History YMMV / Platoon

** [[ObligatoryWarCrimeScene Bunny]] is a [[SociopathicSoldier psychopathic scumbag]] who quickly graduates from a particularly [[{{Jerkass}} nasty prick]] to a full-blown monster. When he and his squad invade a Vietnamese village, Bunny happily beats a disabled teenage boy to death, before doing the same to the boy's mother. Following this, Bunny leads the gang-rape of two [[WouldHurtAChild young girls]], mocking Taylor for not joining in. By the end of the film, Bunny giddily mows down enemy soldiers with a smile on his face, proclaiming that he feels as if he's done nothing wrong and that war is true freedom, [[ForTheEvulz enabling people like him in to indulge in whatever wicked acts their hearts desire]].

** [[ObligatoryWarCrimeScene Bunny]] is a psychopathic scumbag who quickly graduates from a particularly [[{{Jerkass}} nasty prick]] to a full-blown monster. When he and his squad invade a Vietnamese village, Bunny happily beats a disabled teenage boy to death, before doing the same to the boy's mother. Following this, Bunny leads the gang-rape of two [[WouldHurtAChild young girls]], mocking Taylor for not joining in. By the end of the film, Bunny giddily mows down enemy soldiers with a smile on his face, proclaiming that he feels as if he's done nothing wrong and that war is true freedom, [[ForTheEvulz enabling people like him in to indulge in whatever wicked acts their hearts desire]].

--> '''Bunny''': You know, Junior, some of the things we done, man, I don't feel like we done something wrong.

** [[ColonelKilgore Staff Sergeant Robert "Bob" Barnes]] is a sociopathic brute who believes himself to be the ideal that all American soldiers should strive to be. Already showing himself to be an unforgiving fanatic by [[DrillSergeantNasty regularly degrading his own troops]], even as they die all around him, Barnes shows his truly vicious personality when, while leading a raid onto a small Vietnamese village, he kills numerous villages who are too slow in complying with his orders, before shooting an innocent woman in the head for irritating him. Holding an [[WouldHurtAChild innocent child at gunpoint]] in an attempt to force her father to answer his questions, Barnes develops a seething hatred toward [[OpposingCombatPhilosophies Sergeant]] [[OpposedMentors Elias]] for halting his crimes, and later guns him down to eliminate the only one who would incriminate him for his murders. In the end, Barnes ruthlessly attempts to murder the only other man willing to stand up to him, Charlie Taylor, and goads Taylor into killing him to prove his point that [[BloodKnight war and conflict is the true state of humankind].
** [[ObligatoryWarCrimeScene Bunny]] is a psychopathic scumbag who quickly graduates from a particularly [[{{Jerkass}} nasty prick]] to a full-blown monster. When he and his squad invade a Vietnamese village, Bunny happily beats a disabled teenage boy to death, before doing the same to the boy's mother. Following this, Bunny leads the gang-rape of two [[WouldHurtAChild young girls]], mocking Taylor for not joining in. By the end of the film, Bunny giddily mows down enemy soldiers with a smile on his face, proclaiming that he feels as if he's done nothing wrong and that war is true freedom, [[ForTheEvulz enabling people like him in to indulge in whatever wicked acts their hearts desire.

** [[ColonelKilgore Staff Sergeant Robert "Bob" Barnes]] is a sociopathic brute who believes himself to be the ideal that all American soldiers should strive to be. Already showing himself to be an unforgiving fanatic by [[DrillSergeantNasty regularly degrading his own troops]], even as they die all around him, Barnes shows his truly vicious personality when, while leading a raid onto a small Vietnamese village, he kills numerous villages who are too slow in complying with his orders, before shooting an innocent woman in the head for irritating him. Holding an [[WouldHurtAChild innocent child at gunpoint]] in an attempt to force her father to answer his questions, Barnes develops a seething hatred toward [[OpposingCombatPhilosophies Sergeant]] [[OpposedMentors Elias for halting his crimes, and later guns him down to eliminate the only one who would incriminate him for his murders. In the end, Barnes ruthlessly attempts to murder the only other man willing to stand up to him, Charlie Taylor, and goads Taylor into killing him to prove his point that [[BloodKnight war and conflict is the true state of humankind].

** [=SSgt=]. Bob Barnes. In one scene, believing that some villagers are aiding Viet Cong soldiers, he shoots a defiant woman (the village chief's wife) in the head. When the murdered woman's daughter cries out, Barnes takes the child at gunpoint, threatening to shoot her next if the villagers do not reveal the whereabouts of the Viet Cong. Worse yet, [[spoiler:during a firefight with the enemy, he murders Sgt. Elias, the only one with the balls to do something about the man's rapidly-mounting atrocities]].
** Bunny is a sadistic little psychopath who beats a crippled Vietnamese boy to death [[ForTheEvulz just for fun]], and does the same to the victim's elderly mother, before leading the gang-rape of a young girl in the bushes, which is interrupted by Chris.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: Especially the [[PortingDisaster NES version]].

* MagnumOpus: Considered Oliver Stone's best film to this day.

** Bunny is a sadistic little psychopath who beats a crippled Vietnamese boy to death just for fun, and does the same to the victim's elderly mother, before leading the gang-rape of a young girl in the bushes, which is interrupted by Chris.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: This feeling might hit home to those who lose sympathy for the soldiers after the village scene. Apparently, the only initially sympathetic characters left were Taylor and Elias. Although it wouldn't matter when there's no reason to care anymore about the war they're in.

* {{Wangst}}: Taylor's narration. It's weird to see how a soldier was going around, partaking in a war, yet complains every few minutes or so when he is bored.

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: [[Awesome/{{Platoon}} Has its own page]].

* UnfortunateImplications: The film's rather negative ([[SociopathicSoldier extremely so]]) depiction of the NVA, not unlike how the VC was portrayed in ''Film/TheDeerHunter''. Surprisingly enough, this trope is not the reason why it's [[BannedInChina banned in Vietnam]].

** SSgt. Bob Barnes. In one scene, believing that some villagers are aiding Viet Cong soldiers, he shoots a defiant woman (the village chief's wife) in the head. When the murdered woman's daughter cries out, Barnes takes the child at gunpoint, threatening to shoot her next if the villagers do not reveal the whereabouts of the Viet Cong. Worse yet, [[spoiler:during a firefight with the enemy, he murders Sgt. Elias, the only one with the balls to do something about the man's rapidly-mounting atrocities]].

** Sgt. Bob Barnes, in one scene, believing that some villagers are aiding Viet Cong soldiers, he shoots a defiant woman (the village chief's wife) in the head. When the murdered woman's daughter cries out, Barnes takes the child at gunpoint, threatening to shoot her next if the villagers do not reveal the whereabouts of the Viet Cong. Worse yet, [[spoiler:during a firefight with the enemy, he murders Sgt. Elias, the only one with the balls to do something about his atrocious acts all of the soldiers have witnessed]].
** Bunny is a sadistic little psychopath who beats a crippled Vietnamese boy to death just for fun, and does the same to the victim's elderly mother, before leading the gang-rape of a young girl in the bushes (which is interrupted by Chris).

* MoralEventHorizon: The village scene, to the point of NightmareFuel. The only ones who come out of this scene with audience sympathies entirely intact are Elias and Chris.
** Barnes, when he [[spoiler: shoots the village chief's unarmed wife and almost kills his child]],
** Bunny, when he [[spoiler: beats a mentally handicapped boy to death, despite orders to leave, and then does the same to the boy's mother]].
** The rest of the platoon also cross it, since they [[spoiler: shoot the village animals for fun and, led by Bunny, gang-rape a teenage girl in the bushes outside]].

* TearJerker: [[TearJerker/{{Platoon}} Has its own page]].

* CompleteMonster: There are two {{Sociopathic Soldiers}}:

* CompleteMonster:
** [[SociopathicSoldier Sgt. Bob Barnes]]. In one scene, believing that some villagers are aiding Viet Cong soldiers, he shoots a defiant woman (the village chief's wife) in the head. When the murdered woman's daughter cries out, Barnes takes the child at gunpoint, threatening to shoot her next if the villagers do not reveal the whereabouts of the Viet Cong. Worse yet, [[spoiler:during a firefight with the enemy, he murders Sgt. Elias, the only one with the balls to do something about his atrocious acts all of the soldiers have witnessed]].

* FauxSymbolism: The snakes Chris keeps seeing.

* MoralEventHorizon: The village scene, to the point of NightmareFuel.
** Particularly for Barnes, who [[spoiler: shoots the village chief's unarmed wife and almost kills his child]], and Bunny, who [[spoiler: beats a mentally handicapped boy to death, despite orders to leave, and then does the same to the boy's mother]]. The rest of the platoon also cross it, since they [[spoiler: shoot the village animals for fun and, led by Bunny, gang-rape a teenage girl in the bushes outside]]. The only ones who come out of this scene with audience sympathies entirely intact are Elias and Chris.
* {{Narm}}: Even though the film's usage of Adagio for Strings is effective, it was used rather inappropriately just before [[spoiler:Lerner]] gets wounded, where it is abruptly cut by gunfire.

* UnfortunateImplications: The film's rather negative ([[SociopathicSoldier extremely so]]) depiction of the NVA, not unlike how the VC was portrayed in ''Film/TheDeerHunter''. Surprisingly enough, this trope is ''not'' the reason why it's [[BannedInChina banned in Vietnam]].

** Bunny is a sadistic little psychopath who beats a crippled Vietnamese boy to death just for fun, and does the same to the victim's elderly mother, before leading the gang-rape of a young girl in the bushes (which is interrupted by Chris).]]

* CompleteMonster: [[SociopathicSoldier Sgt. Bob Barnes]]. In one scene, believing that some villagers are aiding Viet Cong soldiers, he shoots a defiant woman (the village chief's wife) in the head. When the murdered woman's daughter cries out, Barnes takes the child at gunpoint, threatening to shoot her next if the villagers do not reveal the whereabouts of the Viet Cong. Worse yet, [[spoiler:during a firefight with the enemy, he murders Sgt. Elias, the only one with the balls to do something about his atrocious acts all of the soldiers have witnessed]].
** Bunny, who is a sadistic little psychopath. He [[spoiler: beats a crippled Vietnamese boy to death just for fun, and does the same to the victim's elderly mother. Then he leads the gang-rape of a young girl in the bushes (which is interrupted by Chris).]]

** In the original script, Bunny did things like urinating on a dying Vietnamese baby.

* CompleteMonster: In a movie filled with soldiers who are assholes, Barnes (see MoralEventHorizon) and Bunny came across as the worse of them all. Bunny, who is a sadistic little psychopath. He [[spoiler: beats a crippled Vietnamese boy to death just for fun, and does the same to the victim's elderly mother. Then he leads the gang-rape of a young girl in the bushes (which is interrupted by Chris).]]

* {{Anvilicious}}: Either this or SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped.

* UnfortunateImplications: The film's rather negative ([[Sociopathic extremely so]]) depiction of the NVA, not unlike how the VC was portrayed in ''Film/TheDeerHunter''. Surprisingly enough, this trope is ''not'' the reason why it's [[BannedInChina banned in Vietnam]].

* UnfortunateImplications: The film's rather negative depiction of the NVA.

* {{Narm}}: Even though the film's usage of Adagio for Strings is effective, it was used rather inappropriately at one point, where it is abruptly cut by gunfire.