There have been many movies about the Vietnam War. Perhaps two of the most closely related films are, "Full Metal Jacket" and "Platoon". At first glance these two films seem to have only the theme of war in common. However, both of these films deal with much more complex points than just the Vietnam War. Both of these movies show the duality of man, the removal of racial lines, and the loss of innocence.
These are all very important issues even to this day. They are a reflection of the struggles that people faced during the Vietnam War. The three points listed above helped our country rethink it's policy about war. "Full Metal Jacket" accomplishes this by depicting some gruesome deaths and through it's main character, private "Joker." "Full Metal Jacket" suggests that America is no longer the innocent and righteous country that it claims to be. The second movie "Platoon" also shows the horrors that our American soldiers endured, as well as caused. "Platoon" accomplished it through the main character Chris, and the struggle of his soul as he fought to do what was right in the Vietnam War. This basically showed how America was both good and evil (like any man), and how it made a mistake by fighting in the Vietnam War.
Both movies have many underlying messages but probably the most intriguing is that of the duality of man. The duality of man is basically how a person can be good one moment and evil the next. "Full Metal Jacket" hints at this message by the symbols private "Joker" has on his uniform. "Joker" has born to kill written on his helmet, and a peace sign symbol on his shirt. These two conflicting symbols demonstrate how the very nature of man contradicts itself by longing for peace, while being willing to kill to survive. This logic is similar to the way the United States responded to the change in Vietnam, because they were supposed to be a peaceful nation, yet when they felt the threat of communism they immediately picked up arms to fight a war that had nothing to do with them.
Oliver stone wrote and produced the movie, Platoon. 2. The film Platoon was made in 1986. 3. ... In the movie Platoon, The Viet Kong operated from secret bases in the jungle or marshes near the boarder of Cambodia. ... The film, Platoon, Begins with Chris Taylor's (Charlie Sheen) arrival in Viet Nam. ... I felt that the movie, Platoon, was pro - American and not pro - war. ...
As shots reached his platoon, Taylor froze and quickly forgot his instructions. ... The obvious similarity is that both men were Lieutenants of their respective platoons. ... This did not allow him to concentrate on his work, and lead his platoon into battle. ... The Sergeants ran the platoon, a rank under a Lieutenant. Wolfe was scared to enforce his authority and lead the platoon. ...
The documentary The Wounded Platoon takes a firsthand look at just how detrimental war can be to the people who experience it. ... In the military, individuals are assigned to subdivisions called platoons. The film revolves around the lives of the men from Third Platoon. Third Platoon is a great example of a total institution due to the strict regiment that the soldiers are commanded to follow. ... Jose Barco a member of the 3rd platoon states, "We were pretty trigger-happy. ...
One night, we were hit by enemy gunfire and nearly lost half the platoon, as well as our Sergeant. ... It was an honor to fill in for my Sergeant and see to the welfare of my platoon. ... I then went back to Afghanistan in 2003 where I lead the platoon into front line combat. ... I at this time was still at E-5 and leading Special Forces for the Infantry Platoon. ... The platoon and myself covered a lot of territory for well over 8 months before moving on. ...
The first real casualty of war is innocence (Platoon 1986)." ... However, in Platoon the war between good and evil progresses as the troops lose reality. ... In Platoon the father figure for Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is Sergeant Elias. ... The portrayal of Platoon is seen as the exact opposite. ... I would infer the men in Platoon as minorities of their society. ...
The movie Platoon, directed by Oliver Stone, gives a graphic portrait of what the Vietnam War was like for the young men who experienced it. It follows Chris, a young man who dropped out of college and volunteered to fight for his country. Through Chris, Oliver Stone reveals the fear and frustrat...
The competition was a walk in the park and I earned a position in this new platoon. ... I was placed in the Advanced Command Post Platoon (ACP) as a security escort for the commander. ... One day my supervisor called the whole platoon to the bay, where he brief the platoon about the upcoming deployment. ... About two months went by and, as usual, my platoon and I left on a mission. ... At the time, the ACP platoon had no room for another Sergeant so I was placed back in the Recon platoon because they needed the manpower. ...
Even when he was injured he still did all he could to help his platoon out of that firefight. ... He never found ways to get out of fights, like 2nd Platoon did. ... He and his platoon were ambushed dozens of times. ... His platoon was running out of ammo and people were getting injured. ... Throughout his tour he controlled everything having to do with his platoon. ...
The author describes the various soldiers of a platoon, discussing their personalities, their inner-thoughts, and their burdens. ... He tightens up the platoon by becoming more strict and doing things right. He wants to "police up" the platoons act. ... Cross, the soldiers in the platoon include Henry Dobbins, Dave Jensen, Ted Lavender, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, Lee Strunk and Kiowa. ...
