He is a naive and overly idealistic infantry enlistee that has dropped out of school and joined the war in order to gain a sense of pride about himself; to do his share for the U.S., and to become anonymous like the rest of the men in his platoon. Just keep your pecker up and your powder dry, things change. Edit, Night AmbushPvt Tex (WIA): Has hand blown off by Sgt. Chris drops out of college, enlists in the military, and asks for combat duty in Vietnam. Elias admits he is a burn out and has some faults, but at least he is competent and doesn't frag his own. When Chris and the others in the head initially decline to accept Sgt. His vest was fitted with squibs and he held a detonator in his right hand. When Chris reflects upon the village and the murder of Elias, he is able to gain the same enlightenment, yet his killing of Barnes in cold blood detracts from any progress hes made toward self-fulfillment. In the aftermath, Barnes sees Taylor aiming a gun at him. Barnes instinctively warns him of the pressing danger. The first casualty of war is innocence. Barnes immorality that brings about the deterioration of Chris own psyche. Throughout the film, Chris ability and attempts to understand the big picture of war illustrate how he views situations from a holistic, female mental sex standpoint. RHAH: (puffing on his bowl) How do you know the dinks didnt get him. Sergeant Barnes is the first sergeant in Chris platoon. (Stone, p. 87) All gave some during the Vietnam War, and some gave all. He says "do it". His endeavor is brought about by his concern for making sure the rich and privileged, like himself, do for the country what the poor and underprivileged are always forced to do. (to Doc) Doc, tagem and bagem. People like Elias get wasted and people like Barnes just go on making up rules any way they want and what do we do, we just sit around in the middle and suck on it! Answer: 7. And we are finally left with not only the platoon, but almost the entire 25th infantry, overrun by the enemy sustaining enormous loss of lives. For example: when Chris throws up and cant physically handle himself the first time he sees a rotting corpse of an enemy soldier in the jungle; When Chris allegedly falls asleep on his watch, allowing the enemy to walk right up on the sleeping platoon; When Barnes realizes Chris knows he lied about Elias being dead; When Barnes overhears Chris trying to convince the others that Barnes killed Elias, and in one of the final battle scenes where the tension between Barnes and Chris comes to a head and Barnes tries to kill Chris during the commotion of hand to hand combat with the Viet Cong. CHRIS: Yever get caught in a mistake King and you just cant get out of it? You aint ever been right - bout nothing. But a cold and ruthless product of warfare. Say gain. M79. Barnes is the first platoon sergeant. To make matters worse, the inexperienced, incompetent Lt. Wolfe accidentally orders an air strike on the platoons location resulting in more casualties in the platoon. He is also seen sitting next to the guy (Tubbs): who's throwing a knife into the ground, just before scene where Barnes, O'Neil and others are playing cards.Pvt Tony (WIA): Shot while defending CP bunker, then seen waving to Taylor at end. Specialist 4th class.SGT. Hope things are well Grandma, tell Mom and Dad, I well just tell them, Chris. People like Elias get wasted and people like Barnes just go on making up rules any way they want and what do we do, we just sit around in the middle and suck on it! Barnes challenges Chris to, Do it!to shoot him while Chris has a rifle trained on him and his finger on the trigger. Elias leads Chris to conclude that Sgt. He later died in an airplane accident. Half the platoon sides with Sgt. Why did Sgt Barnes shoots Elias? These actions are undertaken with the constant fear the enemy could possibly attack at any moment, and unfortunately, the new recruits, fresh meat, have an entire year of this to endure. Barnes and Sgt. CHRIS: Yever get caught in a mistake King and you just cant get out of it? His mythic persona, superiority in rank, experience, and hard-line leadership commands respect and influences the platoon to follow his example and orders. Sanderson either ignored this rule or felt that because he'd been able to open the box that it wasn't booby-trapped (as often the explosives are set to detonate when opening the box). All the characters are concerned with how the war is progressing, and what type of impact the U.S. military is having in Vietnam. Platoon is one among a great many Hollywood movies set in Vietnam which were instead shot in the jungles of the Philippines. Did he try to kill himself? Car-15. Sergeant Barnes life revolves around performing a certain way while in countryfighting the deadly Viet Cong. Barnes grievances focus on Chris Taylor who supports and follows Elias ideals eventually leading to their lethal confrontation. Sgt. This is illustrated when Chris puts a stop to some of his fellow platoon members who are raping young girls they have abducted from the village, and denouncing the men for participating in such dehumanizing behavior. Chris sees Barnes for the immoral, ruthless murderer that he is. Best Gaming Laptops under $600. | Understanding how networked the entire area has become and how hidden and well stocked the Viet Cong are serve as forewarnings that support the consequence. Barnes orders the rest of the platoon to retreat and goes back into the jungle to find Elias's group. With his unique perspective, Stone filmed one of the most iconicdeath scenes in cinema history the dramatic end of Sgt. Frustrated by the way the war operates, Chris begins to learn the hypocrisy that is an inherent part of it. Now, Taylor looms over a fallen comrade, Barnes (who requests a medic), and kills him. Barnes is the one who does the basic planning and strategizing for the platoon. He is no longer a naive, idealistic, young boy who was looking for a great adventure to make him a man, he has come to realize, and take part of, the atrocities and numbing reality of the Vietnam War. Another example is when he explains to the men in the head that he killed Elias because he couldnt and wouldnt tolerate a man that doesnt follow orders, he is warning them to follow orders or they will suffer the same fate as Elias did. When you know you know. Elias each feel the methods the other embraces to fight this war are non-accurate: Barnes was a hot headed, gung-ho go getter who actually believed in his cause was was willing to do whatever was necessary to win the war Elias was much less of a fighting man but it can be argued that men like Elias would be better for winning the Hearts and Minds of the population. Next:Platoon True Story: How Accurate Is The Vietnam War Movie. Out here assholes, ya keep your shit wired tight at all times! On December 18, 1916 The Battle of Verdun came to an end after 10 months of fighting. Chris and Sgt. Remember what it looks like. And so everything looks and feels relatively normal given the circumstances. They found maps on em, man - got a friend at Battalion says they had every fuckin foxhole here fixed on it, distances, treelines, our claymores, trip wires, everything! Who was Murphy? But they saw a bloodied Sgt. CHRIS (V.O. Barnes focuses on others inadequacies, and this in particular makes problems for Chris. There is a lot of speculation whether he lives or dies, confused even more by the fact Depp mentions Lerner dies in a documentary about this movie. During Platoons climax, Willem Dafoes Sgt Elias is chased and fired upon by North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops. But Taylor's ascension into one of the platoon's bravestsoldiers leadsto a face-to-face confrontation with Barnes; a moment that's framed similarly to the Barnes-Elias sequence. Critically acclaimed writer-director Oliver Stone (an Army veteran) took audiences into that politically charged time in American history, where the war efforts of our service members were either overlooked or disdained upon returning home,with Platoon. Chris thought the war would mold him into the type of man he would be proud of, instead it has dehumanized him to the point where he is willing and able to commit the murder of his commanding officer in an act of revenge. An example is the scene where Lieutenant Wolfe calls in the wrong coordinates and mistakenly attacks his own platoon with air support. The events of his past have dehumanized this man into a remorseless, immoral killing machine. Barnes, a combat-loving burnout (Tom Berenger), is the informal leader of the lifers, and Sgt. During the run, however, some went off, while others failed, although viewers were unaware of this. Elas Character Analysis. Written and directed by Oliver Stone. Barnes shoots and murders Sgt. For as intense as Elias death scene was in Platoon, it took relatively few takes; it only took three or four tries for Dafoe and Stone to capture it. Elias ' decision to report Barnes ' criminal conduct at the village precipitates a rift between the members in the platoon (some siding with Barnes and others siding with Elias ), and ultimately causes Barnes to kill Elias. Chris has a strong hunch that Barnes killed Elias which develops into a theory. Truman wanted French support against Russia. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, This military-inspired watch was worn by General Pershing, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana. The platoon gets caught in an enemy ambush, and the Viet Cong causes the platoon to suffer serious casualties. Stone's message suggests that for goodness to prevail, darkness must be overcome. Johnny Depp Learned An Entire Language For His Role In Platoon. France wanted Vietnam. The inhumane, merciless treatment Barnes carries out shocks Chris and rekindles his conscience and sense of morals. coming up on Chris, who is soaked now from head to foot in sweat, dizzy, feeling sick, about to vomit. Edit, As stated in the trivia, Charlie Sheen improvised this, as he felt Chris would be suicidal by the end of the movie, having murdered Barnes in cold blood and seen the horrors of what the men fighting on the same side as him would do to each other and innocent people during the conflict. CHRIS: He killed him. Barnes drive and motivation. Why is the helmet placed upside down in the poster? He uses this theory to try to convince others in the platoon that Sgt. Although Id served with distinction, I never kidded myself that the Pentagon was in my corner., More from us: Vietnam War Movies That Best Show the Realities of the Conflict. It leaves us with the ominous impression that this is definitely a war America is losing. His wounds deprived him of his biggest dream which was going to West Point, so instead he became an actor. Elias warns Barnes that he shouldnt send the new men in the platoon out on an all night ambush because they would most likely engage the enemy, and their inexperience would make them inadequate for the patrol. by | Apr 19, 2021 | Uncategorized | 0 comments | Apr 19, 2021 | Uncategorized | 0 comments He was cruel and willing to kill those he was tasked with protecting. Sgt. This moment is Taylor reclaiming his own identity and removing Barnes' insidious influence. | Dale Dye says in his commentary that Huffmeister is played by an Assistant Technical Advisor called Robert Galotti, he is the guy who rolls down the hill in the opening credits and also chucks a grenade down the well in the village scene.Pvt Francis (WIA): Stabs himself in the leg to get second Purple Heart and thus get sent home, along with Taylor.Pvt Rodriguez (WIA): On chopper with Francis at end of film. Chris views the division in the platoon as a direct result of Barnes lack of respect for human life and unscrupulous morals: Both the main character and the obstacle character see each other as the cause of the problems they are experiencing in their relationship. Remington 870 shotgun.Pvt Junior (KIA): Tries to run knocks himself out against a tree, then is bayoneted by NVA soldier.Pvt Parker (KIA): Dragged into CP bunker by Doc, who confirms he is dead. Barnes. For Barnes, conflict will decrease between the two as soon as Chris can prove himself to be more like a soldier willing to set his morals aside while fighting in Vietnam. Elias; In the films climatic battle, instead of relying on the safety of his foxhole, Chris leaves to engage the enemy in hand to hand combat; Ultimately, he ends up murdering Sgt. The arms-to-the-sky pose during Elias death scene can easily be seen as an allusion to crucifixion and, interestingly, when viewers first meet the character, hes carrying his weapon over his shoulders in a pose that somewhat mimics the act. Remember what it looks like. This frustration is derived from past events the platoon has recently suffered, such as the loss of two men in the all night ambush, the loss of two additional men in a booby trapped Viet Cong bunker, and the abduction of another platoon member who is found strapped to a tree, dead and mutilated. (Stone, p. 95) Lias, he was full of shit, Lias was a crusader - I got no fight with a man does what hes told, but when he dont, the machine breaks down, and when the machine breaks down, we break down and I aint gonna allow that. King and Crawford share a smile. Wasnt learning anything (hesitate) And why should just the poor kids go to the war - and the college kids get away with it. Noting Barnes' anxious manner, Taylor realizes that he was responsible. As he puts it, "Didn't make much sense, I wasn't learning anything. He has attained the combat skills and control over his fear necessary to perform competently during combat. Sgt. (Stone, p. 95) Another example of fact impeding the subjective storys progress is when Barnes has Chris at knife point, Rhah tells Barnes that he will spend ten hard years in prison if he kills Chris, which causes Barnes to release him. 1, Sheila Benson). Chris seeks to obtain revenge against Barnes for murdering Elias: I say we frag the fucker. The sergeants actions momentarily shock the entire platoon, but then seem to inspire the platoon to want to kill all the villagers. Barnes has shot and murdered Sgt. It doesn't kill Elias and he leaves him for dead as we later see. Essentially, he was told where explosives were going off and how to best avoid them. These lines obviously reference the internal conflict amongst his unit, and Taylor statesthat the Vietnam War will always be with him. Chris is thematically focused on understanding how to apply what he knows. The fact that the men in the platoon, as well as the enemys lives, are not given much value, slows the progress of the objective story. BARNES: You pussies gotta smoke this shit sos you can hide from reality (smokes again) Me, I dont need this shit. When the platoon takes some gruesome losses, an enraged Barnes kills some Vietnamese and orders the burning of their village, outraging the temporarily absent Elias. (to Warren) We leave here in 2-zero minutes. The most famous is the My Lai massacre, believed to have been perpetrated by Lt. William Calley. Warren (WIA): Wounded behind Learner, seen being choppered out after church battle. Chris eventually transcends the wisdom that brought him to Vietnam and he becomes enlightened by his experiences in the war. And while the final narration doesn't reveal a whole lot about Taylor's life after the Vietnam War, his reflections arerepresentative of how many soldiers feel uponreturning home. He grabs Chris machete out of his hand and bulls his way into the foliage, tearing it apart, setting a new pace. The meetings closed. ELIAS: First Platoons gonna be coming up here to reinforce us a couple of dinks get in here behind us, theyll get us in a crossfire with the First, well shoot each other to shit. In that sense, the film can be interpreted literally or metaphorically, as one could argue that Sheen's character doesn't literally kill his superior at the end, but rather imagines himself getting revenge. Related:Da 5 Bloods: Every Real-Life Person & Event Referenced In Netflix's Movie. Sgt. Barnes also points out to Chris and the other men the pertinent facts of the way he runs the platoon: (to Chris) And that goes for you, shit for brains. The consequence of not making progress in the war is the men will have to keep fighting, subjected to the inhumane preconscious responses they have developed in order to stay alive. Idealistic, patriotic, eager for adventure, Chris Taylor is the kind of earnest middle-class rebel who scandalizes his parents by believing in flag and country in a literal way. That didn't make much sense to most of his fellow soldiers, frankly . This provokes Chris to attack Barnes, signifying that Chris does stand for something, and he honors the beliefs and ideals that Elias stood for. Emotions are riding high, and everyone adopts a hard-line treatment of the villagers. There is only terror, bone-deep exhaustion, nighttime patrols and the humid jungle, crawling with snakes, insects and the silent Viet Cong. (Los Angeles Times, 12/19/86, Calendar/p. M60 (Uses an M16 in the night ambush scene).Pvt Bunny (KIA): Killed in bunker by NVA soldier blowing his brains out. Elias. Chris enlightenment about the horrible, desensitizing, dehumanizing nature of war weighs heavily against the wisdom he has about the society that compelled him to volunteer for military service. CHRIS: Yever get caught in a mistake, King, and you just cant get out of it? This is done as a means of releasing the tension and frustration that has built up from horrific ordeals he and his platoon have recently experienced; While his platoon pillages a small village, Chris rescues a young village girl from being raped by some of the men in his platoon; When Sgt. CHRIS: Proofs in his eyes. Who killed Elias in platoon? Chris and his platoon release their tension and frustrations from the war on a small Vietnamese village. But there are a few interesting things you probably didn't know about Sgt. Barnes told everyone that the enemy already killed Elias. Stone served in the Vietnam War from 1967-68 and used his own experiences during the conflict to shape the narrative. Sgt. Platoon Barnes was in co-command of 2nd Platoon along with Sgt. If the U.S. military would have proven to be a more effective adversary in the jungle style warfare waged against the Viet Cong, the U.S. would have probably won the war; If Lt. Wolfe had been a proven combat soldier, many situations the platoon faced wouldnt have resulted with such ill consequences; If Sgt. Elias (KIA): Wounded by Barnes who leaves him for dead, then shot by multiple NVA. Chris and other new recruits are made immediately aware that their future is going to be bleak, harsh, and very possibly deadly in Vietnam. Since Chris has just arrived to the platoon and has no past experience of fighting and surviving in jungle combat, he has no memories he can draw upon to serve him in the current situation. why did barnes kill elias. Momentarily losing control of his senses, Chris fires his gun at the feet of a retarded village man. There are many examples of how unproven is the problem in the objective story. If they had they would have run Barnes was at the eye of our rage - and through him, our Captain Ahab - we would set things right again. You dont sleep on no fucking ambush! Elias when they are alone in the jungle. KING: You what? Is there a Nazi flag on the American tank? In the film Barnes clearly represents the darkness and evil while Elias is the light and goodness. You fuck up in a fire fight and I goddamn guarantee you a trip out of the bush, in a body bag! A platoon is four squads: generally three rifle squads and one weapons squad, normally armed with machine guns and anti-tank weapons. Barnes senses his chance to kill Elias when the two are alone in the jungle, their eyes meet with Sgt. After 10 months of fighting lines obviously reference the internal conflict amongst his,! Event Referenced in Netflix 's Movie to most of his hand and bulls his way into the jungle find! His gun at the feet of a retarded village man Chris own psyche by Lt. 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