This was actually a very sad scene. You can see in his eyes that Barnes truly wants to die, but his survival instinct is so strong that he can't kill himself or stop fighting.
A year late I know but heres my input I never once saw Barnes as a villain.. I always saw him more as a victim of Vietnam This man is the machine and he is breaking down The only option he has is death...he knows the war is lost and being how he is now he has nothing to go back to and be sane
@@tobe1207 but that was the whole problem Up until he shot Elias Barnes didn't think he was doing anything wrong in order to win the war,including shooting the woman and putting a gun to a childs head..once he shot Elias he knew he crossed that line into desperation Anything to win the war that he knew was lost that had cost him his humanity
The true meaning behind what he's saying is basically "I'm in charge now!" after he murdered Elias, but yeah you guy's are right, he is being a hypocrite.
Berenger should have won an oscar for this performance. Sgt Barnes has to be one of the greatest villains in a movie ever, up there with Hannibal Lecter, Ledger's Joker and Max Cady.
More authentic than those suggestions too, I can whole-heartedly believe there were (or are) platoon sergeants like Barnes. Lector and The Joker are cartoonish in comparison.
There have been a lot of crazy Oscar oversights over the years. Gart Oldman's run as the classical music loving psychotic, corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield, is another one.
I've seen a few reviews of this scene that call Barnes a hypocrite for the "I am reality" quote followed by a swig of whiskey but that's simplistic. The world war veteran fathers and grandfathers of Barnes' generation had traditionally used alcohol as a remedy for both emotional and physical pain, and viewed weed and other drugs as hippie new age things. Barnes isn't making fun of them for using drugs but for their specific kind of drug as a symbol of their rebellion against the military that he joined willingly and they were drafted into. He sees them the way older generations viewed the free love era as spoiled kids who are angry about having to do their part. The hypocrisy that the Stoners see (and the youtube reviewers see) is him tying himself to an old world way of thinking that only results in pain and death. Barnes thinks he's a tough hero and a realist for diving into that world head first and the Stoners think he's a maniac and a fool for willingly perpetuating that way of thinking. Both sides think the other is both naive and out of touch with reality, and both are right
Yes, Rest In Peace, Francesco Quinn. He was magnificent in Platoon, and especially in this scene. "Barnes been shot seven times - and he ain't dead! Does that mean anything to you, Huh? Barnes ain't meant to die. The only thing that can kill Barnes, is Barnes!"
I like this scene because it shows Barnes still has vulnerabilities despite him being a cold SOB. He was drinking heavily maybe for liquid courage as he probably knew the boys here could conceivably kill him together or he was trying to cope with having killed Elias. Interesting character.
Everytime he makes one of his pivotal (and illegal) killings, he does so with great difficulty. He has to think it over to kill the Elders wife, and he hesitates killing Elias when he is smiled at. What makes this guy so terrifying, is that he still has a sane side to him, but he is making intelligent/cynical decisions to carry out the killings anyways. He is battling within himself to push himself to the limit, and he has the willpower to push past that side of himself to do what he thinks is right. Its all very chilling when there is that corrupted humanity and willpower tied to the evil, as opposed to someone like Bunny who is simply just impulsive.
@F Off because of the drug culture cocaine Valleys Scotland’s a fantastic country with lovely scenery but drug culture is a massive part of society look Up the Glasgow effect and read about it will explain in more detail than me :)
@F Off and yes we do have random gang violence I’ve seen it first hand I saw someone get chased with a knife on queen street in Glasgow central he got stabbed not killed but yeah it’s bad sometimes every country has its pros and cons man
Barnes was the reason the machine was breaking down. Nigga needed to check himself. He got caught, and Elias wasn't going to put up with his shit. You could understand both sides with Barnes and Elias and how they looked at the war, especially the situation at the village. I truly do think Barnes cared about the welfare of his men, whether they were Elias' guys or his. Like when Manny died and when he lost those guys who died via the booby trap and Taylor saw him reflecting and looking semi depressed. He saw the situation in the village whether they helped the VC or not, he didn't wanna see a situation where he'd lose men and it could be pin pointed back to that village, and he would regret not having done anything. And he hit a breaking point. Elias wanted to maintain his sanity, and not have something like the village incident on his resume. He saw how it trickled down to the rest of the men during that incident and you can't go back once you've done stuff like that. I do admire the fact that Barnes went to the bunker and said " look if you have a problem with what I did, then do something about it, no consequences."
Tom Berenger, great fucking actor, holy shit his portrayal of Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in Platoon is absolutely amazing! he did receive an Academy Award nomination but he should have won, he got snubbed Fr
This movie is awsome because of the context. it is beyond subtle in its message and by the end of it, you traveled the story perfectly through martin sheen. this is a classic, not bullshit like battleship
Fun fact. The cut he gave him under the eye was a reference to Apocalypse Now when his dad Martin Sheen actually got hit with shrapnel from a botched explosion and had to wear a bandaid 🩹 in the same spot for a month during shooting. Even till this day, the scar is visible on Martin Sheen’s face.
Say what you want but I liked that character. As sad or intimidating as he sounds, but he IS the "reality" - the "reality" of WAR. Guys like this one don't "come back" to society. He knew he would die...maybe that's why he stopped giving a fuck a long time before, maybe the other way around... but every war needs & creates men like this one, in an attempt to win. ...and then "society" judges them by a completely different set of standarts and rules. He'd never go back.
2nd most brutal character in this movie, but I think Bunny was just a smidge more psycho. "You see that head come apart? I ain't never seen brains like that"
Looks like a Cold Steel item.I have one,they made several models.I don't know if they were made in that time though.Push blades are very old.Maybe Barnes was savvy enough to acquire or have one custom made. I know some Randall made knives were carried there.
If the machine breaks down. We break down. Yo man, you know how in Rambo one he was all skinny and then in Rambo 2 he got all puffed up? Well that's how you look right now. You more shredded than a Julian salad man.
@SuperGetitgotitgood Nice! Possibly they may have dissed it because of the Ad. Just for clarity, I did not place the add, it was put there by the copyright holders. I do not profit from it in any way. The other option was for me to remove the video, which I considered, but rejected because it is such a great scene.
There are certain shots in the scene where Berenger's good looks are just way too distracting. You don't see Sgt Barnes at all. Most likely just the vulnerability of the scene.
I think the tragedy that Barnes and Elias represent is our inability to find where exactly we should draw the line on morality and utilitarianism. Wasn't a fan of the movie, but man these two contrasting characters were developed so well.
please can you bring to us the whole film but in the french language i need it in my homework because we work on (la guerre aux 18 éme siècle ) as soon as possible please and thanks a lot :)
Jim, I believe it is a blade called a Push Knife. It has a T Handle that rests against the palm as you close your fist around it. Check out Kennesaw Cutlery online. They sell a number of different versions of that style knife.
Lol Im like the Barnes of my warehouse im beaten down but i know my shit and speak the hard truth but I cant move up passed Sgt. Cause i never went to westpoint and my superior officers have no combat expierence Btw no im not really comparing working a warehouse to war so please dont attack me its just a joke cause i have a somewhat similar comradery with my coworkers
OriginalGamster89 hey man people be dying in wars and shit and you talkin bout warehouse working shit the worse thing you gots to deal wef is some fart gas from some fat peckah head Oh shit homy I didn’t read the second paragraf forget whut I said.
