Director Oliver Stone became famous due to his rich life experience. In 1967, he went to Vietnam, where he took part in one of the largest battles. His film works are devoted, as a rule, to military personnel. For example, the Vietnamese trilogy, starting with the movie Platoon (1986). Criticism reviews about this picture are positive. Stone's film is recognized by the filmmakers as the best of all that tells of the Vietnam War.
The plot of the movie "Platoon"
The picture is autobiographical in nature. The prototype of the protagonist - Private Chris Taylor - is directed and written by Oliver Stone. The film takes place in South Vietnam in the late sixties. The plot is based on the story of one platoon.
The following briefly describes the selection of actors. The movie "Platoon" (1986) is not just a military drama. In the film with a delicate psychologism, the characteristics of the soldiers are revealed, the complicated relationships between them are shown. Unofficially, the platoon is divided into two groups. The first is led by Robert Barnes. The second is Elias Grodin. These heroes personify two opposite types of human adaptation to the realities of war, which in most cases leads to moral degradation.
History of creation
Actors of the movie "Platoon" until 1986 were not widely known. On the eve of filming, the director talked with five contenders for the main roles. But they refused to star in his picture. For the role of private Taylor, the director considered the candidatures of Johnny Depp, Kyle McLachlan, Keanu Reeves and other actors. The 1986 film "Platoon" was shot very realistically. This is probably why Hollywood stars did not agree to work with Stone. Reeves, for example, called Taylor too cruel and an unpleasant character.
The film "Platoon" (1986): actors and roles
Taylor played Charlie Sheen. Initially, the director offered this role to his brother - Emilio Estevez. Stone believed that Charlie Sheen was too young to star in the movie Platoon (1986). The actor, however, was able to embody the image of Taylor on the screen.
Tom Berenger played Barnes. At the initial stage of preparations for the filming, Stone considered the candidatures of Kevin Costner and Mickey Rourke. Sergeant O'Neill could play John Spencer. However, a little-known actor John McGinley was approved for this role at that time.
Willem Dafoe played the role of Sergeant Elias. Keith David played King. Kevin - Dillon Bunny. David Neidorf, Chris Pedersen, Bob Orvig, Corky Ford, Tony Todd, Johnny Depp, Reggie Johnson, Mark Moses, Francesco Quinn, Forest Whitaker also played in the film .
Charlie sheen
The real name of the actor is Carlos Irwin Estevez. Charlie did not seek to connect his career with the movie. This was due to the fact that his father (Martin Sheen) died of a heart attack during the filming of "Apocalypse Today." Although in the movie the representative of the acting dynasty made his debut in childhood - in the film “Execution of Private Slovik”. Fame for Charlie Sheen came after the premiere of "Platoon" Stone. Other films with the participation of this actor: “Three on the Road”, “Neutral Strip”, “Young Arrows”, “Eight Out of the Game”, “Mountain of Courage”, “Chasing the Shadow”.
Tom Berenger
The film career of the performer of the role of Barnes in the film Stone began in 1977 with a role in the drama "In Search of Mr. Goodbar." After showing this picture, Berenger drew the attention of Hollywood filmmakers. In the same year he starred in the film "Sentinel."
In the late seventies, the actor played interesting roles in two film projects - “Butch and Sundance: Youth” and “Flesh and Blood”. Then there was the action movie "Dogs of War" by John Irwin, which was released six years before the picture "Platoon". Tom Berenger has played in the films “Major League”, “Shatter”, “Guards”, “Body Language”, “Substitution” and many others.
Willem Dafoe
In the movie, the actor made his debut at the age of twenty-six, playing a cameo role in the film "The Gates of Paradise." However, the directorial version was reduced, and the role of Willem Defo during the installation appeared in the basket. Well, that’s for the better: a picture in the Western genre crashed through the box office. In 1982, the actor played biker Vance in the drama Catherine Bigelow and Monti Montgomery "Without Love." But this work could not be called successful.
Glory to Defoe, as well as to other actors of "Platoon" came in 1986. For his role in military drama, he was nominated for an Oscar. Defoe later played in the films Mississippi on Fire, Triumph of the Spirit, Wild at Heart, White Sands, Body as Evidence, Sensitive Dream, Existence, Shadow of the Vampire, Spider-Man ".
For the film "Platoon" Oliver Stone was awarded the Oscar. Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe were nominated for a prestigious film award.