Platoon
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DVD Review
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Review
I hadn’t actually set out to buy this disk at the time I got it, it was a bit of an impulse buy. I was looking around on the randomiser on DVD Street (a fun and unusual way to shop). If you haven’t heard of it, its basically a web page that loads up four items (Music, DVD, Books etc) and displays them at a price that increments with time. You never know what’s coming next so you have to be quick enough to grab something you want at a low enough price.
Well, while I was there this disk popped up and I managed to catch it at £14.50 so I thought I might as well get it. It had been a long time since I had seen it, but I vaguely remembered it as being a good film.
The film opens with the arrival of a plane full of new young troops including Private Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) into Vietnam. As the troops get off the plane the first sight their confronted with is body bags being loaded back on to it and the harsh reality of war is thrown onto them from the outset. The troops are thrown straight into the thick of it as they are moved to a location neat the Cambodian border.
Private Taylor is soon facing a moral dilemma as he’s thrown into a confrontation between Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes (Tom Berenger) and Sergeant Elias (William Dafoe) during a raid on a Vietnamese Village. The story is narrated through the voice of Private Taylor, who lives through the hell of war with not only the Vietnamese but also the elements and the infighting within their own army.
I was quite surprised by the quality of the picture on this disk. Although it’s a little scratchy at the beginning, the picture is excellent through the rest of the film. The powerful scenes that Oliver Stone creates in this film are more than given justice by this print.
The English soundtrack has been remixed to Dolby Digital 5.1 and sounds tremendous. You can really feel the heat of battle with gunshots firing from all corners and explosions booming from the sub channel. There’s also effective use of the surround channels for the rainfall and the general sounds emanating from the jungle. My only complaint is that I struggled to pick up some of the dialogue during a few points of the loudest battle scenes.
So, we come onto the extras. This is the only disappointing thing about the disk I’m afraid. The massive list of extras consist of a Theatrical Trailer and a six page booklet. This is really disappointing, it would have been so good to have a commentary from Oliver Stone, or maybe an interview or making of feature. The booklet is actually OK but only for a one off five minute read.
Would I recommend the disk, I have to say yes. This is a gritty, powerful and moving story that everyone should watch at least once. It doesn’t glamorise war and it shows how a man can become a murderous animal given certain conditions. You really feel for the young soldiers as they fight against the jungle insects, the environment and ultimately themselves.
If the disk had come with some extras this would have been a must have. As it stands, it’s still a damn fine disk.
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