platoon why did barnes kill elias

Edit, Yes, and it's probably a composite of several of them. Lieutenants lead most platoons, and the second-in-command is generally a sergeant first class. How many days you short? At this point, Chris is beginning to develop a stronger sense of moral conviction in reaction to the shocking and appalling actions of his fellow platoon members. He honors and respects Sgt. (to Doc) Doc, tagem and bagem. 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. Its purely practical: the helicopters up there, you want to reach for it. Momentarily losing control of his senses, Chris fires his gun at the feet of a retarded village man. The soldiers with a past have an intimate knowledge about the ways of fighting in Vietnam, and they must be able to remember and draw from their past experiences in order to be effective in the fight they are currently engaged in. Barnes says, Do it! and without thinking, Chris shoots and kills Sgt. His idealistic patriotism has landed him in Bravo company of the 25th Infantry Regiment near the Cambodian Border. The remaining platoon soldiers were being hauled out by helicopter from the ambush area. 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. He enjoys sports, politics, comic books, and anything that has to do with history. Platoon primarily centers on the power dynamics between Taylor (Charlie Sheen),Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes (Tom Berenger), andSergeant Gordon Elias(Willem Dafoe). (Stone, p. 87) He is played by an Assistant Technical Adviser Mark Ebonhoch. The platoon pillages and destroys a small Vietnamese village it discovers has been harboring weapons for the Viet Cong. Warren when Lerner is being worked on by the Doc. None of this sits well with Sgt. Oliver Stone's Platoon is actually about the conflict between two Sergeants in a typical Nam platoon.One is a bloody, axe-murdering evil bastard (Tom Berenger) named Barnes.The other is an opium-smoking, moral man (Willem Dafoe) who cares for each one of his subordinates, named Elias.Stuck in the middle is the clueless Platoon Lieutenant "Sergeant Barnes I would appreciate it if in front of . Essentially, he was told where explosives were going off and how to best avoid them. Barnes senses his chance to kill Elias when the two are alone in the jungle, their eyes meet with Sgt. Out here assholes, ya keep your shit wired tight at all times! I know he did. Elias when they are alone in the jungle. Oliver Stone set up several cameras to capture the drama of the moment that gives you chills. 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. Ultimately, Platoonis about survival and legacy. The surrounding jungle floor and the entire military compound are strewn with the bodies of American and Viet Cong soldiers, and the Americans have obviously gotten the worst of it. His goodness, while encouraging followers, was not rewarded in this life, even though retribution for his death was . 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. He received a "battlefield" commission and got out as a captain. Whenever he gets involved with what he feels is the reason for a situation being a certain way (the cause), it really gets under his skin. He grins, finding their reactions funny. As soon as they disembark from their plane, they are greeted by piles of body bags and the mocking pity of bypassing veteran soldiers happy to be on the next departing flight. Grabbing a loose stick, crudely drawing out their position in the dirt and tracing it out for the Lieutenant. Sergeant Barnes life revolves around performing a certain way while in countryfighting the deadly Viet Cong. Chris eventually transcends the wisdom that brought him to Vietnam and he becomes enlightened by his experiences in the 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. Thenarrative may indeed be faithfulto the filmmaker's experiences, yet there's still an overtwhite hero vs.Black coward dynamic, which surely won't go unnoticed by modern streamers. 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. The war exposes Chris to the worst human nature has to offer, and he is ultimately forced to compromise his own humanity and moral convictions by committing a vengeful murder of a fellow soldier and superior. Francis earned a one-way ticket home for stabbing himself in the leg. (Stone, P. 24) France wanted Vietnam. Taylor's message is that Vietnam should become a message, a morality tale for those who come afterward, and a reminder that the world should never fall so far. How much is a platoon? Sgt Barnes, Elias' sadistic staff sergeant, was in direct contrast to Platoon's main character. Tonight. Out here assholes, ya keep your shit wired tight at all times! Elias (KIA): Wounded by Barnes who leaves him for dead, then shot by multiple NVA. Platoon won the 1987 Academy Award for Best Motion Picture. From the very first scene of the film, as black rubber body bags are loaded onto planes that have just unloaded new recruits, Americas success in the war is put into question. Unproven is also illustrated in the conflict between Elias and Barnes that arises over the crimes that Barnes commits in the village. You are one simple son-of-a-bitch! BARNES: What the hells matter with you Taylor! Barnes even expects the new, inexperienced recruits to act like seasoned combat soldiers and perform like everyone else. Barnes aint meant to die. Warren (WIA): Wounded behind Learner, seen being choppered out after church battle. 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. Death What do yall know bout death? is what Barnes asks Chris and the others of the head when he confronts them about Elias. Progress for the platoon continues in a devastating downward spiral. Stone's message suggests that for goodness to prevail, darkness must be overcome. CHRIS: He killed him. In Platoon, Stone suggests that Taylor kills Barnes because of various factors, with the most obvious being that Taylor himself is now an unforgiving killer, a man forced to extremes in the heat of war. 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. Excluding the WIA's, who is left behind to fight from the platoon? The success of Mao Tse-tungs communist revolution in China strengthened Americas support of the French in Vietnam. How many days you short? When Barnes realizes the Lt. is the cause of this problem, Barnes denounces him. Kill me. Barnes; Chris attacks Sgt. Elias from reporting war crime charges against him, Sgt. As Taylor departs the battlefield in a helicopter in Platoon, voiceover narration suggests that he is now speaking in the present rather than writing a letter to his grandmother (a recurring theme in the movie). Barnes confronts Chris about Elias, and challenges Chris and the other men to try and kill him. (Stone, p. 92) The depth to which the Viet Cong understands how and where the U.S. Captain. This is illustrated time and again throughout the film. The FAQ items below may give away important plot points. 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. Sergeant. In the film, he and his platoon are deployed to the jungles of Vietnam in order to fight the Viet Cong, where his psychopathic nature is heavily . The light of the moon. During a chaotic jungle mission, Barnes spots Elias and shoots him. Elias each feel the methods the other embraces to fight this war are non-accurate: Barnes is introduced as a hardened, brash character that leads with an iron fist. CHRIS(V.O. | Was platoon a true story? Sgt. Barnes views Chris the same way he views Elias, an agent out to challenge his way of war, a crusader causing dissension among the men, undermining Barnes efforts, and placing the platoon in jeopardy. Stone positions his hero directly over the crawling and severely-injured staff sergeant, and makes the audience wonder if Taylor will actually shoot Barnes in the back. The events quickly become moments in the past that produce extreme tension and frustration within the platoon. CHRIS: Yeah, I dropped out of college and told em I wanted infantry, combat, and Nam Barnes leads his troops by taking on and acting the tough, hard, insensitive persona he feels is necessary to get his men to respond to him, and to the activities of war in a way that will allow them to actually win. Platoon's demolition expert. For Chris, to serve his country in Vietnam fulfills the moral obligation he feels towards his America, and an opportunity to develop a strong sense of pride and character. While the platoon is extracting via helicopter, they glimpse Elias, mortally wounded, emerging from the treeline and being chased by a group of North Vietnamese soldiers, who kill him. What many might not know is that the pose wasnt planned out beforehand. Early on, it's revealed thatBarnes actually has more internal power than Lieutenant Wolfe (Mark Moses), whichestablishes Berenger's facially-scarred character as theAlpha Male. Barnes finds Elias and shoots him three times, returning to tell the others that Elias was killed by the enemy. That brought him to Vietnam and he becomes enlightened by his platoon why did barnes kill elias the... ): Wounded behind Learner, seen being choppered out after church battle village. For it between Elias and shoots him, politics, comic books, and Chris! Francis earned a one-way ticket home for stabbing himself in the dirt tracing. Darkness must be overcome of his senses, Chris fires his gun at feet. Wanted Vietnam and tracing it out for the platoon pillages and destroys a small Vietnamese village it discovers has harboring. For it x27 ; s message suggests that for goodness to prevail, darkness must be overcome how and the! 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