The summary and note for this entry were completed with participation from the AFI Academic Network. Summary and note were written by participant Ariel Coleman, a student at Oregon State University, with Jon Lewis as academic advisor.

According to a Jan/Feb issue of American Film, Platoon was “the first commercial feature about Vietnam written and directed by a vet.” Writer-director Oliver Stone partly based the screenplay on his experience as a U.S. Army infantryman serving in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968. Stone wrote the film in 1976, though he originally came up with the idea in 1969. In American Film, Stone claimed that Charlie Sheen’s character, “Chris,” was modeled after himself, and “Barnes” and “Elias” after men he met in the war, likening Elias and Barnes to the mythological heroes Hector and Achilles in the battle of Troy.
       A 23 Oct 1984 Var article announced that the film would begin shooting in Jan 1985, with Dino De Laurentiis as producer. However, as stated in a 21 Dec 1984 LAT article, De Laurentiis dropped out of the project and Stone later filed a lawsuit against the producer, claiming that De Laurentiis agreed to finance the film at $7 million in exchange for a screen adaptation of Robert Daley’s novel, Year of the Dragon, to be written by Stone. The writer-director upheld his end of the bargain and was paid $200,000 for the screenplay, less than half his usual fee. A 29 Mar 1985 Var news item stated that Film Packages International, Anne and Arnold Kopelson’s production company, would produce the film with a planned budget of $10-11 million and a start date of Sep 1985. A few months later, a 26 Feb 1986 Var reported that Hemdale Film Corporation, the U.K. based financier of Stone’s previous film Salvador (1986, see entry), agreed to finance the film, which would shoot for three months in the Philippines, primarily in the jungle, with one day of shooting planned in Manila. Due to political turmoil in the Philippines, principal photography was delayed one week from the 1 Mar 1986 start, as stated in a 26 Feb 1986 LAT article.
       According to production notes in AMPAS library files, actors endured a rigorous thirteen-day training period in the Philippines under the command of Captain Dale Dye, a Vietnam veteran with twenty years’ experience as a marine. In order to replicate the conditions of war, cast members slept three hours per night in foxholes they dug themselves and ate two cold food rations per day. Each day had classes on “the M-16 and squad radio procedures…plus the dreaded full-gear patrols,” the last one being an eighteen-kilometer, hilly trek. Stone hoped the training would imbue the actors with the “dog-tired, don’t-give-a-damn attitude” that defined infantrymen involved in war. Directly after the training ended, shooting began. Stone recalled in American Film that over the course of production, four to five crew members were fired, someone suffered from a “near-fatal viper bite,” monsoons came early, and the director feared for his life during several dangerous helicopter rides. 250 crew members worked on the film, and most were Filipino, according to Stone.
       The film opened in Dec 1986 to generally positive reviews and box-office success. On 3 Dec 1986, Duane Byrge of HR predicted the film would be an Academy Award contender and many would deem it “the best film of the year.” Technical aspects and performances were generally lauded, though several reviewers singled out the narration provided by Chris’s letters to his grandmother as unnecessary and distracting. Vincent Canby, in his 19 Dec 1986 NYT review, called the film “a singular achievement” and praised Stone for creating “narrative order” in a story depicting the chaos of war.
       According to a 9 Feb 1987 NYT article, the film had taken in $8.3 million in box-office receipts in less than 600 theaters over the weekend ending 1 Feb 1987, making it “the top-grossing movie in the country” that month, six weeks after its initial release. The article noted timing as part of the film’s success, postulating that had it been released ten years prior, the subject matter would have been too raw to draw a large audience. A 6 Apr 1987 Var news brief stated that the film showed at GI theaters in Europe for American servicemen and women months before the regular European release. The GI cinema release was organized by the Army & Air Force Exchange System and was “a first” according to Var, which stated that the film would normally not be made available to service members overseas while it was still playing in first-run U.S. theaters. A 15 Apr 1987 Var news item announced that, in its first three weeks of overseas release, the film made $24 million, a tally not including the U.K., West Germany, and Japan, where it had not yet been released. A 16 Oct 1988 SFChron article noted that the film had taken in $110 million in box-office receipts.
       A 2 Jun 1987 HR news item reported that Platoon was being held from release in Singapore after The Censor Board of Singapore altered the film with 28 cuts in order to make it suitable for screening, and Kopelson decided to withhold it in protest. According to Kopelson, Singapore and Malaysia were the only two countries to request cuts to the film, and Malaysia eventually banned it altogether. According to a 14 Mar 1988 LAT brief, tens of thousands of viewers watched the film “on video in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon.” It was the first U.S. Vietnam War film to be shown in the city since the communist victory and U.S. retreat in 1975.
       An 18 Apr 1987 LAT article stated that there was originally no soundtrack album to go along with the film. The difficult subject matter of the Vietnam War led several record companies, when first approached, to doubt the viability of a soundtrack; however, after the film’s release and successful performance, Atlantic Records contacted music consultant Budd Carr, and they began work on a soundtrack. Because the film only used three 1960s era songs, Atlantic wanted to add five more songs from the Atlantic catalogue. Stone and Carr chose the following: “Hello, I Love You” by the Doors, Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”, Otis Redding’s “Dock of the Bay”; Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman,” and the Rascals’ “Groovin,’” along with an instrumental piece from the film, “Barnes Shoots Elias” by composer George Delerue. Atlantic released the soundtrack in Mar 1987, concurrent with the 59th Academy Awards for which the film was nominated in eight categories.
       A 10 Sep 1987 HR article stated that Arnold Kopelson filed a $75 million suit against Helmdale Film Corporation, Orion Pictures, Vestron Inc., and others charging them with breach of contract and fraudulent concealment of funds. Kopelson claimed that the defendants “failed to pay compensation past due…failed to deliver true and correct accounts…[and] failed to provide copies of all distribution contracts,” amongst several others grievances. According to a 17 Dec 1987 HR article, Hemdale launched a $100 million countersuit against Kopelson and his companies Film Packages International and Inter-Ocean Film Sales for “breach of contract,” failure to fulfill his duties as producer during the production, and interfering in professional relationships between Helmdale and other companies involved in the making of Platoon such as Orion Pictures and Credit Lyonnais Bank. On 20 Jun 1989, Var reported that both Hemdale and Kopelson settled their grievances out-of-court and Kopelson won an undisclosed amount.
       Though the home video version was originally scheduled to be released 14 Oct 1987, HBO Video was ordered by the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeal to cancel the release after Vestron Inc. filed an injunction, claiming HBO Video would be committing copyright infringement. HBO had spent $3 million to promote the release, anticipated to be the “strongest rental draw of the Fall season.” As stated in a 30 Jan 1988 issue of Billboard, Vestron originally bought video rights to both Hoosiers (1986, see entry) and Platoon for $6 million; however, after Platoon became successful in theatrical release, Hemdale claimed Vestron had not fulfilled the “financial terms” previously agreed upon, then re-sold video rights to Hoosiers and Platoon to HBO for an alleged $15 million. An out-of-court settlement between Vestron and HBO was reached 15 Jan 1988. Vestron received $15.7 million – paid, in part, by Hemdale – and both HBO and Vestron were granted partial distribution rights: HBO had the right to sell Platoon videocassettes until 31 Aug 1988, at which point Vestron was allowed to release their home video version beginning 14 Oct 1988. According to an 11 Oct 1987 LAT brief, the home video was initially sold for $99.95 per unit and included “an introductory forty-five-second ‘tribute’ to vets from Chrysler Motors and its Jeep Eagle Division.” Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca appeared in the tribute.
       A 6 Apr 2006 HR news item announced that the film would screen at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival to celebrate the rerelease of the DVD; Platoon was originally rejected by the selection committee for the 1986 Cannes Film Festival.
       Platoon received four Academy Awards in 1987 for "Best Picture, “Best Director,” “Best Film Editing,” and “Best Sound.” Both Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger were nominated for “Best Actor in a Supporting Role”; Robert Richardson was nominated for “Best Cinematography”; and Oliver Stone was nominated for “Best Screenplay.” The film was also ranked #86 on AFI's 100 Years 10th anniversary list.
       A 26 Jan 1987 HR brief reported that American Broadcasting Company (ABC), National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) all planned to pitch television adaptations for the film to Kopelson, but the producer would not make any quick decisions because he was simultaneously considering offers for theatrical sequels. At a party following the 59th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, Hemdale chairman and CEO, John Daly, stated that a sequel was planned and Stone had already been paid to write it, as stated in a 1 Apr 1987 HR article.
       A 1 May 1987 LAHExam announced the arrival of a board game based on the film.
       Opening credits include a title card with the following quotation: "'Rejoice O young man in thy youth...' - Ecclesiastes." At the end of the film, a title card with the following written statement appears: "Dedicated to the men who fought and died in the Vietnam War." End credits acknowledge the government of the Republic of the Philippines "for the assistance it has extended in the filming of the motion picture Platoon.” A “Special Thanks” also appears in the end credits acknowledging the following individuals and organizations: Charles W. Ryan, Bart-Milander Associates, Inc.; Michael Cimino; and Mary Colquhoun.
       Oliver Stone makes an uncredited appearance in the final battle sequence as an unnamed Army officer.