Movies

War always has its basic components  guns, bullets, and more firepower. This is so because conflict has accompanied man in his journey through history. The evolution of motion pictures provided for a medium of expression of thoughts and feelings, and of course, the circumstances about a war. Apocalypse Now and Platoon are two films of the same genre, but they do have distinct stories. They tell of the same war yet they present the realities of that time in different ways. With the advent of television, for the first time, daily war footage was being projected into television screens of American homes, a big leap from the two great wars and Korea. As they say, everything in war is so cold, thus people could not believe that the country was perpetuating a dirty war in another mans land. Protest flared up and in university campuses and later in the streets, echoed the chant peace, love, not war. These were tumultuous times and the war brought about a bitter taste in the collective value system of America. People became disappointed about the engagement and this is greatly reflected in numerous anti war films, notwithstanding that there were films in favor of the war, but the ones which dissected its ills became sort of subgenre. It was not just the intent to kill that was highlighted, but it also delved on its effects on the soul. Drama soon accompanied action and war pictures tend to focus on every human aspect of a conflict. This discourse is how two films portrayed their representation of the war in Vietnam.

This war was a military success for it dealt the enemy with sound setbacks. But, it was a political defeat for it turned a big portion of the populace against it and ultimately, the US had to withdraw. For the first time, the eagles wings were clipped and America was healing from its wounds. At this atmosphere, it would be professional suicide for a film maker to glorify its exploits. War pictures from World War II tended to present heroes and portray the enemy as an evil that deserved to be castigated. The nation that had to redefine its ideals, Vietnam War movies tended to explore on the human side of the conflict. This brought about powerful action dramas that captivated viewers. In the centennial anniversary of the American Film Industry (AFI) where they identified the top 100 films, both Apocalypse Now and Platoon were acknowledged (AFI 1). Another interesting factor about the war was that it not only affected peoples opinion about conflict, it also brought about major changes in the war room planning boards of the Pentagon. The emphasis on the use of air power is one of the lessons of the Vietnam War. It seemed that the strategist did not read The Art of War of Sun Tzu where it said that Hence the saying If you know the enemy and know thyself, your victory will not stand in doubt (Sun Tzu p. 112).

The US entered the Vietnam War for fear of the domino effect brought about by the rise of communism. The south was incapable of sustaining a fight against the red north. American troops had to be deployed. A military analyst in a study of this war may take into consideration such factors as strategies and tactics in maneuvering, command performance, logistics, and the level of training and discipline of the fighting men. So much literature has been expended on this end. Both movies, in a way, tried to get close as can be to real situations. A study and comparison then can cull out some good lessons, whilst being entertained of the circumstances of these two great films. So the question, what do we want to see in a war movie Welcome to the theatre, Apocalypse Now opens up with the blazing fury of napalm. Just seeing the fiery explosion makes you aware of your skin, being stripped of its soft tissue and bones. Choppers as they debut on the war front, glide through the screen. This is war, this is the end, and the Doors song heightens up the appetite, let us have the bang and the gore. In Platoon, a C-130 opens up its belly and delivers a band of soldiers. The airstrip is busy with activity, fighting men arriving, and body bags of the dead leaving. The quotation that starts up the movie is just so fitting Rejoice, oh young man, in thy youth . . . You get a feeling that they are about to die.

In the next scene, Apocalypse introduces us to the main character of Captain Willard, drunk, delusional, and somewhat on the edge. He is whisked away to the headquarters in Nha Trang and is in a briefing with senior officers. He gets to be introduced to the person he has to kill. This target is a highly decorated soldier and was even being groomed to be a chief of staff or for one of the high positions. This colonel has deserted and has been doing unsound practices and the army wants him eliminated. The scene is quite dramatized and portrays fighting men who have experienced the perils of war. We get the feel that they are emotionally disturbed. It seems that the personality factors expounded by Sigmund Freud the id, ego, and superego are up against each other. Platoon at this point immediately goes into action with the main character, Chris, going to patrol duty. Being the fresh meat, as the new recruits were called, he gets his first shock as they encounter a fearsome enemy. At this point, the viewer already gets the impression that it takes a lot of courage to be in this war. There are brave soldiers, there are the frightened fresh meats, no matter the gallantry it starts to be gripping as we see pain, suffering, and death for the first time. You are of the impression that the Vietnam War is a very bloody war.

In Apocalypse, the viewer gets to see how soldiers were living their life in Vietnam. There are lots and lots of drugs and booze. It is like a big party where hedonism is the norm and everybody is just in for some good time. We get to meet the eccentric Colonel Kilgore whose main purpose in life is to surf. The colonel is more fun loving than being intent in waging a war. Though, when at the battle field, he is just a cold soldier, aloof of the debris that he causes. Willard is quizzical, if Kilgore wields a command borne out of his eccentric personality and gets away with it his target must have done a lot worse. At this point, it seems that US forces are in control and they display awesome firepower with the dominance of deadly flying machines. The colonel even say that he loves the smell of napalm in the morning, apparently referring to the destruction being brought about by the surroundings going up in flames. At this point, life is still easy, we see the troops being entertained by playboy bunnies and living is just wonderful. A regular guy on the street may say, hey, I want to be in Vietnam, too, we are in control of the place and it is a one big party. You can do what you want to do, brother.

In Platoon, we get to see some good times, too. Yet, the viewer is already introduced to conflict among the soldiers themselves. Sergeant Barnes is quite unfeeling and is cold blooded. In direct contrast is Sergeant Elias who is kind and is shown to be a nice guy. Action is constant as they are in near confrontation with a whole regiment of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). Barnes perpetuates atrocities in a village reminiscent of the original My Lai massacre in March 1968 (Time Magazine 1). Elias arrives at the scene, stops the grave injustice, and confronts Barnes. A fight ensues between the two and we see a conflict between highly trained killing soldiers where threats to each other is as deadly as their personality, especially with Barnes. In an encounter with the enemy, Barnes deviously isolates Elias and shoots him with his M-16 and orders the troops to move back. The soldiers are airlifted from the area and while on air, they get to see Elias being pursued by a swarm of enemy soldiers. He is riddled with bullets, falls on his knees, and the good soldier raises his arms to the air and dies. Fighting is quite heavy and the ordinary guy in an American street would never want to go there. All the time, the soldiers express that they just want to be out of Vietnam. Indeed the movie portrays the place to be terrible. The NVA is surely giving the GI a lot of beating.

In Apocalypse, action intensifies and we get to see some heavy fighting. The scene is no longer a big rest and recreation time and the troop is now a harassed bunch. Willard and his group get to the front lines where a bridge is being blown off by the NVA. Soldiers are helplessly scampering towards their boat in their clamor to escape from the chaos of the place. The viewer gets to see ordinary Americans who are trapped in a hellhole and are desperate to get out and to go home to their nice cozy homes. We get a feeling that we do not want this to happen to us and somewhat solicit a feeling of compassion for these wretched souls in imminent demise. Some soldiers already appear deranged by the constant explosions of guns and bombs. The viewer now gets to see what a post traumatic stress syndrome is all about. These soldiers are fighting a desperate war against a determined foe. He is faced with an enemy who is intent in winning and is putting up a fierce fight. This is a grand departure from the post World War II movies where soldiers are glorified heroes. Here, it is clear that in Vietnam, the American soldier took a beating and they not only hurt physically, but their souls are scarred as well.

In Platoon, we now see the climactic action as the NVAs were all over the place and American soldiers are being massacred. The commanding officer had to call an air strike on themselves in order to kill the enemy swarm. In these skirmishes, Barnes was about to kill Chris, but is thrown away as bombs explode everywhere. In the morning of the bloody aftermath, bodies are all around with some soldiers still struggling to hold on to dear life. Chris chances upon the devious Barnes and in his hatred, gets to kill him.

Reinforcements arrive and a lot of dead enemy soldiers are being placed in mass graves. It is a horrific site, death is everywhere. The wounded Chris is just happy to be on the chopper and out of Vietnam. He salutes a comrade then waves goodbye as he is shown with an obvious psychological strain in his face. The movie ends here and the viewer just feels sorry for the place and the people in it. The usual guy in the street may just blurt out a question it is just terrible, why did this war ever have to happen anyway

In Apocalypse, Willard finally meets Colonel Kurtz, his target for assassination. The place is just terrible with hanging bodies and the dead everywhere where the natives just do not seem to care about them. Kurtz is wanted for murder of Vietnamese intelligence agents and did not want to face charges. He is hiding in a native tribe in Cambodia where he is worshipped as a god by the tribe. Willard wonders how such a great person can just dissipate into such a sorry state. Willard is first kept in custody but is later released. He gets his chance to kill Kurtz. While he puts on the machete to the colonel, it is interspersed with a ritual being performed by the natives where a buffalo is hacked to death. The scene is just so gruesome that you wish you did not see it. The buffalos head was almost severed before it fell to the ground. This gore dramatized the death of a once prized officer who has gone over the edge. The movie ends shortly and the viewer is just shocked and maybe relieved that it is the end.

Both movies are excellent portrayals of the Vietnam War. They approached and portrayed what transpired in their own dramatic ways. In Apocalypse, we first see an army in control of the place and drugs and booze are just so plentiful that the whole thing looks like a big party. Slowly, the action intensifies until you get to hate why they are there and you would question why America went to war in that place anyway. It ends dramatically and you feel relief that the nightmare is over. The last word of Colonel Kurtz seals in the theme of the movie as he utters the horror, the horror. Obviously, what he went through despite being a trained soldier just consumed him. Platoon early on depicts a place where young men die. Chris arrives at the airstrip and body bags are loaded where the dead are allowed to go home. Action is constant and the pain and suffering is quite seat-gripping for the viewer. We are introduced to conflict among the fighting men themselves and the grave consequences that it brings. All the while, soldiers express that they want out of the place, but they have to serve their tour of duty. The movie ends with fantastic fighting where one would just be lucky to survive. Chris was an idealist who actually dropped out of college to volunteer his service for a nation at war. In the end, he is just disappointed about it and feels that he has to rebuild his life. The viewer feels better, too that the movie is over and the gore has stopped. Both films are great in portraying the evils of war and the effect it has on the American soldier who struggles through it. It also provides us with an insight on how terrible the local Vietnamese must have felt with all those injustices committed in the cold atmosphere of a war. In the final analysis, we can just conclude that war is just a terrible expression of mans anger.