People who criticize O'Neil for hiding under the body...Let's be honest if there were 10-20 VC running through the compound and we wanted to get home, we would all do the same
Yes I don't blame anyone for running or hiding in a battle. It was just ONeils character acted so badass and full of bravado until the shit hit the fan. I think we've all met people like that.
You know, as unlikeable as O'Neil often was, the look of pure horror and sadness he gives after he witnesses Bunny bludgeon a civilian to death is chilling. You can tell this is a man who deep down is not a terrible human being and just wants to get out as soon as possible. Can't blame him.
We would all like to think we would be like Elias. But if we went trough the same shit as these guys went through, most of us would probably be more like Junior or O'neil.
I never disliked O'Neil, I thought he was kinda like Barn's toady and talked a lot but I never pictured him in a negative way and aside from not wanting his veterans who were about to go on leave to get hit it never seemed like he had bad intentions towards the guys he was with, even Ellias, and he wasnt a psycho like Bunny or the guys raping the girl in the village. He also just always had those tired empty eyes like someone who had just seen too much
No i believe he is so happy at his good fortune. he is swooning.. O'neil was the best non commissioned officer, he wasn't power hungry like barnes, or was he going to save the world like Elias. had i been in the platoon i would have hung out with Elias, but i bet i would have had a better chance of surviving with o'neil. He was in the army, and playing the game. he was a fool for his superiors and liked to mess with his lower rated men.
you never in the army. he was swooning from pleasure. he is a lifer, they all want to advance. Best officers were guys like him. The army was his life. he was the best NCO in my opinion. he didn't want to save the world like Elias, and didn't go out of his way to be a hard ass killer like barnes. The dude was playing the game, and i think he was good at it. myself i would have been like our hero, start out following barnes, but have been attracted to the humanity of elias. now i am an old dude. i realize O'neill would have been best choice. Hang with him and keep your head down.
@Eilliw Nodrog It was best he got ran thru by a bayonette and died in vietnam, because he would never be happy or find peace back in the world. end up another drunken fucked up old vietnam vet, constantly saying "we could have won, we lost because of politics. Bull shit. we were on the wrong side and we all knew it. i say we cause i was a participant in that farce. i never got the pleasure of killling anyone, but was there none the less, even got combat pay and a bunch of ribbons and shit.
@@mijreed my thought exactly! This dude don’t know what he is saying, talking about O’Neil was the best NCO in the Platoon! Dude blew off his own teammates arm! I get he wasn’t trying to be a hard ass like Barnes or a hero like Elias but it takes some guts if you want to talk about NCO’s. Dude was always hiding from the fight and scared shitless which is 100% understandable. The Viet Cong were a force to be reckoned with.
The looks Barnes gives O'Neill throughout the movie are priceless. Like when O'Neill says the LT "ain't gonna make it, just no fucking way!" Barnes looks at him like he thinks O'Neill ain't gonna make it, either.
Bartek Bierbasz actually we don't know if he makes it. It leaves us knowing that O'Neill has to lead 2nd platoon. He's still in Nam to fight another day, but now the odds of him surviving are even less likely, given that he has already gotten lucky too many times.
He fought till his position was over run then hid - common sense....die a hero or live to fight another day...i don't fault him for his sense of self preservation that day of the battle...
Barnes used it to have numbers on his side then made the "tough" decision when push came to shove, pretty much using O'Neil toadyness then giving him a slap of reality.
I saw this movie in the theater in '86 with my Dad who is a Vietnam vet. I was a kid at the time. The thing is, each time I watch this classic film, the men in it look younger and younger as I get older. It's a strange measuring stick of time. Lt. Wolfe is just a kid! I remember when he seemed like a big grown man! Of course, that's how it really was in Vietnam with young men having great responsibility. I'm now the age of Berenger when he was playing SSGT. Barnes! Time flies.
Mainsail76 Wolfe was a young man just a young fresh Lt out of command school with no prior field training or experience in combat unlike Staff Sergeant Barnes and Sergeant Elias
The look Barnes gives O'Neill when O'Neill is explaining why he can just tell a guy ain't gonna make it.... made me think Barnes was thinking the same about him.
In a war like that EVERYONE is scared shitless, it's just a question of whether its shown or not. Anyone who isn't scared shitless is a total psycho and does not value their own life. Anyone who tells you they have been shot at and were not scared is a fucking liar.
Peter Hughes they made him, Bunny and others are part of villains as Barnes Squad is essentially the villains and Elias are the good side. Bunny, Barnes, O’Neil etc are more of psychotic burned out veterans while Elias is sympathetic character and cares for his men even he is world weary vet along with his squad but show more humanity. Your right O’Neil is a bastard but one that love to hate and makes the movie by bringing in the humor.
@@scottknode898 I don't see O'Neil being evil like Bunny and Barnes, but he is scared shitless and tries to suck up to Barnes whole time, maybe to not having to do ambush and other combat stuff. after Bunny kills that one vietnamese civilian dude by hitting him with the shotguns stock, you can see O'Neil scared and not really showing any acceptance on Bunnys behavior. O'Neil is more of a asshole and mostly he seems to be acting like asshole is because he is scared and doesn't want to show it, so he hides behind this fake asshole persona.
I knew almost ever personality in the movie when I was in Iraq. Crazy. Fuct me up when I came home n watched it. Every war is different , yet every war is the same .
Fight and you may die, run and you'll live, for a while. .... But laying in your beds many years from now, No no no, that William Wallace bullshit speech ain't gonna work on me LT, put me on dat whirly bird with King wadda say there chief o'rooney
@@sergeontheloose at that point O'Neil realised that all that sucking up to Barnes for years was for nothing, Barnes doesn't give a fuck about O'Neil or anybody else.
Some explanations: O'Neill was a dick but he was no worse than most of the soldiers. When he laughed off Chris' excuse, saying "excuses are like assholes, everyone's got one" he was merely showing him that as a green recruit, he had no right of opening his mouth. Damn, why isn't that line in this video? When he's using a dead buddy to cover himself from the advancing NVA, he's not being a coward at all. What would you have done with literally a handfull of men and an entire enemy regiment on top of you? His look on his face, upon hearing he's now got "second platoon" is not hopelessness. At first I thought so but later I realized that at that moment, it sunk in with O'Neill that Barnes probably was killed. And Barnes wasn't supposed to die, because the only thing that can kill Barnes, is Barnes!
Can you tell me what he did wrong? I've never been in the military. I'm guessing it had something to do with how weak he made himself appear to his men, like as if they would eat him alive.
@@DoctorDoomsPvP he let barnes assume control of the platoon, even after he told him he should give orders as the Lt. Was hesitant under fire, let his men kill and rape civilians, and lied to the captain about what happened in the village which to me was the worst....officers are supposed to be honest and he should of charged barnes and the guys that raped the girl. Basically no balls as a leader.
@@hutch1111111 letting Barnes assume leadership was the right decision. It's like learning how to drive with a book and letting someone like a cab driver take the wheel to get not only himself and his men through a dangerous situation. He should have been accurate with the artillery support though. But there's a difference between book learning and experience.
I had a guy in my platoon that looked and acted exactly like Junior! He was such a douche, lazy good for nothing, always trying to get out of everything!
When he gets told he has 2nd platoon I always thought the look he gave was upset/scared that he wasn’t going to be given relieve days but now that I’m older and rewatch it it’s more of a shocked/sad look knowing that all of his friends were killed in the battle, even Barnes and that really hit him hard.
+Bryan Chavez Sometimes in the trees you did had a sense of when you were walking into something and you may get hit. It was in the "air"...... The character of O'Neil was portrayed perfectly and could only have been shot by a director that had been in the trees as a grunt. I know. I did. Oct 67- Oct 68, Same 25th Infantry Div as Stones. Grunt. I got out unharmed through luck and sense.
MAGA Mexican Director Oliver Stone left that scene in as liked the authenticity of actors improvising scenes or lines as happened several times in movie
The Sound of Legends no when O’Neil was igniting the lighter to light Barnes Cigarette the actor John C McGinley made genuine mistake and just went along with it and relit the cigarette. Stone liked it so much he left it as liked the improvised part or how actors handled mistakes during filming as are several improvised scenes in the movie. The actors were actually stoned out of minds when filmed scene where Elias and his men are smoking weed, the actors smoked prior the scene being filmed and were coming off being high and felt like shit. Stone liked the authenticity and made the actors go through grueling military training boot camp in the Philippines not on soundstage. The actors all went through a grueling weapons training course right before actual filming and stated filming right after boot camp to show actors exhausted and weary and would get at each other for real well. They actually ate rations, did night rotations to show what soldiers actually went through as Stone was a Veteran of Vietnam and didn’t want actors doing things half assed or be in comfortable conditions to they got to see first hand what Vietnam vets vet went through and make their characters more realistic then shown in war movies before Platoon was made. Actor Tom Berenger who played Barnes lost 28 pounds during the 14 day boot camp.
This movie was cinematic gold! Each character, regardless of screen time, provided depth and emotion. I've probably seen this film 20 times and each time I find something new & each time I feel like I knew the background of every man. Best war film in history.
The interesting thing about the conversation between Barnes and O'Neill before the final battle is that for a moment Barnes shows a sympathetic, human and paternal side. On one hand, he is annoyed with O'Neill for wanting to leave his plt when it needs it's squad leadership most, but on the other hand, he appreciates O'Neill's desire to survive and live to see another day. I don't agree with Barnes much in this film, but he handles that conversation well.
i met some US vietnam war veterans while i was travelling in cambodia - they were hanging out in a bar in Phnom Penh. got talking to them and eventually asked what their favourite vietnam war movie was. they all said Platoon
2:00 "Sometimes I just look at a guy, and I know he's not gonna make it"...then Barnes gives him that look. You could tell that Barnes just had contempt and disrespect for O'Neil throughout the whole film. But for all his cowardice and slithering out of anything he can, he's one of the only ones that makes it to the end. Self-preservation I guess.
4:19 "Everybody gotta die sometime, Red.." That line speaks volumes in several ways. Most would say something like "stay alert and you will be fine" or "it's normal to be scared and have a bad feeling out here, but you'll be okay." But not Barnes. There's no filter whatsoever for his words. He says exactly what he's thinking, and it's usually terrifying. Not to mention that he's basically saying to O'Neil, "yeah, you might die, but it's okay because everyone dies eventually."
Saw an interview with John C McGinley (O'Neil). When the movie was first financed in 1984 he was in a minor role as Barnes' radio man. But then the financing collapsed. Two years later in 1986 it was on again and Oliver Stone called him up said we are back on and I want you in the fourth lead, Sgt. O'Neil. John Spencer had that role but had to drop out due to a schedule conflict. McGinley almost said no because he was soon to star in a great play in New York with a famous producer. Stone said I know the producer so go tell him I said I need you in the Philippines for 3 months. McGinley meekly asked the famous producer and he said 'yes, go, and tell Ollie I said hi'. And that was the start of his long movie career. He said later in the interview it was hardest shoot he was ever on but credits it to his subsequent career. Sometimes you have to say yes to things even when something else looks better.
Red was a clever guy. He knew politics and understood power dynamics. He even had a legitimate survival strategy - align oneself to power for security. Unfortunately, Red didn't understand that the more you brown your nose, the farther the flowers lie.
Will always remember 4:05. He was so scared. Made me scared for him and I was wondering why he was so afraid. Yeah, he was a shit heel but a capable soldier. Not until I saw the battle did I understand. He knew what was coming and wanted to get as far from it as he could. I dont blame him. I also dont blame Barnes for not letting him go. Barnes face when he puts his hands on him is like "You just touched me?"
I have a feeling that O'Neil actually did OK with his own platoon - the Captain giving O'Neil a platoon at the end of this video. One gets an impression of O'Neil that he was not a bad guy as such, but was a stooge for Barnes because he was afraid of him. Well, with Barnes gone, O'Neil could turn over a new leaf.
I think giving O'Neil a platoon is a mistake, but a lot of these promotions happened because someone else got killed, and promoting them was hard to avoid. The captain himself might have been moved up to battalion command after the original commander got killed, possibly with his XO as well, and I can see Ra and even Taylor moving up a rank or two with all the vacancies.
True story. A buddy of my father was being hauled into the jungle (first trip out) when a small boy started to chase the truck. The sergeant stood up and shot the kid. Everybody on the truck was freaking out. Next thing you know, the kids body blows up. That was his welcome to Vietnam...
Platoon reminds me so much when I was in. They played their parts and there's always that kiss a$$, the idgf, the I'm fed up, and that sgt you wanna shoot in the back.
Oneil is a great character. And everyone spends time talking about Elias and Barnes without noticing ONeil. Elias is the good guy, noble knight. Barnes the madman, pure psychopath. ONeil is the most human of the sergeants. Wants to be liked, subject to weakness, fearful for his life, a bit of an ass, etc.
O'Neil is an even more unsavory character. At least Barnes follows his own personal principles; O'Neil just sucks up to ppl (i.e. Barnes) to get favors and protection--an opportunist. You can see this before the final battle in the film. He thought Barnes would cut him some slack and let him leave, and he was devastated when Barnes just coldly told him "everybody's gotta die sometime..."
O'Neil was the biggest ass kisser ever in this film. He kissed Barnes's ass throughout the entire film and finally got put in his place when Barnes denied him leave and when Capt. Harris put him in charge of 2nd Platoon. 5 bucks he didn't make it to the next encounter with the NVA, as a guy like him would have been a victim of friendly fire very quickly out there in the jungle. What a shitbird.
yeah but you have to keep in mind that he looks old enough to have served in korea, he had to earn the rank Sergeant so he mustve at one point not been a coward and just sick of warfare
I saw in one of his interviews about the movie where he talks about the R&R scene with Sargent Barnes, his crying was authentic, the conflict were the movie was being shot, family issues, tiredness due to the training and the hours and hours of shooting….the fact about all the soldiers during the Viet Nam conflict ended up getting the best of him
The one thing that seemed false is how this movie portrayed the alcohol users as crazy (Bunny) and criminal (Barnes) while the pot smokers Taylor and the others as the normal doing their job soldiers. Although I am USMC Vietnam Vet I wasn’t a grunt, but in boot camp, the regular Marine Corps and in the VA psych wards I talked to many Veterans that were grunts and every one said when they were on patrol when some idiot lit a joint they ended up walking into an ambush. I never heard of a person in a patrol that was intoxicated by alcohol. Personally from what I’ve heard and experienced anyone that would smoke pot while in combat was stupid. The left condones the use of marijuana and the right doesn’t.
im a usmc vet too. and i have a hard time believing someone would spark one during a patrol that is highly retarded...i have heard older vets talk about when marijuana smoking was allowed in the military. mustve been a great time. alcohol makes you crazy.
purpletree209 An army vet told me they were on a patrol in Vietnam and (if my memory serves me right) he said a Sgt stopped the patrol, pointed to a gigantic Pot Plant and had the Solider go over and chop it down so they could take it with them. The same guy told me the first time he was in a fire-fight when it was all over he was shaking like crazy and a Sgt walked up to him, handed him a lit cigarette and told him to smoke it. It calmed his nerves so well that, that was when he started smoking. Our senior Drill Instructor killed a Vietnamese women for giving his buddy a coke with glass in the ice as they came off a patrol hungry and thirsty. All they did was slap his hand and he made Staff under four.
Thanks for posting (as 21yr old) the world of 'Nam is so alien to me. I read allot, watch allot, but so many questions. I did think about this pot smoking scenario in particular allot. I guessed perhaps yes, people who are scared like to escape, but I still thought about the well known paranoia/anxiety it causes? I couldn't ever imagine. Guess you simply had to be there to understand these things.
The best advice I can give you as a young person is to not let anything interfere with the tranquility, good health and clean morals of a hopefully your good family. America's enemies do ever thing they can to corrupt and destroy the traditional nuclear family that is the foundation of the strength that keeps us free.
Your name says it all...fucking moron,you are dumb enough to believe there is a difference in parties.Salute the flag of a country that uses you for israel...the most evil country ever.Created by terrorism and killed us servicemen on the USS LIBERTY.
Oneil is such an overlooked character...caught between barnes and elias, lead by a clueless LT, he played tough to get by, but you knew he was scared as any one of us would be.
I think what people forget is that if you stay in place like Vietnam you tend to go insane, like after a while you just want to get out. Maybe during his first tour he might have been a good soldier or he may have had enough of just going around not knowing when somebody was gonna shoot at him. If anything he's a normal person because only Insane people would want to stay in Vietnam.
5:10 reminds me of when I was a kid. Everybody use to call each other "faggots" lol. Now it's like as if you've committed murder or something to use that word.
Congrats to O'Neil!! He got promoted to Staff Sergeant by the Captain...However he is not happy with his new promotion to platoon leader, after Barnes was killed... EVERYBODY GOTTA DIE SOMETIME!! Barnes was right about that!!!
Oniell wasn't a coward. May have been terrified but when he covered up was right before the napalm, his foxhole buddy was dead, and 12 vc were walking up. Saved his life and now he can pass his knowledge on and continue the fight. Dying just to die might be brave but it's no good to anyone but the enemy
I got a real bad feelin about this one Bob ! I mean I don’t think I’m gunna make it outta this movie alive , ya understand what I’m sayin Bob........ Everybody gotta die watching the end credits sometime Red.......... 😂
Barnes although being a sociopath had ultimate conviction in his abilities as a soldier and his authority as a leader meanwhile Oneil was just a coward driven by his own fear.
4 года назад
Because O'Neil was being fake and a suckup to be cool to Barnes even though Barnes clearly saw right through it and just didn't care. Barnes even though being a dick he didn't fake it you knew where he stood
