From none of you. Hispanic kid seen praying when Wolfe goes into bunker where Barnes and others are playing poker. Captain. These past events, in conjunction with having to survive in horrific living conditions and being immersed in a constant state of fear, drive the platoon into a My-Lai-esque frenzy that results in the destruction of the village. 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. Lurking in the town in the disguise of a day laborer, Elas . Chris presumes Barnes killed Elias as if it were a fact. (Stone, p. 85) Chris views the division in the platoon as a direct result of Barnes lack of respect for human life and unscrupulous morals: Barnes realizes that Chris is standing behind him with a rifle pointed at him. Dramatica is a registered trademark of Screenplay Systems Incorporated. Oliver Stone quite plainly wrote the scene to be reflective of My Lai and probably many other lesser known incidents of misconduct by American military personnel. Barnes (KIA): Killed by Taylor. 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. If they were permanently damaged in some way; such as losing a limb, severe nerve damage, etc. The realm of conflict between Chris and Sergeant Barnes is in their fixed attitudes. Barnes is introduced as a hardened, brash character that leads with an iron fist. Barnes is a callous soldier, hardened from several tours of duty in the Nam. Horrible scars carved into his face physically suggest the experiences he has seen. Through voiceover narration, Taylor explains his experiences through letters home to his grandmother and eventually proves himself to be the most morally righteous of the main characters. BARNES: Elias - you take your squad and Ill take Tex and Francis from your squad. I have no energy to write. Morehouse and Sal are short, Fu Shengs going on an RnR, you dont want to send their asses out on an ambush. Edit, Platoon is based on a screenplay by director Oliver Stone. Why did Sgt Barnes shoots Elias? Complete Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJua6db54cWl9NBg7hdrh8BjLQMf9PjaaFilm: Platoon (1986)Music Video: Simply Great MusicArtist: Geo. Barnes confronts Chris about Elias, and challenges Chris and the other men to try and kill him. Elias each feel the methods the other embraces to fight this war are non-accurate: Maybe from down here I can start up again, be something I can be proud of and not have to fake itbe a fake human being. Early in the film, its clear that Sgt. Maybe I can see something I dont yet see, or learn something I dont yet know (Stone, p.14) When Barnes condemns the men by saying, I shit on all of you! he is basically telling Chris and the others they are worthless. The main action in Platoon takes place in 1968. This brief moment of reflection is effectively Oliver Stone talking through his narrator, expressing his own experiences and what he's taken from them: a drive to make the world better. When you know you know. Sergeant. The morning after the ferocious confrontation brings light to the fact that Chris is one of only a few members in the platoon to survive. CHRIS: Yeah, I dropped out of college and told em I wanted infantry, combat, and Nam 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. On December 31, 1918, Colonel Luke Lea of the 114th Field Artillery Regiment handed his commanding officer, General R.L. Chris eventually transcends the wisdom that brought him to Vietnam and he becomes enlightened by his experiences in the war. 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. Even though he didnt see Barnes actually shoot Elias, or has any physical proof of the crime, Chris still knows Barnes murdered Elias. CHRIS: Not just me its the way the whole thing works. You fuck up in a fire fight and I goddamn guarantee you a trip out of the bush, in a body bag! 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. | Oh, you wanna kick ass. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. Barnes decision to kill Elias and later, his decision to try and kill Chris, provokes Chris to kill him. What's with the booby trap that kills Sal and Sanderson? CHRIS(V.O. 66 How many times has Barnes been shot? User Ratings Remember what it looks like. Chris is obviously opposed to, and appalled by, Sgt. Barnes extensive experience and knowledge of war gives him a false sense of security that causes him to disregard giving much thought to his decisions and actions. (Stone, p. 95) 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. When Barnes realizes the Lt. is the cause of this problem, Barnes denounces him. 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. However, by the end of the film, we sense that Chris doesnt still hold to the same basic ideals as when he first arrived in Vietnam. (concluding) The war will be over if the platoon and the rest of the American military run out of men; If the men in the platoon become two timers (if they get substantially injured twice) they return home; If the U.S. Military achieves their objective of winning the war, then the war will be over and the goal will have been met. Barnes feels war and death are his exclusive expertise because of his first hand experiences: Barnes. Chris Taylor has rebelled against his wealthy, privileged upbringing and come to Vietnam on a quest for self-discovery. Immediately upon arriving in country, Chris realizes the stark reality of war in Vietnam is quite contrary to his beliefs. Shot in the lung by NVA soldier. There is no hesitation or contemplation when Barnes enters the village and begins interrogating and killing civilians; we dont see him ponder much about killing Elias or attacking Chris. BARNES: What you waiting for? For most of the movie, Taylor has remained above the fray, so to speak. Thematically, the final war sequence is designed to parallel the Elias shooting scene. SSG. Live up to what Grandpa did in the First War and Dad the Second. Instead of finding something to be proud of, Chris leaves Vietnam having become dehumanized and morally corrupt. By the end of the film, Chris moral integrity has deteriorated to the point where he is able to kill Sgt. Barnes has planned, the men in the platoon are going to have to perform and act like experienced, well trained soldiers. Barnes tells Elias he is moving out, and then he tells O'Neill his short termers can stay in; but he is going out because he needs veterans out there. The inference, of course, is that war is such hell that soldiers would do anything to escape it, including causing themselves grave injuries, but inPlatoon, Stone doesn't paint a flatteringpicture of Black soldiers, and he's been called out for it over the years. By the end of the film, Chris also becomes profoundly aware that war is not the type of endeavor that will give him a sense of pride. There are many illustrations of Chris doing throughout the film, however, the sequence where he and his platoon ravage a Vietnamese village illustrates Chris engaging in activities contrary to his essential nature. But he also learned that he could throw a mean fastball. BARNES: Elias is like them politicians in Washington. Yeah. O'Neil's grenade.Pvt Gardner (KIA): Killed by NVA soldier.NVA Bunker:Pvt Sal (KIA): Killed by booby trap.Pvt Sanderson (KIA): Killed by booby trap, staggers around with no arms before dropping dead. Platoon is a 1986 film about a young recruit in Vietnam who faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man. Now streaming on Netflix, Platoon ends withviolence, betrayal, andretribution within a United States Army infantry unit. An outlaw and vagabond revolutionary who resents the power the Catholic church and Spanish government have over the Philippines. Maybe I can see something I dont yet see, or learn something I dont yet know (Stone, p.14) He shoots Elias three times in the upper body. 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. Barnes approaches what he sees as the problem of inadequacies, by taking the direction of letting everyone know what is acceptable. Revealing mistake: During the fight scene in the village between Elias and Barnes, as they roll around on the ground, Barnes "hits" Elias with a right hook and Elias's head is thrown to the side as if he just caught a serious blow. The day after suffering its most severe casualties, the platoon and several companies are sent right back into the same enemy-saturated area. CHRIS: He killed him. 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. Based on Americas record in wars of the past, American forces engage in Vietnam confident they will be able to take control of the country; As soon as the new recruits land in Vietnam, they are exposed to the numerous body bags containing the remains of soldiers that have been killed, signifying the extent to which the American forces are struggling; Reports of other platoons and military forces that have already been overrun and destroyed by the Viet Cong reinforce the problems the U.S. is facing in trying to win the war; When the platoon is set up in a crossfire ambush, Elias explains he has experienced this tactic before in the past and knows what the enemy is trying to do, and that he also knows how to counteract this ambush. In the film Barnes clearly represents the darkness and evil while Elias is the light and goodness. Chris' beliefs are . Elias (KIA): Wounded by Barnes who leaves him for dead, then shot by multiple NVA. 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