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS PARTICULAR ERA OF AMERICAN HISTORY I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU READ - " A RUMOUR OF WAR" BY PHILIP CAPUTO AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON , A GENUINE INSIGHT FROM A FRONT LINE AMERICAN SOLDIERS POINT OF VIEW.

It still has the power to move after all this time.

Picture quality on this DVD (Definitive Edition) is excellent.There is not much between this and the Blue Ray version in terms of quality.

Great service, everything as described. A war movie that is in top 20 if not top 10 all time war movies! Ultimate Edtion has done nice extras.

Product arrived very quickly and was at a good price

As a Vietnam vet I think this is a great movie. Excellent acting. Realistic.

Platoon [Edizione: Germania]La Steelbook veramente magnifica, sia all’esterno che internamente fatta proprio bene con delle belle riprese oltretutto anche di ottima qualità il materiale. Cosa che a volte in parecchie di queste uscite di recente non c’è e devo dire di trovarne molte anche scadenti.Da avere assolutamente, anche se è la versione Germania se si è un vero e proprio collezionista di DVD a mio parere bisogna possedere qualsiasi tipo in metallo, che siano di più stati di edizioni differenti.All’interno ci sarà il 1^ disco che comprenderà il film e il 2^ i contenuti speciali, oltre a questo un piccolo libricino che racconterà la storia.Consiglio la visione a tutti, perché merita assolutamente, sia a chi piace il genere Azione e non.Anche se un po’ vecchiotto è abbastanza godibile tutt’ora per me.Comprato anche a un buon prezzo 5 € + 2,90 € di spedizione li vale tutti.Ecco anche alcune foto di questa Metalbox.

Great movie! Even better in Bluray.

If you like war movies this is a must have movie. Demonstrates how brutal and ugly the Vietnam war was for America. A good reminder on how not to fight a war.