horror and science fiction DVD and movie reviews and previews from curledupdvd.com - curled up with a good dvd
Blu-ray reviews and previews from curledupdvd.com - curled up with a good dvd
DVD reviews, previews and info - blu-ray
 
         
 
  action movies on DVD
  animation on DVD
  art house and international / foreign language films on DVD
  comedies on DVD
  documentaries on DVD
  dramas on DVD
  children's and family DVDs
  horror and sci-fi on DVD
  suspense on DVD
  television series on DVD
  Blu-ray DVD reviews
   
 
Google

   
   

Platoon (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) - Blu-ray / drama DVD / Vietnam War DVD / Academy Award-winning DVD review
PLATOON (TWO-DISC DVD/BLU-RAY COMBO) Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America curledupdvd.com rating: 4 1/2 stars
Featuring: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Depp, Kevin Dillon
Director: Oliver Stone Studio: MGM Video & DVD
DVD release: 24 May 2011 Runtime: 120 min. (2 discs)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Blu-ray
DVD features: 1080p, Aspect ratio (1.85:1), Audio tracks (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - English; Dolby Digital 4.0 - English; DTS 5.1 - Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian; Dolby Digital 5.1 - Portugese, Spanish; Dolby Digital 2.0 - Czech, Hungarian), Subtitles (English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish), Audio commentary w/ director Oliver Stone, Audio commentary w/ military advisor Dale Dye, Deleted & extended scenes, Snapshot in Time: 1967-1968, Creating the 'Nam, Raw Wounds: The Legacy of Platoon, One War, Many Stories documentary, Preparing for 'Nam documentary, Vignettes, Television spots, Theatrical trailer

*Platoon* Oliver Stone's Platoon is 25 years old, but for its age, its impact remains undiminished. Platoon is Stone's semi-autobiographical story of his time in Vietnam, and it was hailed upon its release as the first even-handed depiction of the conflict in the Asian country in the '60s and '70s.

Terrible things happened there (as in any war), and Platoon shows how they happened. The foot soldiers there were subject to incredible pressure and made decisions that on the surface seem to be poor. They carried out orders that seemed cruel and illogical, but Platoon shows there may have been some reason behind them without trying to diminish or excuse the horror.

Charlie Sheen plays Chris, our Oliver Stone allegory. He's green, and that's obvious as soon as his boots hit the dirt in 'Nam. The outgoing soldiers look like 100 miles of bad road, with haunted stares. Chris sees his future before him. When Chris gets to his platoon, he is a pariah. The seasoned soldiers don't want to know his name, don't want him endangering them with his naivete.

Chris's two sergeants depict two conflicting perspectives on the war at the time (1967). Sgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger) is intimidating, scarred and gung-ho. He believes in what he does and hates the indigenous population. Sgt. Elias (Willem Dafoe) is kind, offers helpful advice and smokes weed with the boys. He believed in what he did in '64, but now...

In just a short time, Chris becomes more seasoned and is allowed into the inner circle. We see illustrations of various personality archetypes in his platoon mates - cowards, masochists, the shell-shocked, the doomed.

The picture looks sharp on Blu-ray, and it sounds great, too. The extra features, recycled from the 20th anniversary edition, are nonetheless worthwhile. The most appealing is Snapshot in Time: 1967-1968, which sets the stage for the way the world was at the time, with faith in American leadership waning as president Johnson decides not to seek nomination for a second term. Vietnam was and is a complex issue, and there are too many perspectives to show in one film - but Platoon delivers a valuable one.
 
  buy this DVD now or browse millions of other great products at amazon.com
 
 
   
 
   
reviewed by Eric Renshaw
   
         
    action | animation | art house/international | comedy | documentary | drama | family | horror/sci-fi | suspense | television    
    browse DVDs alphabetical by title    
    contact | home