The Movie Platoon - Essay Example

The movie draws on Stone’s experience in the war and most of the characters in the movie were his colleagues in the Vietnam War. The movie starts with the arrival of Chris Taylor in Vietnam where he joined other U.S. soldiers in the war as a volunteer with very little war experience (Platoon). Indeed, Chris Taylor was a young, innocent American college dropout who volunteered to join the Vietnam combat. Subsequently, subject to his lack of war experience, his presence in the warzone was initially insignificant and hence the feeling of loneliness. Indeed, Chris Taylor had fought for a short period and did not possess any effects of the war as compared to other soldiers. Nevertheless, the movie asserts that Chris Taylor joined the Bravo Company, 25th Infantry near the Cambodian border along with other seasoned soldiers. At first, the exhaustion nearly drove his enthusiasm away but the movie demonstrates his will to persevere. Indeed, the movie manifests that after witnessing combat and getting injuries from the war, Chris Taylor effectively integrated into the Bravo Company. The movie reflects on the role of Chris Taylor in the unit and his relationship with the fellow soldiers who lead the Bravo Company (Platoon).
Sgt. Barnes as Tom Berenger and Sgt. Elias and Willem Dafoe were leading the platoon. The movie portrays Sgt. Barnes is a man who encountered violence and corruption of his soul in the war through the scars on his face. On the other hand, Sgt. Elias is a calm man who lost his belief in the war and hence continues to fight with his personal and moral courage. As such, there existed immense rivalry between the two sergeants in the leadership of the platoon. Chris Taylor was thus a victim of this rivalry. Indeed, Chris Taylor was now fighting against the enemy on one side and equally fighting the conflict within his platoon. The two sergeants out lightly conflicted during an illegal killing that occurs during a village raid (Platoon). Platoon gives a clear reflection of the war and the moral issues involved in the war. More so, the movie relevantly mixes the reality of the war with small realistic details like exhaustion and the counting of days to the end of the war. Furthermore, the platoon depicts various battles that took place in the Vietnam War during the night and village raids. Most significant is the fact that many of the characters in the movie are symbols with a deeper meaning. For instance, Elias and Barnes reflect on the good and evil in the Vietnam War though none is entirely good or evil. Notably, the platoon entails the live caption of chaos and confusion within the battle thus negating the characteristics of a traditional war movie. Moreover, the movie establishes all the details that relate to war and the dehumanizing power of war. As a result, the platoon stands out as the most realistic movie in Vietnam (Platoon).
This movie relates to the book, The Vietnam war 1945 - 1990 by Marilyn Young. The book seeks to give the conflicting sides of the war. Indeed, the book establishes the conflicts between political and American foreign policy (Young 8-15). This relates to the conflict among the American soldiers as seen in the platoon, especially between Sgt. Barnes and Sgt. Elias. More so, the book derives the history of the Vietnam, war is just as seen in the platoon movie. Indeed, the book and the movie address the same periods of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The book shows the resistance from the Vietnamese just as seen in the platoon during the village raids, night battles, and the numerous American soldiers’ casualties. In addition, the book draws the relationship between politics, diplomacy, and war just as seen in the platoon where the effects of the war form part of the movie. Moreover, the book and the movie address the challenges of the less knowledgeable and less experienced in the war (Young 353-361).
In the book, the less experienced are seemingly lost while Chris Taylor was initially insignificant and suffered exhaustion in his inexperienced day in the Bravo Company. The significance of Cambodia and Laos manifests both in the book and in the platoon movie. Notably, Young and Sgt. Elias does not believe in the Vietnam War and hence finds no need to have America participate in it. The millions of people, who died in both cases, make Young and Sgt. Elias deems the Vietnam War as an unworthy involvement. Assuredly, the book entails the careless miscalculations and irrational fear, and violence that characterized Vietnam (Young 322). This relates to the movie’s demonstration of the confusion, inexperience, and chaos that defined the Vietnam War. Read More