Platoon

Platoon (1986)

Timing: 2:0 (120 min)

7.743/10
5052

8.001/10
89960

8.1/10
471000

All about film

Video 13

Photo 89

Actors and characters

Release date

1986-12-19

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Production

Cinema 84, Orion Pictures, Hemdale Film Corporation, Arnold Kopelson Productions, Cinema 86, Orion

Genre

Drama, War, Action

Budget

$6 000 000

Revenue

$138 530 565

Website

Director

Oliver Stone

Actors

Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, Kevin Dillon, Forest Whitaker, Mark Moses, Keith David, Richard Edson, Francesco Quinn, John C. McGinley
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Oliver Stone

Producer

Arnold Kopelson, Derek Gibson, John Daly

Operator

Robert Richardson

Composer

Georges Delerue

Artist

Audition

Pat Golden, Warren McLean, Bob Morones

Editing

Claire Simpson, Ooty Moorehead
All team (92)

• 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.
• Keanu Reeves and Kyle MacLachlan both turned down the role of Private Chris Taylor.
• Oliver Stone played a small cameo as an officer in the bunker.
• The voice-over in the film is read by Charlie Sheen, just as his father (Martin Sheen) did in 'Apocalypse Now' (1979).
• Before filming began, all the actors underwent thirteen days of military training.
• 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.
• 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”.
• The U.S. Department of Defense refused to provide any assistance in making the film, deeming it “unpatriotic”.
• Two years after the film's release, a computer game called Platoon was released for a number of platforms, based on the film.
• Taylor's helmet reads: “When I die Bury me Upside down So the world Can kiss my ass”.
• The scene where Chris saves a Vietnamese girl from rape is based on a real event that happened to Oliver Stone in Vietnam.
• Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay for «Platoon» in 1976. The script he wrote was autobiographical – in the image of Chris Taylor, the director portrayed himself. However, he was unable to bring his project to life at that time due to lack of support – representatives of film studios 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. 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 to raise the necessary funds to work on «Platoon».
• Oliver Stone said that he decided to start filming «Platoon» because he believed that the truth about the Vietnam War had not been shown in any of the previously made films, and he considered it his duty to demonstrate how the war actually took place.
• 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.
• When choosing a filming location, the filmmakers visited Mexico and the Philippines. The Philippines were preferred because it was more financially advantageous.
• Initially, the director intended for Sergeant Elias to be a Native American.
• Keanu Reeves turned down the role of Chris Taylor, finding it too violent for him.
• 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.
• 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'. However, he later changed his mind.
• The actors were advised by retired Marine Corps officer Dale Dye.
• Mickey Rourke and Kevin Costner were considered for the role of Sergeant Barnes.
• Stone became interested in Willem Dafoe after watching the film "To Live and Die in L.A." and invited him to play the role of Elias.
• 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.
• 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.
• Real Vietnamese refugees were used as extras in the film.
• The Philippine government supported the film crew by providing military equipment and vehicles.
• The piece serving as the film's main musical theme is titled “Adagio for Strings,” and was composed by Samuel Barber back in 1936.
• 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).
• 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.
• At the end of the film, a napalm attack is carried out by a Philippine Air Force F-5 fighter jet.
• 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.
• 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 and Kyle MacLachlan turned down the role of ordinary Chris Taylor.
• 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'.
• 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.
• 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.
• Willem Dafoe caught Stone's attention after watching "Platoon" and was invited to play the role of Elias.