Platoon
1986 war film directed by Oliver Stone · Released 1986
Platoon is a 1986 American epic anti-war film written and directed by Oliver Stone, starring Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, and Charlie Sheen, with supporting roles by Forest Whitaker, Francesco Quinn, John C. McGinley, Richard Edson, Kevin Dillon, Keith David, Reggie Johnson, Johnny Depp, Mark Moses, Chris Pedersen and Tony Todd. It is the first film of a trilogy of Vietnam War films directed by Stone, followed by Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Heaven & Earth (1993). The film, based on Stone's experience from the war, follows a new U.S. Army volunteer (Sheen) serving in South Vietnam while his platoon sergeant (Berenger) and his squad leader (Dafoe) argue over the morality in the platoon and of the war itself. Stone wrote the screenplay based upon his experiences as a U.S. infantryman in South Vietnam, to counter the vision of the war portrayed in John Wayne's The Green Berets.
Cast ages when filming began (February 1986)
- Tom Berenger, as Sgt: 36
- Willem Dafoe, as Sgt: 30
- Charlie Sheen, as Chris: 20
- Kevin Dillon, as Bunny: 20
- John C. McGinley, as Sgt: 26
- Keith David, as King: 29
- Forest Whitaker, as Big Harold: 24
- Johnny Depp, as Lerner: 22
- Francesco Quinn, as Rhah: 22
- Mark Moses, as Lt. Wolfe: 27–28
- Corey Glover, as Francis: 21
- Tony Todd, as Warren: 31
- Richard Edson, as Sal: 32
- Dale Dye, as Captain Harris: 41
- Reggie Johnson, as Junior: 45
- Oliver Stone, as Alpha Company Major in bunker: 39
- David Neidorf, as Tex: 23
- Chris Pedersen, as Crawford: 22
- Reggie Johnson, as Junior: 19