The Reality of War

            I have to say that watching the movies again and paying closer attention to detail has really changed my opinion on which I preferred and for what reasons.  At first I thought I favored Platoon. I got the impression it was the real deal. Since Oliver Stone not only was in Vietnam but also wrote the movie I was persuaded into thinking it was right on target with many of the scenes, very “realistic”. So, when I then watched Full Metal Jacket I felt as if, even though it is categorized as a war movie, the humor and the boot camp beginning really threw me off and therefore I felt as if I didn’t get as much from it. However, after watching the two again and studying many of the scenes I discovered that my assumptions were way off. In comparing a scene from each movie where an America soldier is shot, I decided that maybe Full Metal Jacket is closer to real life than I suspected and that while I was watching Platoon I was too caught up in the fights and emotions to realize how over dramatized some scenes were.

            In the death scene of Elias the plane takes off thinking they have everyone on board. Just as they level out however, they realize that they have left someone. Looking down from the helicopter Taylor yells that they left Elias. Guns are going off and there are Vietnamese everywhere. As the helicopter circles around the dramatic music begins to play. The camera zooms in on Elias as he is running but not for his life, in slow motion. He falls, gets back up, falls gets back up all while more than one Vietnamese solider is behind him. In reality he would have easily been shot, and most certainly not have the energy or the ability after being shot in the back to run, let alone do a dramatic wave up to the helicopter before dying. But, that is the point, for the music to captivate you and for the moment to be as most memorable as possible. Not knowing much at all about the Vietnam war though, during the first time I saw this I thought it was great, the second time I just thought everything was a little exaggerated.

            In the climax of Full Metal Jacket, Cowboy has led his squad into the wrong direction and what looks like a deserted town. He sends 8-ball into the ruble to check things out and as soon as he makes it in he is shot. In the scene there is no buildup music, no slow motion just the quick shot of 8-ball and the natural reaction, a scream. With such a simple scene as this why did it affect me so much more than the Elias of Platoon? I think because it was natural, realistic, what you would expect to happen when someone got sniped. He just fell, screaming, not in any particular position. This too me made all the difference and what changed my opinion to favor Full Metal Jacket. It may not have won academy awards but it got the job done in showing me how quick it was over for someone in Vietnam, that was it, no build up music, just war.