Hawaiian kid, seen lighting building in village scene. Yeah. Platoon, principal subdivision of a military company . This is just another disastrous plan in a series of disastrous plans in the platoon and U.S. efforts to combat the Viet Cong. Gunfire all around, incoming and outgoing, makes them yell to each other. They are the internal moral pillars all humans have that determine whether man's innate capacity for evil is realized or not. He takes the bowl from Adams, smokes it. Elias less. By the final act, director Oliver Stone provides a piercingcommentary about the lasting effects of war and the consequences ofspontaneous decisions. What many might not know is that the pose wasnt planned out beforehand. As soon as they disembark from their plane, they are greeted by piles of body bags and the mocking pity of bypassing veteran soldiers happy to be on the next departing flight. When Barnes suspects the villagers of being Viet Cong sympathizers, Barnes viciously shoots and kills the wife of the village chief, and threatens to shoot the chiefs young daughter as a means of coercing information out of the chief about the Viet Cong. Stone served in the Vietnam War from 1967-68 and used his own experiences during the conflict to shape the narrative. Tonight. Three or four squads make up a platoon, which has 20 to 50 soldiers and is commanded by a lieutenant. Barnes course of action, but is in no position to prevent the horrible events he witnesses. I know he did. There is a lot of speculation whether he lives or dies, confused even more by the fact Depp mentions Lerner dies in a documentary about this movie. KING: Way out of anything, man. If their wounds were minor and would fully heal in a few weeks, they'd be sent to a hospital and then once they had healed, sent back to the front line. As Taylor departs the battlefield in a helicopter in Platoon, voiceover narration suggests that he is now speaking in the present rather than writing a letter to his grandmother (a recurring theme in the movie). Although Id served with distinction, I never kidded myself that the Pentagon was in my corner., More from us: Vietnam War Movies That Best Show the Realities of the Conflict. Dafoe also had some control over the timing of the detonations. Elias eyes seem to go to some inner place, his passion surging. How big is a platoon? Barnes was a hot headed, gung-ho go getter who actually believed in his cause was was willing to do whatever was necessary to win the war Elias was much less of a fighting man but it can be argued that men like Elias would be better for winning the Hearts and Minds of the population. He is one of the four dead bodies under ponchos. Huh. 1st Squad (Alpha): Squad Leader. Why did Barnes shoots Elias? He doesn't kill any civilians during the raid on Select Page. Ironically, it is the impact of Sgt. He was friendly to squad members and smoked marijuana with them, and he became rivals with Sergeant Bob Barnes over his cruelty towards Vietnamese civilians while . The scar-faced Barnes is a brave and utterly ruthless killing machine. Hes able to make observations that other people miss. Barnes in merciless revenge. Sgt. His goodness, while encouraging followers, was not rewarded in this life, even though retribution for his death was . Despite his frustration and anger, there is a line that Chris will not cross when it comes to the human rights of others. This frustration is derived from past events the platoon has recently suffered, such as the loss of two men in the all night ambush, the loss of two additional men in a booby trapped Viet Cong bunker, and the abduction of another platoon member who is found strapped to a tree, dead and mutilated. Only thing can get Barnes is Barnes! Sgt. The morning after the ferocious confrontation brings light to the fact that Chris is one of only a few members in the platoon to survive. Barnes eyes: He also tells a soldier whos screaming when he gets his arm blown off in the ambush to be quiet and, Take the pain!in other words, act indifferent to the pain, so the enemy will not hear him and lock in on the platoons location. Chris, like Sgt. However, by the end of the film, we sense that Chris doesnt still hold to the same basic ideals as when he first arrived in Vietnam. There is a scene in the head hutch where Rhah points out to Chris how much Chris respected Barnes when he first arrived: Next:Platoon True Story: How Accurate Is The Vietnam War Movie. As he puts it, "Didn't make much sense, I wasn't learning anything. When the platoon takes some gruesome losses, an enraged Barnes kills some Vietnamese and orders the burning of their village, outraging the temporarily absent Elias. In Platoon, the narrative constant is always chaos. Shot in the lung by NVA soldier. This is definitely a war America is not winning. He was cruel and willing to kill those he was tasked with protecting. Barnes extensive experience and knowledge of war gives him a false sense of security that causes him to disregard giving much thought to his decisions and actions. You've reached the "hub" for any and all Dramatica analysis of Platoon. That day we loved him(Stone, p. 45) Stone positions his hero directly over the crawling and severely-injured staff sergeant, and makes the audience wonder if Taylor will actually shoot Barnes in the back. Barnes sitting down, lost in a thought. I know he did. The goal is for the U.S. military to make progress in the warwhich they dont. Out here assholes, ya keep your shit wired tight at all times! Sgt. Barnes' decision to kill Elias and later, his decision to try and kill Chris, provokes Chris to kill him. Sgt. The inference, of course, is that war is such hell that soldiers would do anything to escape it, including causing themselves grave injuries, but inPlatoon, Stone doesn't paint a flatteringpicture of Black soldiers, and he's been called out for it over the years. For instance, Chris is appalled when Barnes shoots a village woman in the head and then threatens to shoot a young village girl unless the villagers give him the information he wants; Chris tries to convince some of the other men that Barnes killed Elias, and that they need to kill Barnes who is becoming an evil, immoral, out-of-control liability to the platoon. The U.S. forces are so overwhelmed, they order an air strike on their own compound. why did barnes kill elias. His mythic persona, superiority in rank, experience, and hard-line leadership commands respect and influences the platoon to follow his example and orders. Course Mom and Dad didnt want me to come, they wanted me to be just like them - respectable, hard-working, making $200 a week, a little house, a family. All the men in the platoon, including Chris, are functioning on raw emotions and follow Sgt. Elias; In the films climatic battle, instead of relying on the safety of his foxhole, Chris leaves to engage the enemy in hand to hand combat; Ultimately, he ends up murdering Sgt. Barnes decision to kill Elias and later, his decision to try and kill Chris, provokes Chris to kill him. The fact of Barnes authority inhibits the relationship between himself and Chris. That didn't make much sense to most of his fellow soldiers, frankly . For example,look at how Taylor reacts when Berenger says "Go on, boy" - it's like he'sreceived all the confirmation he needs toget payback for Elias. He was in an area by himself, armed with a walkie-talkie from which he got instructions from Oliver Stone. In the final scene the dead arent even in body bags. In fact, Stone shot the entire movie in the Philippines and had plenty of trouble doing so. Early in the film, its clear that Sgt. Elias admits he is a burn out and has some faults, but at least he is competent and doesn't frag his own. Chris must stop thinking that war will define him as a man. That screenplay was actually based on Stone's earlier screenplay, Break, a semi-autobiographical account of his experiences and people he knew in Vietnam. Lias, he was full of shit, Lias was a crusader - I got no fight with a man does what hes told, but when he dont, the machine breaks down, and when the machine breaks down, we break down and I aint gonna allow that. Chris Taylors strong sense of moral obligation and lack of self fulfillment has brought him to the Vietnam War. Much of this is illustrated in his letters to his grandmother. And we are finally left with not only the platoon, but almost the entire 25th infantry, overrun by the enemy sustaining enormous loss of lives. Bunny refers to himself as "Audie Murphy". Why did Elias smile at Barnes? If they were permanently damaged in some way; such as losing a limb, severe nerve damage, etc. The main action in Platoon takes place in 1968. Here's how the final action plays out in Platoon, andwhat it all means for the bigger picture. BARNES: Yall experts? How close his troops conform to Barnes conception of soldiers, is how he measures his concern of being a role model. They seek direction and guidance for the way they need to function in order to stay alive in Vietnam. During Platoons climax, Willem Dafoes Sgt Elias is chased and fired upon by North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops. Well, here I am, all by my lonesome, and ain't nobody gonna know. 24. As Dafoe dashed through the uneven terrain, he knew the locations of the squibs and the controlled detonations some of which failed to explode, but the audiencecant tell. Another important point relating to the range is the fact that the U.S. military is continually losing soldiers to the Viet Cong, and unable to successfully counteract the Viet Congs strategies. At 20:13 In The Dead Of Night Deep In The Jungle How Is The Enemy Silhouetted? Did Elias die in platoon? During that 10 month period an estimated 600,000 French and German soldiers became a casualty. Edit, near the beginning of the movie, as the squad goes out for the night ambush and in the end of the movie? Performing a patriotic service for your country, the chance to take rage and frustration out on the enemy that has caused it, doing drugsthese are types of dividends the men can reap in the platoon. Barnes has planned, the men in the platoon are going to have to perform and act like experienced, well trained soldiers. Just keep your pecker up and your powder dry, things change. Platoon's medic.LT. He honors and respects Sgt. Insufficiency, inadequacy, deficient to the purpose are ways to look at the term non-accurate. The film closes with hundreds of dead bodies fallen everywhere, with no particular organization, and no body bags. ELIAS: we been kicking other peoples asses so long I guess its time we got our own kicked. Get one of my guys zapped so some fuckface fresh from the world can get his beauty fucking sleep! Throughout the film, we see how Chris is thematically focused on the events he experiences and sees, and is able to pull out the really relevant and meaningful parts which gives him wisdom beyond his years. Barnes impact on Chris eventually dehumanizes him to the point where he is capable of killing his commanding officer, fully conscious that he is committing the same type of immoral act that Sgt. Elias, he begins to consider Chris as another crusader that wants to challenge his authority. Chris shoots him three times at close range to finish him off after he survives the airstrike. CRAWFORD: Sounds like it. Sgt. Would soldiers actually wound themselves to get sent home? Bunny refers to himself as "Audie Murphy". He was also the Technical Advisor for the film. The smell was chemical and horrific. He aint gonna bite you. While there, the cast also trained to be soldiers with Marine veteran and friend of WATM,Capt. A platoon is four squads: generally three rifle squads and one weapons squad, normally armed with machine guns and anti-tank weapons. Barnes questionable account of how he earlier found Elias dead in the jungle, prompting the following exchange of dialogue between Chris and other platoon members: Sgt. Seen trying to rape a girl in village scene. The cost of being relates to the men in the platoon losing their identities and having to behave in a certain way. Is the village massacre based on any actual events? Barnes murdered Sgt. Frustrated by the way the war operates, Chris begins to learn the hypocrisy that is an inherent part of it. Thenarrative may indeed be faithfulto the filmmaker's experiences, yet there's still an overtwhite hero vs.Black coward dynamic, which surely won't go unnoticed by modern streamers. While Chris is on point, he unwittingly approaches a camouflaged Viet Cong bunker and Sgt. Barnes confronts Chris and some of the other men when he overhears them talking about killing him to revenge Elias murder. Each of the men begin to have a moral conflict with one another over what the other considers as right and wrong. Outraged by Sgt. Elias Gordon was born in 1936, and he joined the US Army during the Vietnam War, serving as a Sergeant in Bravo Company, US 25th Infantry Division. When Chris Taylor first arrives in Vietnam, he is basically a naive, idealistic, young man who has dropped out of college to enlist in the militaryhes signed up for infantry and combat. Even though he didnt see Barnes actually shoot Elias, or has any physical proof of the crime, Chris still knows Barnes murdered Elias. Dye stands with actors Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Moses on the set of Platoon,deep in the jungle in the Philippines (Image from Orion Pictures). Like everybody else. Forces are situated, definitely implies the platoon will soon suffer the consequences of failure. Edit, Yes, it was likely meant as an ironic statement by the tank crew. When Elias is betrayed by Barnes, he still greets him with a smile, as if satisfied with his ability to operate on optimism despite the tragedies of warthat surround him, and his demise being brought on not by the enemy of war, but the enemy of morality. 2nd Lieutenant (Platoon Leader).SSG. New posts New media New media comments New resources Latest activity. Barnes as a role model and leader makes a significant impact on the men in the platoon, including Chris. Like everybody else. Elias's onscreen death in Platoon. Get that other cherry up here, Gardner! Elias decision to report Barnes criminal conduct at the village precipitates a rift between the members in the platoon (some siding with Barnes and others siding with Elias), and ultimately causes Barnes to kill Elias. Sgt Barnes, Elias' sadistic staff sergeant, was in direct contrast to Platoon's main character. Captain. But rather than checking on the injured, Francis deliberately plunges a knife into his leg. The inhumane, merciless treatment Barnes carries out shocks Chris and rekindles his conscience and sense of morals. He eventually gains an insight to the overall scheme of the war and where he fits in its plan, and he doesnt like the design at all: No longer a liability, Chris has become a valuable asset to the platoon. The fact that the men in the platoon, as well as the enemys lives, are not given much value, slows the progress of the objective story. Contents 1 Chris Taylor 2 Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes 3 Dialogue 4 Cast 5 Taglines 6 External links Chris Taylor [ edit] People like Elias get wasted and people like Barnes just go on making up rules any way they want and what do we do, we just sit around in the middle and suck on it! Throughout the film, we experience the platoons frustrations, anxieties, and fears of fighting an invisible enemy that the platoon seems to have little to no impact against. During a chaotic jungle mission, Barnes spots Elias and shoots him. Chris and his platoon release their tension and frustrations from the war on a small Vietnamese village. Say gain. As for Elias, he's the stabilizing force of the platoon - hard enough to intimidate others, smart enough to objectively analyze and assess strategicand psychological dilemmas. Barnes RTO.Doc (KIA): Also shot while defending CP bunker, he is still rolling around after being shot but would appear to have died from his wounds as he is not seen at the end with the other survivors (this is also the case in the script). Elias Gordon (1936-January 2, 1968) was a US Army Sergeant during the Vietnam War. Sgt. Dafoe played Elias, a soldier that was set in sharp contrast to Berenger's character, Sgt. Barnes blames it on the way the men acted, and he gives them a lecture on how they need to be and act when they are on a nighttime ambush: Elias get into an altercation over Sgt. CHRIS: Not just me its the way the whole thing works. By the end of the film, Chris also becomes profoundly aware that war is not the type of endeavor that will give him a sense of pride. More:Da 5 Bloods: Every Movie Reference & Influence In Spike Lee's Movie. We just dont add up to a rats ass. 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