Review of Platoon: Special Edition

Introduction

America: land of the free. Land of military cock-ups as well. Vietnam and Somalia are two countries that spring to mind when describing how planning military operations can go wrong. Enter Oliver Stone, who fought in `Nam and decided to make a personal movie about it. Enter Dale Dye, who fought in numerous battles and entered the Hollywood slave trade (also known as the guys who train the actors for military parts by literally putting them through their paces).

Platoon is one of the most memorable war flicks ever made, and you`ll soon see why. This has now been re-released as a Special Edition. The disc now comes in a cardboard sleeve (a la The Terminator) but has a normal disc case inside.

Video

A great 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen transfer, with no dust or grain evident. The print is good throughout, with the palette used well and there are no compression signs.

The movie is shot mainly in the bleak jungle, and the firefights are brought out very well indeed. Turn off the lights, utilise a big TV and crank up the volume...you`re in for one hell of a ride.

Audio

An excellent DD 5.1 track, involving you throughout. The mix is clear and loud, with the surrounds used well. When bullets start flying, you become a part of the action.

The surrounds erupt into life during the action sequences, but the dialogue is always crisp and clear as well. A good track.

Features

An excellent and comprehensive 51mins making-of documentary, 2 insightful audio commentaries, 3 TV spots, 2 trailers and stills gallery.

Everything is good except the TV spots (they`re a boring re-hash of the good trailer). The 2 trailers contain a theatrical trailer for Platoon and a DVD trailer for Salvador. The stills galleries have two sub-menus, `behind-the-scenes` and `poster art`. They`re good, except for the fact that the poster art has only 4 measly photos. The menus are animated well with music.

Overall, a good selection.

Conclusion

This is a shocking account of the horrific events, and it is directed superbly by Oliver Stone. The script is sharp and on the ball, and the action pieces are well made and handled well by the numerous characters. William Dafoe is good, and so is Oscar-nominated Tom Berenger, with Charlie Sheen telling the story. Overall, an eye-opener of a movie.

As for the disc, the new extras have totally revamped the disc, and it now should be on every serious DVD collectors shelf.