Platoon
About the Film
In 1967, idealistic young college dropout Chris Taylor volunteers for combat duty and is dropped into the jungles of Vietnam with an infantry platoon near the Cambodian border. The exhausted, disillusioned unit is split down the middle between two sergeants who embody its warring souls: the brutal, battle-hardened Barnes and the humane, principled Elias.
As the platoon commits atrocities against Vietnamese villagers and the moral rot spreads, the feud between Barnes and Elias erupts into murder, and Taylor is forced to choose what kind of man he will become. Drawn from director Oliver Stone’s own combat experience, this unflinching Best Picture winner remains one of cinema’s defining Vietnam films — and features a young Johnny Depp among its ensemble of soldiers.
Plot synopsis by johnny-depp.org.
Johnny Depp
In one of his earliest roles, Johnny Depp appears as Private Gator Lerner, a soldier in the platoon who also serves as its interpreter. It is a small supporting part in a huge ensemble — and some of his scenes were trimmed — but being cast in Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning war epic early in his career placed the young actor alongside a remarkable roster of future stars.
Cast & Crew
Cast
Chris TaylorCharlie Sheen
Sgt. BarnesTom Berenger
Sgt. EliasWillem Dafoe
Pvt. Gator LernerJohnny Depp
Big HaroldForest Whitaker
BunnyKevin Dillon
Sgt. O’NeillJohn C. McGinley
KingKeith David
Crew
Director / WriterOliver Stone
MusicGeorges Delerue
CinematographyRobert Richardson
ProducerArnold Kopelson
StudioOrion Pictures / Hemdale
Filming Locations
- Luzon, the Philippines (standing in for Vietnam)
- Mount Makiling and Cavite, the Philippines
More about this film
Trivia
- Oliver Stone based the screenplay on his own service as an infantryman in Vietnam.
- The cast endured an intense two-week military training regimen led by veteran Dale Dye to prepare.
- The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
- It was one of Johnny Depp’s earliest film roles, a few years before 21 Jump Street made him a star.
Awards
- 1987 Academy Award — Best Picture Won
- 1987 Academy Award — Best Director (Oliver Stone) Won
- 1987 Academy Award — Best Film Editing & Best Sound Won
