Platoon is a 1986 Vietnam War film directed by Oliver Stone, who based the film on his own experiences as a combat infantryman in both the 1st Cavalry Division and the 25th Infantry Division. The film follows a rifle platoon in Bravo Company, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, primarily through the eyes of Pvt. Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), a young idealistic soldier on his first tour of duty. Throughout the film, Taylor experiences the conflict between two competing senior N.C.O's - the brave and compassionate Sgt. Elias Grodin (Willem Dafoe) and hardened, ruthless SSgt. Robert Barnes (Tom Berenger). The film is notable for its serious depiction of soldiers fighting the war, and for being the first movie for which the actors were put through a "boot camp" (organized by technical adviser and Vietnam veteran Dale Dye) to gain experience on proper weapons handling and the day-to-day existence of a soldier fighting in Vietnam. Released to widespread critical acclaim, the film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning four, including Best Picture and Best Director and would be the first in a slew of films released about the war, including Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, and BAT*21. The film was also the first in Stone's unofficial "trilogy" of Vietnam War-themed films which included 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 1993's Heaven & Earth.
The following weapons were used in the film Platoon:
Crawford (Chris Pedersen) is briefly seen using what appears to be an original M16 as it lacks a forward assist. It could also be an AR-15/SP1 rifle, but since he is not seen firing it, it is unknown.
Soldiers of the 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 25th Infantry Division "Tropic Lightning" carry M16A1s, most commonly seen in the hands of Pvt. Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen). Also carrying the M16A1 are Big Harold (Forest Whitaker), Manny (Corkey Ford), Francis (Corey Glover) and Sgt. Red O'Neill (John C. McGinley).
Sgt. Elias Grodin (Willem Dafoe), SSgt. Robert Barnes (Tom Berenger), and Lt. Wolfe (Mark Moses) are armed with Colt Model 653P carbine assault rifles, noted by their rounded forward assists an 14.5" barrels, as the 653Ps were 653 export models sent to the Philippines. They were probably meant to stand in (albeit poorly) for the XM177E1 or E2. It is thus anachronistic to see these in the movie, as they were not used during the Vietnam war.
The Norinco Type 56 is the weapon of choice of the NVA soldiers, many of which feature "pig-sticker" under folder bayonets. They are noted as Chinese Type 56 rifles based on their hooded front sights. Only the milled receiver variant of this rifle was actually used during the war. Towards the end of the film, both SSgt. Robert Barnes (Tom Berenger) and Pvt. Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) are seen using these rifles, picked up from dead Vietnamese soldiers.
The M60 machine gun, sometimes affectionately called "The Pig" by US soldiers in Vietnam, is carried primarily by King (Keith David) in the film. As was typical in Vietnam, the M60 is typically manned by two men, a gunner and an assistant gunner who "feeds" the ammo.
The M1911A1 is the standard sidearm for all of the NCOs and Officers in the film. It is most prominently seen used by Sgt. Elias (Willem Dafoe) when he does tunnel rat duty and SSgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger) when he uses it to threaten a little girl in the village to get her father to talk.
An M72 LAW is seen strapped on top of Pvt. Chris Taylor's (Charlie Sheen) pack. It is also seen used by SSgt. Robert Barnes (Tom Berenger) during the final stand.
While never seen used in the film, the M79 grenade launcher is carried by several soldiers during the film, including Tubbs (Andrew B. Clark), a member of Red's squad.
Ebenhoch (Mark Ebenhoch) is seen throwing an M34 White Phosphorous grenade (also called "Willy Pete" - slang for White Phosphorous) in one of the rice wells during the raid of the village. SSgt. Robert Barnes (Tom Berenger) also uses an M34 Grenade handed to him by Tony (Ivan Kane) to destroy one of the underground tunnels, this time yelling "Willie Pete!" when he throws the grenade.
