Ìý User Rating 
Winner of four Oscars, "Platoon" marked an important change in the approach to movies about Vietnam and the US public's reaction to films about the conflict. Beautifully shot, it's now cleaned up and presented on a DVD with a selection of valuable extra features.
The opening dusty scenes look quite grainy, but once past those, "Platoon" shines with obvious care and attention in its transfer to disc. In particular, the night-time scenes are awash with detail and the haunting blue light that saturates the drama.
One of the Oscars that "Platoon" won was for 'Best Sound'. The impact of this was obviously lost on VHS, but a fresh new 5.1 mix for DVD adds sub-woofer thunder to the helicopters and explosions, and eerie jungle noise to the rear surrounds.
The quality of the extra features mark this DVD as one of the few that can boast the title 'Special Edition'. There's a 50 minute 'making of' documentary filled with retrospective interviews that is fascinating to watch. One actor who clearly has never forgotten his experiences on the movie is Charlie Sheen. "When I smoke, I think of "Platoon"," he says.
The two audio commentaries tie in very well with the documentary. The first is with Oliver Stone, and the second with military advisor Captain Dale Dye. They both fought in Vietnam and within each other found "kindred spirits", which resulted in their forthright and clear agenda that shines through the movie. Both impart an enormous amount of anecdotes, each one as interesting as the next. Funny, sad, and potent, their words are from the heart and there's not many DVD extras that ever get that deep.
Region: 2
Ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5:1
Extra Features: Scene selection, 'Tour of the Inferno' making of documentary, audio commentary with director Oliver Stone, audio commentary with military advisor Captain Dale Dye, behind-the-scenes and poster art stills galleries, three TV spots, original theatrical trailer, "Salvador" special edition DVD trailer, multiple languages and subtitles and English for the hearing impaired.
