platoon why did barnes kill elias

Answer: 3. KING: How the fuck you get over here man, you look like you educated This is definitely a war America is not winning. After the final battle in Platoon on Netflix, Stone once again contrasts Taylor's bravery with the questionable decisionsof a fellow soldier. He volunteers for the war because he wants to experience his own life, not just observe it like other middle-class college boys. The lives of the infantry men who havent proven themselves arent valued as much as the lives of the men whove been in Vietnam longer. Confronting Chris, he moves on, taunting them all. Chris understanding of the war increases as he engages in combat activities: hiking through the jungle from sun up to sun down, digging foxholes, going on point, participating in 3-man listing posts and all night ambushes, etc. After Elias death, Barnes confronts Chris and the others in the heads hutch about Elias, and Barnes is able to provoke Chris to attack him. Obsessed with the idea of an international communist conspiracy, Truman and his advisors contended that Stalin, Mao, and Ho were united by the single ambition of world domination. (Martin, Roberts, Mintz, McMurry, and Jones, p. 922) By the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, America was financing a major portion of Frances war in Vietnam. Edit, Awards Barnes murdered Sgt. It seems every time the platoon comes into contact with the enemy, they lose livesnot uncommon in war, but there doesnt appear to be any clear victories to counteract the losses. Live up to what Grandpa did in the First War and Dad the Second. But its not true! Oh, you wanna kick ass. By the final act, director Oliver Stone provides a piercingcommentary about the lasting effects of war and the consequences ofspontaneous decisions. Performing a patriotic service for your country, the chance to take rage and frustration out on the enemy that has caused it, doing drugsthese are types of dividends the men can reap in the platoon. For instance: Chris drops out of college and enlists in the military to do something positive for his country; He shoots his rifle at the feet of a young, retarded man he finds hiding. Elias, a free spirit (Willem Dafoe), leads the latter group. 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. You aint ever been right - bout nothing. Barnes instinctively warns him of the pressing danger. ELIAS: Sir, I saw it happen in 66 at Ia Drang. Each of the men begin to have a moral conflict with one another over what the other considers as right and wrong. Outraged by 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 . Susanna", written by Stephen Collin Foster in 1847 or 1848. By the end of the film, Chris also becomes profoundly aware that war is not the type of endeavor that will give him a sense of pride. Barnes finds Elias alone and shoots him, then returns and tells Chris that Elias was killed by the enemy. Chris focuses on his intuition that enlisting in the Vietnam War will provide him with what he needs to feel he is a real man. BARNES: Yall take a good look at this lump of shit! I saw his eyes when he came back in Is the village massacre based on any actual events? Elias ( Willem Dafoe ), another good fighter, but a man who tries to escape from the reality through drugs. Essential Equipment for Your Landscaping Business. The inference, of course, is that war is such hell that soldiers would do anything to escape it, including causing themselves grave injuries, but inPlatoon, Stone doesn't paint a flatteringpicture of Black soldiers, and he's been called out for it over the years. Made of Iron: Barnes had apparently been shot seven times prior to the events of the film and the rest of the platoon think he can't die as a result. When the platoon takes some gruesome losses, an enraged Barnes kills some Vietnamese and orders the burning of their village, outraging the temporarily absent Elias. Barnes becomes irritated with Chris when Chris throws up and faints after he discovers the rotting corpse of a Viet Cong soldier: Sgt. Would this movie be considered "un-American?". Then they would be sent home. What is not appreciated also illustrates the forewarning. It's possible Francis' tour was close to being over. If they had they would have run Barnes was at the eye of our rage - and through him, our Captain Ahab - we would set things right again. Who leads a platoon in the Army? They drove me crazy with their goddamn world, Grandma, you know Mom, I dont want to be a white boy on Wall Street, I dont want my whole life to be predetermined by them. While the platoon is being extracted via helicopter, they glimpse Elias, mortally wounded, emerging from the treeline and being chased by a group of North Vietnamese soldiers, who kill him. This is illustrated time and again throughout the film. None of this sits well with Sgt. 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. When Barnes suspects the villagers of being Viet Cong sympathizers, Barnes viciously shoots and kills the wife of the village chief, and threatens to shoot the chiefs young daughter as a means of coercing information out of the chief about the Viet Cong. And dig this you assholes and dig it good! Understanding how networked the entire area has become and how hidden and well stocked the Viet Cong are serve as forewarnings that support the consequence. "Adagio for strings", composed by Samuel Barber and performed by the New Zealand Symphony. You were there Rhah - I know what you were thinking. News, For me, it was a purely physical thing. Emotions and tensions riding high, Sgt. To make matters worse, the inexperienced, incompetent Lt. Wolfe accidentally orders an air strike on the platoons location resulting in more casualties in the platoon. Chris contributes to the carnage by firing his rifle at the feet of a defenseless villager. Despite all the signs that they are losing the war, the platoon, as well as the American military, are operating under the delusion they are in some way actually gaining control of the war and have a chance to win. Despite Lt. Wolfes seniority, Sgt. And so Taylor kills him; putting an end to his torment. KING: What we got here a crusader? Elias? Chris experiences in the war do not lead him to find something to be proud of, instead, he has become a cold-blooded murderer, and kills his nemesis, Sgt. Barnes would have brought Chris down to his level of evil and would have officially corrupted his soul which means he still would have won.3) Barnes wasn't evil. Elias leads Chris to conclude that Sgt. Did he try to kill himself? You were there Rhah - I know what you were thinking. Platoon's medic.LT. If the state of the platoon wasnt bad enough, now theyre forced to face impossible odds. Warren (WIA): Wounded behind Learner, seen being choppered out after church battle. He is not a good man, but he is also tormented by the choices he's made. Cause drives Sgt. Taylor picked up the grenade, but once one of the other soldiers made their way to him, he probably felt it was better to live and get shipped home to be with the ones he loved. Barnes demands that no one in the platoon, including Chris, is to fall asleep on his shift. Soldiers paying tribute to the 8 million Horses, Donkeys, and Mules that lost their lives during World War I, 1918. Why did Elias smile at Barnes? The enormous loss of lives sustained in the last battle clearly indicates the U.S. militarys failure in making progress in the Vietnam War. Black guy seen combing hair in night ambush.Pvt Moorhouse (KIA): Killed by short round, while using M60. Barnes feels war and death are his exclusive expertise because of his first hand experiences: He aint gonna bite you. CHRIS (V.O. Written and directed by Oliver Stone. I guess having always been sheltered and special, I just want to be anonymous. I have no energy to write. During the filming of Sgt Elias death in Platoon, Dafoe had little contact with the other members of the cast and crew. But there are a few interesting things you probably didn't know about Sgt. BARNES: Theres the way it oughta be and theres the way it is. What happened todays just the beginning. Lias, he was full of shit, Lias was a crusader - I got no fight with a man does what hes told, but when he dont, the machine breaks down, and when the machine breaks down, we break down and I aint gonna allow that. The platoon becomes very upset with this recent discovery, but none seem to be as mentally and emotionally afflicted as Sgt. During the final battle, he is killing countless VC bare-handed. However, what makes thefinal narration especially impactfulis that Taylorsuggests he'll figuratively remain on the battlefield for the rest of his days, and imagines Eliasdoing the same while battling Barnes for the possession ofhis [Taylor's] soul. Although Barnes shows signs of being completely lost and crazy, we still see ourselves drawn to him until he murders Elias. RHAH: (puffing on his bowl) How do you know the dinks didnt get him. They are both promoted, Rhah is given Elias' position, and O'Neill is given Barnes' position much to his chagrin. Even though Lieutenant Wolfe is the highest ranking officer in the platoon, he is young, inexperienced, and has only recently come to Vietnam. Morehouse and Sal are short, Fu Shengs going on an RnR, you dont want to send their asses out on an ambush. Oliver Stone quite plainly wrote the scene to be reflective of My Lai and probably many other lesser known incidents of misconduct by American military personnel. A requirement of the Past also applies to the cherries, or newly arriving infantry men who must deal with the unfortunate circumstance of having no past combat experiences in the jungles of Vietnam. 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. He honors and respects Sgt. (Stone, p. 85) Barnes. Barnes and Sgt. User Reviews Barnes then returns and tells the others that Elias was killed by the enemy. When Barnes is faced with an accusation, or when he can directly accuse someone else for being the cause of a problem, he really gets upset and motivated. Hes not one to sit around and consider, contemplate, or ponder situations. This happens immediately after the platoon has lost several men to booby traps at the Viet Cong bunker complex. (Stone, p. 85). Is he psychologically damaged? With Barnes clearly aware that he could potentially be court-martialed, he devises a plan that will prevent Elias from making an official statement. Elias admits he is a burn out and has some faults, but at least he is competent and doesn't frag his own. In the speech he gives the head, hes basically telling the men to think his way; be part of the machineCause when the machine breaks down, we break down, an occurrence hes not going to allow. Elias condemns Barnes' actions and a fight breaks out between the two. You got no proof man. Barnes been shot 7 times and he aint dead, that tell you something? Barnes in the hut at base camp for killing him. Therefore they would probably have to break in new recruits, until the WIA's were fit for duty again. No on talks. Edit. There's nature and technology, free will and fate - that place had changed him and in killing Barnes, he acknowledges as much, if only to break the spell. They are the internal moral pillars all humans have that determine whether man's innate capacity for evil is realized or not. Suspicion and hate cause them to turn on each other. 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