"Platoon" A masterpiece of war movies created by recreating "self" in Vietnam *Note! Contains spoilers.

Two superior officers who embody "good" and "evil" in their hearts.

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*There are descriptions that touch on the ending of the story.

One day, Stone's platoon searched a village that was said to be supporting North Vietnamese forces. It is said that Stone, who was in a state of extreme nervousness, frantically fired a gun at the feet of the one-legged villager and threatened him. However, when he later discovered that his platoon mates were attempting to rape a Vietnamese girl, he forced him to stop. This episode is depicted almost exactly as it appears in the middle of the film, and has an important meaning as a turning point in the story.

The main character, Chris, is torn apart by his contradictory behavior of inflicting violence on Vietnamese people and saving a girl on the other hand. It is also a struggle between ``reason'' and ``violence'' within oneself, but of course it is not something that can be resolved easily. This struggle between "reason" and "violence" is a major theme of "Platoon."

In order to sublimate this internal battle into a cinematic drama, Stone allegorically placed Elias in the story as ``good,'' who embodies the good side of humanity, and Burns as ``evil,'' who approves of any violence on the battlefield. .

It has been 20 years since he served in the Vietnam Army, and Stone has probably been tormented by this conflict between good and evil in his heart. However, if we do not give some closure to this conflict, our hearts will be eroded. So Stone had to use the story to settle this battle between good and evil.

"Platoon" (C)2014 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC.

The feud between these two people who embody good and evil escalates until Burns kills Elias during the battle. At the moment of his death, Elias spreads his arms and, like Christ, looks up to heaven as he dies. Just like Christ who carried all the sins of mankind on his shoulders and died on the cross, Elias will die carrying all the sins that Chris (Stone) and others committed. And the day will come when the "violence" that killed "reason" will also be punished. After the final battle, Chris finds an injured Barnes and points a gun at him. Burns doesn't even beg for his life, but mutters quietly. "do it". The next moment, Chris pulls the trigger. Burns was also tired of the long conflict and wanted to die.

At the end, Chris (Stone), who has lost his two "fathers," murmurs that he must give meaning to his life...

Filming for ``Platoon'' was completed in a short period of 54 days. Due to the low budget, some shots were abandoned, but Stone looks back on the morning after filming with satisfaction. "It was the sweetest moment I've had since leaving Vietnam."

Twenty years after serving in Vietnam, Oliver Stone has faithfully recreated his combat experiences on screen, resolving his conflict. It must have been a break from the past trauma and desire for death that bound him. This is probably one of the reasons why ``Platoon'' is such a special film, and why it continues to be supported by so many audiences.

However, even though a period may be set, the internal conflicts of humans never end. In fact, at the end of the movie, Chris' narration says:

"Even after death, the feud between Elias and Barnes will continue."

Oliver Stone's fight wasn't over. Even after ``Platoon,'' he continued to energetically release works at a high pace of one every one to two years. `` Wall Street '' (87), `` Talk Radio '' (88), `` JFK '' (91), `` Natural Born Killers '' (94)...these are combative themes that always cast doubt on the state of politics and society. Most of them were. This must be an expression of Stone's struggle with his inner conflict.

Reference: “ Oliver Stone: The Man Who Turned Movies into Bombs ” (James Riordan, translated by Toshikuni Endo/Shogakukan)

Text: Tetsuya Inagaki

TV director. My personal goal is to realize a documentary project that depicts the obsessions of manga and movie creators. Programs he has directed in the past include ``The Godfather : The Man Who Revolutionized Manga'' (WOWOW), ``Takeshi's Birth: Master and Asakusa'' (NHK), ``Master and Disciple Story: The Encounter That Changed My Life'' [Masahiro Tanaka x Katsuya Nomura ] (NHK BS Premium).

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"Platoon"

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(C)2014 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC.