People who criticize O'Neil for hiding under the body...Let's be honest if there were 10-20 VC running through the compound and we wanted to get home, we would all do the same
Yes I don't blame anyone for running or hiding in a battle. It was just ONeils character acted so badass and full of bravado until the shit hit the fan. I think we've all met people like that.
I saw this movie in the theater in '86 with my Dad who is a Vietnam vet. I was a kid at the time. The thing is, each time I watch this classic film, the men in it look younger and younger as I get older. It's a strange measuring stick of time. Lt. Wolfe is just a kid! I remember when he seemed like a big grown man! Of course, that's how it really was in Vietnam with young men having great responsibility. I'm now the age of Berenger when he was playing SSGT. Barnes! Time flies.
Mainsail76 Wolfe was a young man just a young fresh Lt out of command school with no prior field training or experience in combat unlike Staff Sergeant Barnes and Sergeant Elias
The looks Barnes gives O'Neill throughout the movie are priceless. Like when O'Neill says the LT "ain't gonna make it, just no fucking way!" Barnes looks at him like he thinks O'Neill ain't gonna make it, either.
Bartek Bierbasz actually we don't know if he makes it. It leaves us knowing that O'Neill has to lead 2nd platoon. He's still in Nam to fight another day, but now the odds of him surviving are even less likely, given that he has already gotten lucky too many times.
No i believe he is so happy at his good fortune. he is swooning.. O'neil was the best non commissioned officer, he wasn't power hungry like barnes, or was he going to save the world like Elias. had i been in the platoon i would have hung out with Elias, but i bet i would have had a better chance of surviving with o'neil. He was in the army, and playing the game. he was a fool for his superiors and liked to mess with his lower rated men.
you never in the army. he was swooning from pleasure. he is a lifer, they all want to advance. Best officers were guys like him. The army was his life. he was the best NCO in my opinion. he didn't want to save the world like Elias, and didn't go out of his way to be a hard ass killer like barnes. The dude was playing the game, and i think he was good at it. myself i would have been like our hero, start out following barnes, but have been attracted to the humanity of elias. now i am an old dude. i realize O'neill would have been best choice. Hang with him and keep your head down.
@Eilliw Nodrog It was best he got ran thru by a bayonette and died in vietnam, because he would never be happy or find peace back in the world. end up another drunken fucked up old vietnam vet, constantly saying "we could have won, we lost because of politics. Bull shit. we were on the wrong side and we all knew it. i say we cause i was a participant in that farce. i never got the pleasure of killling anyone, but was there none the less, even got combat pay and a bunch of ribbons and shit.
@@mijreed my thought exactly! This dude don’t know what he is saying, talking about O’Neil was the best NCO in the Platoon! Dude blew off his own teammates arm! I get he wasn’t trying to be a hard ass like Barnes or a hero like Elias but it takes some guts if you want to talk about NCO’s. Dude was always hiding from the fight and scared shitless which is 100% understandable. The Viet Cong were a force to be reckoned with.
You know, as unlikeable as O'Neil often was, the look of pure horror and sadness he gives after he witnesses Bunny bludgeon a civilian to death is chilling. You can tell this is a man who deep down is not a terrible human being and just wants to get out as soon as possible. Can't blame him.
We would all like to think we would be like Elias. But if we went trough the same shit as these guys went through, most of us would probably be more like Junior or O'neil.
I never disliked O'Neil, I thought he was kinda like Barn's toady and talked a lot but I never pictured him in a negative way and aside from not wanting his veterans who were about to go on leave to get hit it never seemed like he had bad intentions towards the guys he was with, even Ellias, and he wasnt a psycho like Bunny or the guys raping the girl in the village. He also just always had those tired empty eyes like someone who had just seen too much
The look Barnes gives O'Neill when O'Neill is explaining why he can just tell a guy ain't gonna make it.... made me think Barnes was thinking the same about him.
He fought till his position was over run then hid - common sense....die a hero or live to fight another day...i don't fault him for his sense of self preservation that day of the battle...
Fight and you may die, run and you'll live, for a while. .... But laying in your beds many years from now, No no no, that William Wallace bullshit speech ain't gonna work on me LT, put me on dat whirly bird with King wadda say there chief o'rooney
@@sergeontheloose at that point O'Neil realised that all that sucking up to Barnes for years was for nothing, Barnes doesn't give a fuck about O'Neil or anybody else.
i met some US vietnam war veterans while i was travelling in cambodia - they were hanging out in a bar in Phnom Penh. got talking to them and eventually asked what their favourite vietnam war movie was. they all said Platoon
+Bryan Chavez Sometimes in the trees you did had a sense of when you were walking into something and you may get hit. It was in the "air"...... The character of O'Neil was portrayed perfectly and could only have been shot by a director that had been in the trees as a grunt. I know. I did. Oct 67- Oct 68, Same 25th Infantry Div as Stones. Grunt. I got out unharmed through luck and sense.
Barnes used it to have numbers on his side then made the "tough" decision when push came to shove, pretty much using O'Neil toadyness then giving him a slap of reality.
I have this on DVR and watch parts of it and sometimes the whole movie often. It is the realest account of VNam as I guess Stone was there. Everything went hush when the war ended and nothing said for maybe half a decade until Stone dropped this. Incredible movie, incredible acting, incredible memories.
When he gets told he has 2nd platoon I always thought the look he gave was upset/scared that he wasn’t going to be given relieve days but now that I’m older and rewatch it it’s more of a shocked/sad look knowing that all of his friends were killed in the battle, even Barnes and that really hit him hard.
I knew almost ever personality in the movie when I was in Iraq. Crazy. Fuct me up when I came home n watched it. Every war is different , yet every war is the same .
This movie was cinematic gold! Each character, regardless of screen time, provided depth and emotion. I've probably seen this film 20 times and each time I find something new & each time I feel like I knew the background of every man. Best war film in history.
Oneil is such an overlooked character...caught between barnes and elias, lead by a clueless LT, he played tough to get by, but you knew he was scared as any one of us would be.
Saw an interview with John C McGinley (O'Neil). When the movie was first financed in 1984 he was in a minor role as Barnes' radio man. But then the financing collapsed. Two years later in 1986 it was on again and Oliver Stone called him up said we are back on and I want you in the fourth lead, Sgt. O'Neil. John Spencer had that role but had to drop out due to a schedule conflict. McGinley almost said no because he was soon to star in a great play in New York with a famous producer. Stone said I know the producer so go tell him I said I need you in the Philippines for 3 months. McGinley meekly asked the famous producer and he said 'yes, go, and tell Ollie I said hi'. And that was the start of his long movie career. He said later in the interview it was hardest shoot he was ever on but credits it to his subsequent career. Sometimes you have to say yes to things even when something else looks better.
Peter Hughes they made him, Bunny and others are part of villains as Barnes Squad is essentially the villains and Elias are the good side. Bunny, Barnes, O’Neil etc are more of psychotic burned out veterans while Elias is sympathetic character and cares for his men even he is world weary vet along with his squad but show more humanity. Your right O’Neil is a bastard but one that love to hate and makes the movie by bringing in the humor.
@@scottknode898 I don't see O'Neil being evil like Bunny and Barnes, but he is scared shitless and tries to suck up to Barnes whole time, maybe to not having to do ambush and other combat stuff. after Bunny kills that one vietnamese civilian dude by hitting him with the shotguns stock, you can see O'Neil scared and not really showing any acceptance on Bunnys behavior. O'Neil is more of a asshole and mostly he seems to be acting like asshole is because he is scared and doesn't want to show it, so he hides behind this fake asshole persona.
In a war like that EVERYONE is scared shitless, it's just a question of whether its shown or not. Anyone who isn't scared shitless is a total psycho and does not value their own life. Anyone who tells you they have been shot at and were not scared is a fucking liar.
The interesting thing about the conversation between Barnes and O'Neill before the final battle is that for a moment Barnes shows a sympathetic, human and paternal side. On one hand, he is annoyed with O'Neill for wanting to leave his plt when it needs it's squad leadership most, but on the other hand, he appreciates O'Neill's desire to survive and live to see another day. I don't agree with Barnes much in this film, but he handles that conversation well.
Can you tell me what he did wrong? I've never been in the military. I'm guessing it had something to do with how weak he made himself appear to his men, like as if they would eat him alive.
@@DoctorDoomsPvP he let barnes assume control of the platoon, even after he told him he should give orders as the Lt. Was hesitant under fire, let his men kill and rape civilians, and lied to the captain about what happened in the village which to me was the worst....officers are supposed to be honest and he should of charged barnes and the guys that raped the girl. Basically no balls as a leader.
@@hutch1111111 letting Barnes assume leadership was the right decision. It's like learning how to drive with a book and letting someone like a cab driver take the wheel to get not only himself and his men through a dangerous situation. He should have been accurate with the artillery support though. But there's a difference between book learning and experience.
Some explanations: O'Neill was a dick but he was no worse than most of the soldiers. When he laughed off Chris' excuse, saying "excuses are like assholes, everyone's got one" he was merely showing him that as a green recruit, he had no right of opening his mouth. Damn, why isn't that line in this video? When he's using a dead buddy to cover himself from the advancing NVA, he's not being a coward at all. What would you have done with literally a handfull of men and an entire enemy regiment on top of you? His look on his face, upon hearing he's now got "second platoon" is not hopelessness. At first I thought so but later I realized that at that moment, it sunk in with O'Neill that Barnes probably was killed. And Barnes wasn't supposed to die, because the only thing that can kill Barnes, is Barnes!
Platoon reminds me so much when I was in. They played their parts and there's always that kiss a$$, the idgf, the I'm fed up, and that sgt you wanna shoot in the back.
Red was a clever guy. He knew politics and understood power dynamics. He even had a legitimate survival strategy - align oneself to power for security. Unfortunately, Red didn't understand that the more you brown your nose, the farther the flowers lie.
I have a feeling that O'Neil actually did OK with his own platoon - the Captain giving O'Neil a platoon at the end of this video. One gets an impression of O'Neil that he was not a bad guy as such, but was a stooge for Barnes because he was afraid of him. Well, with Barnes gone, O'Neil could turn over a new leaf.
I think giving O'Neil a platoon is a mistake, but a lot of these promotions happened because someone else got killed, and promoting them was hard to avoid. The captain himself might have been moved up to battalion command after the original commander got killed, possibly with his XO as well, and I can see Ra and even Taylor moving up a rank or two with all the vacancies.
MAGA Mexican Director Oliver Stone left that scene in as liked the authenticity of actors improvising scenes or lines as happened several times in movie
The Sound of Legends no when O’Neil was igniting the lighter to light Barnes Cigarette the actor John C McGinley made genuine mistake and just went along with it and relit the cigarette. Stone liked it so much he left it as liked the improvised part or how actors handled mistakes during filming as are several improvised scenes in the movie. The actors were actually stoned out of minds when filmed scene where Elias and his men are smoking weed, the actors smoked prior the scene being filmed and were coming off being high and felt like shit. Stone liked the authenticity and made the actors go through grueling military training boot camp in the Philippines not on soundstage. The actors all went through a grueling weapons training course right before actual filming and stated filming right after boot camp to show actors exhausted and weary and would get at each other for real well. They actually ate rations, did night rotations to show what soldiers actually went through as Stone was a Veteran of Vietnam and didn’t want actors doing things half assed or be in comfortable conditions to they got to see first hand what Vietnam vets vet went through and make their characters more realistic then shown in war movies before Platoon was made. Actor Tom Berenger who played Barnes lost 28 pounds during the 14 day boot camp.
Oneil is a great character. And everyone spends time talking about Elias and Barnes without noticing ONeil. Elias is the good guy, noble knight. Barnes the madman, pure psychopath. ONeil is the most human of the sergeants. Wants to be liked, subject to weakness, fearful for his life, a bit of an ass, etc.
I saw in one of his interviews about the movie where he talks about the R&R scene with Sargent Barnes, his crying was authentic, the conflict were the movie was being shot, family issues, tiredness due to the training and the hours and hours of shooting….the fact about all the soldiers during the Viet Nam conflict ended up getting the best of him
Will always remember 4:05. He was so scared. Made me scared for him and I was wondering why he was so afraid. Yeah, he was a shit heel but a capable soldier. Not until I saw the battle did I understand. He knew what was coming and wanted to get as far from it as he could. I dont blame him. I also dont blame Barnes for not letting him go. Barnes face when he puts his hands on him is like "You just touched me?"
2:00 "Sometimes I just look at a guy, and I know he's not gonna make it"...then Barnes gives him that look. You could tell that Barnes just had contempt and disrespect for O'Neil throughout the whole film. But for all his cowardice and slithering out of anything he can, he's one of the only ones that makes it to the end. Self-preservation I guess.
I had a guy in my platoon that looked and acted exactly like Junior! He was such a douche, lazy good for nothing, always trying to get out of everything!
O'Neil is an even more unsavory character. At least Barnes follows his own personal principles; O'Neil just sucks up to ppl (i.e. Barnes) to get favors and protection--an opportunist. You can see this before the final battle in the film. He thought Barnes would cut him some slack and let him leave, and he was devastated when Barnes just coldly told him "everybody's gotta die sometime..."
O'Neil was the biggest ass kisser ever in this film. He kissed Barnes's ass throughout the entire film and finally got put in his place when Barnes denied him leave and when Capt. Harris put him in charge of 2nd Platoon. 5 bucks he didn't make it to the next encounter with the NVA, as a guy like him would have been a victim of friendly fire very quickly out there in the jungle. What a shitbird.
yeah but you have to keep in mind that he looks old enough to have served in korea, he had to earn the rank Sergeant so he mustve at one point not been a coward and just sick of warfare
That one line, "C'mon Bob, I never asked you for a thing over here" always made me wonder if they knew each other in the States, or if O'Neill did ask Barnes for something somewhere else. At first with him lighting Barnes' cigarettes and everything he kind of comes off as kissing ass, but you get the feeling that they've bonded over something previous. Even though Barnes is a hardass, you can see he kinda likes O'Niell but everytime O'Niell calls him calls him Bob, Barnes gives him a look like, "This is business, it's Sergeant Barnes. When we're having beer and playing cards, I almost tolerate you calling me Bob." And if it were anyone else asking for leave at the end like O'Niell does, you know Barnes would be a lot less casual about it. Barnes gives the exaggerated eyeroll like, "I knew being cool with you was gonna result in you trying to cash in a chip with me." and O'Niell immediately counters by pointing out he's never expected anything more out of their friendship. Barnes acknowledges that and explains, something he doesn't have to do as ranking non-com and platoon leader and makes a point to add, "And you know that." Then he has to get a little harsher about it, and O'Niell pushes a little more but Barnes is still is still trying to be cool about it, "I -am- talking to you Red..." and then points out that now it's an order, "...and I'm telling you no. Get back in your foxhole." O'Niell pushes even more, stopping Barnes from turning and Barnes looks at his hand like, "I know this motherfucker didn't just touch me..." and you see him take that step and square up. His posture, everything changes. "Everybody gotta die sometime, Red." And now O'Niell knows the bottom line, he's on his own. So he comes off a little cowardly through it, especially with hiding behind that dead body, but I never saw that as cowardly. His position was overrun, nobody has his back, he's in the middle of Vietnam, Republic Of and when this fight is over he might be the only one alive in the middle of occupied territory. His relief when he lives through it, him trying to justify it to himself saying "They all left me", but he's safe for now. Then he gets upped to platoon leader. Not a promotion, not a ticket out, not his 3 days R&R coming up, but he's staying right back there in the same shit and he knows, he's not a Barnes. He can't just keep doing this and survive. He feels just like Junior, "I can't take it no more..." You can visibly see his heart sink. He's never going home alive.
True story. A buddy of my father was being hauled into the jungle (first trip out) when a small boy started to chase the truck. The sergeant stood up and shot the kid. Everybody on the truck was freaking out. Next thing you know, the kids body blows up. That was his welcome to Vietnam...
4:19 "Everybody gotta die sometime, Red.." That line speaks volumes in several ways. Most would say something like "stay alert and you will be fine" or "it's normal to be scared and have a bad feeling out here, but you'll be okay." But not Barnes. There's no filter whatsoever for his words. He says exactly what he's thinking, and it's usually terrifying. Not to mention that he's basically saying to O'Neil, "yeah, you might die, but it's okay because everyone dies eventually."
when you can actually hate a character in a movie and you get mad, you know thats a good character ! thats what i get from o'neil everytime i watch it , thanks !!
O'Neil is that guy in high school who always tagged along with the biggest bully gang thinking he's the No.2 or something but when shit hits the fan the entier gang just throw him under the bus
In the first ambush scene when Gardner dies,some of the men are blamimg Chris Taylor for falling asleep when it was actually Junior who fell asleep on watch,but Taylor got the blame because he's the new guy,then Oneal gets in Taylors face mouthing off telling him excuses are like assholes everybody got one,not even realizing that the grenade he tossed blew off the arm of Tex,one of his own men
O'Neil was such a cleverly written character. Throughout the whole film you're led to believe that he's one of those tough-guy assholes but in reality that was just him kissing Barnes's ass in hopes that Barnes would let him go home. But after Barnes denied his request, O'Neil revealed himself to the audience for what he really was- a coward who wanted to leave
![[UNCUT]“ฅนตื่นธรรม”ปะทะ“หมอปลา-ปู่มหามุนี-อั๋นโอกิ”สะเทือนกระทรวงเวทมนตร์ Iคนดังนั่งเคลียร์I10 ตค.67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/peMD_SAkwNc/mqdefault.jpg)
People who criticize O'Neil for hiding under the body...Let's be honest if there were 10-20 VC running through the compound and we wanted to get home, we would all do the same
@@danm3195 Underrated comment 😂😂😂
Hell yeah I would to 🤣
@Langston Alan no one cares
@Keegan Kendall get outta here alt account shill
Yes I don't blame anyone for running or hiding in a battle.
It was just ONeils character acted so badass and full of bravado until the shit hit the fan.
I think we've all met people like that.
Tom Berenger killed it as Barnes. His eyes and face had an intensity with every line he delivered. I thought it was Oscar worthy.
Definitely
Berenger brought so much depth to the character
Spot on.... absolutely nailed it. Some scenes he didn't even say a word, but his face and his eyes told you everything.
He got nominated for this role
@@jordancameron6095 Should of won it. Very intense character. Alpha male x 10.
I saw this movie in the theater in '86 with my Dad who is a Vietnam vet. I was a kid at the time. The thing is, each time I watch this classic film, the men in it look younger and younger as I get older. It's a strange measuring stick of time. Lt. Wolfe is just a kid! I remember when he seemed like a big grown man! Of course, that's how it really was in Vietnam with young men having great responsibility. I'm now the age of Berenger when he was playing SSGT. Barnes! Time flies.
Mainsail76 Wolfe was a young man just a young fresh Lt out of command school with no prior field training or experience in combat unlike Staff Sergeant Barnes and Sergeant Elias
“I am sick and tired of old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.” ~ George McGovern
I agree 100% but I just realized that I'm the age Dale Dye was when he filmed this flick. Time is an amazing thing, huh?
Yes you are very right. 6 years later
@Lavern I gotta agree with you man...when I first saw this shit....they all looked old as shit...even bunny....now. even the old guys looking young
The looks Barnes gives O'Neill throughout the movie are priceless.
Like when O'Neill says the LT "ain't gonna make it, just no fucking way!" Barnes looks at him like he thinks O'Neill ain't gonna make it, either.
+joekidd1992 But he is the one that finally makes it...
+Bartek Bierbasz Because he is a coward, if he would fight, he would die.
European Pizza a coward runs away from a fight.. he did run he just hid
Bartek Bierbasz actually we don't know if he makes it. It leaves us knowing that O'Neill has to lead 2nd platoon. He's still in Nam to fight another day, but now the odds of him surviving are even less likely, given that he has already gotten lucky too many times.
aint such thing as a coward out here, dont mean nothing
So many great actors in one film
Fact, Keanu Reeves was offered the part of Taylor before Sheen!
@@bftime1 he would have done well.
It was a all star cast…….
Casting director probably didn’t know it at the time.
The point where they tell O Neil that he's taking over the platoon, that fucking look on his face, man...pure hopelessness.
No i believe he is so happy at his good fortune. he is swooning.. O'neil was the best non commissioned officer, he wasn't power hungry like barnes, or was he going to save the world like Elias. had i been in the platoon i would have hung out with Elias, but i bet i would have had a better chance of surviving with o'neil. He was in the army, and playing the game. he was a fool for his superiors and liked to mess with his lower rated men.
you never in the army. he was swooning from pleasure. he is a lifer, they all want to advance. Best officers were guys like him. The army was his life. he was the best NCO in my opinion. he didn't want to save the world like Elias, and didn't go out of his way to be a hard ass killer like barnes. The dude was playing the game, and i think he was good at it. myself i would have been like our hero, start out following barnes, but have been attracted to the humanity of elias. now i am an old dude. i realize O'neill would have been best choice. Hang with him and keep your head down.
@Eilliw Nodrog It was best he got ran thru by a bayonette and died in vietnam, because he would never be happy or find peace back in the world. end up another drunken fucked up old vietnam vet, constantly saying "we could have won, we lost because of politics. Bull shit. we were on the wrong side and we all knew it. i say we cause i was a participant in that farce. i never got the pleasure of killling anyone, but was there none the less, even got combat pay and a bunch of ribbons and shit.
He knew he was going to get fragged
@@mijreed my thought exactly! This dude don’t know what he is saying, talking about O’Neil was the best NCO in the Platoon! Dude blew off his own teammates arm! I get he wasn’t trying to be a hard ass like Barnes or a hero like Elias but it takes some guts if you want to talk about NCO’s. Dude was always hiding from the fight and scared shitless which is 100% understandable. The Viet Cong were a force to be reckoned with.
You know, as unlikeable as O'Neil often was, the look of pure horror and sadness he gives after he witnesses Bunny bludgeon a civilian to death is chilling. You can tell this is a man who deep down is not a terrible human being and just wants to get out as soon as possible. Can't blame him.
he throw a grenade that hit his men leg
I felt sorry for O'Neil. He was an asshole, but still he didn't deserve to be subjected to that horror
We would all like to think we would be like Elias. But if we went trough the same shit as these guys went through, most of us would probably be more like Junior or O'neil.
I never disliked O'Neil, I thought he was kinda like Barn's toady and talked a lot but I never pictured him in a negative way and aside from not wanting his veterans who were about to go on leave to get hit it never seemed like he had bad intentions towards the guys he was with, even Ellias, and he wasnt a psycho like Bunny or the guys raping the girl in the village. He also just always had those tired empty eyes like someone who had just seen too much
Great acting from John C McGinley
The look Barnes gives O'Neill when O'Neill is explaining why he can just tell a guy ain't gonna make it.... made me think Barnes was thinking the same about him.
He definitely was. Saw right through O'Neil's bullshit.
You are trolling and pointing out the obvious.
You know an incredible character when 33 years pass and you remember his lines. He deserves more credit for that role. Was perfect.
He was almost as good in Wall Street which came out not long after this.
@@JaxonSmithers Marv. Great character again.
You better remember or else you get the O’Neill death grip
I thought O’Neil was a coward as a kid. Then I realised that throwing your life away for nothing wasn’t heroism
He fought till his position was over run then hid - common sense....die a hero or live to fight another day...i don't fault him for his sense of self preservation that day of the battle...
ain't no cowards out here
KIng
@@aldosigmann419 yup , they were pretty much out numbered and had no chance. I would of did the same of i had no choice
I think Vietnam wasn't worth American lives period. The S Vietnamese should have fought it but they lost it.
It wouldn't have been for nothing, it would have been for the men to his left and right.
John C McGinley deserved an Oscar for his performance throughout the film. Acting just doesn't get any better than this. Well done!
@Jack Knight I think you're right!
His performance was amazing, for sure. Second only to his also amazing performance in Point Break.
Everyone was great in this. Kevin Dillon doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his acting in this film.
I agree; pitch perfect
Lol calm the hell down. Oscar worthy 😂😂😂
All the people who disliked the video got put in the O'neill death grip !!!
I wasn't sure if I should shit or go blind...
Yeah, I thought I felt something tickling me.
O'Neil is gonna throw a grenade at us... by accident...
Now that was some funny shit right there!
CraftyMagpie88 lol
That whole, "everyone gotta die sometime, Red." Weird, but somehow comforting.
Shows the inner devil of Barnes. He was prepared to stare death in the face, and expected the others to do the same.
Fight and you may die, run and you'll live, for a while. ....
But laying in your beds many years from now,
No no no, that William Wallace bullshit speech ain't gonna work on me LT, put me on dat whirly bird with King wadda say there chief o'rooney
@@sergeontheloose at that point O'Neil realised that all that sucking up to Barnes for years was for nothing, Barnes doesn't give a fuck about O'Neil or anybody else.
To me it was basically Barnes saying, "I don't give a shit about your feelings. Just do your job!" Bill Belichick style.
Barnes knew he could never go home again. Never be that kid next door with the little red wagon.
i met some US vietnam war veterans while i was travelling in cambodia - they were hanging out in a bar in Phnom Penh. got talking to them and eventually asked what their favourite vietnam war movie was. they all said Platoon
Best of O’Neil but the thumbnail is bunny
yeah ! whats up wid dat...?
Fuckin Audie Murphy...
@@foodank_atr817 don't you warrry Junior...you hangin' wit Audi Murphy my friend.
@@seferino Nice. Even better: Sandy's Kentucky windage
@@foodank_atr817 audie Murphy told the Padre he loves to be there.
seeing O'Neil say he has a bad feeling about this one always breaks my heart every time I see it
+Bryan Chavez Sometimes in the trees you did had a sense of when you were walking into something and you may get hit. It was in the "air"...... The character of O'Neil was portrayed perfectly and could only have been shot by a director that had been in the trees as a grunt. I know. I did. Oct 67- Oct 68, Same 25th Infantry Div as Stones. Grunt. I got out unharmed through luck and sense.
+peter rech I'm glad you got out of there unharmed, and I thank you for your service
+peter rech Thanks for your service as well.
Ben stiller says it better in tropic thunder. I got a baaaaaaaaaad feelin on this one
+peter rech glad you made it out of there, Peter.
He's a bit of a dick but my heart sunk for him when he was told he had 2nd platoon.
Poor fucker
Anthony Papworth Yeah, wasn't he supposed to be going on R and R?
He had that 1,000 yd stare going on.
And he went **high high**
Uhh...its a movie bro...
Dumb ass , he should have cut himself and got out on the next chooper
O'Neal thought his ass kissing would eventually pay off.. Barnes always saw right through it..
mjwpowerstroke Serves him right lol.
Barnes used it to have numbers on his side then made the "tough" decision when push came to shove, pretty much using O'Neil toadyness then giving him a slap of reality.
well he did survive
Oh...it paid off all right. It even got him 2nd Platoon after the epic final battle.
Barnes liked no-one
"Everybody gots to die sometime!!"
Is about as cold and final of an answer anyone could ever receive!
He outlived Barnes though
I have this on DVR and watch parts of it and sometimes the whole movie often. It is the realest account of VNam as I guess Stone was there. Everything went hush when the war ended and nothing said for maybe half a decade until Stone dropped this. Incredible movie, incredible acting, incredible memories.
When he gets told he has 2nd platoon I always thought the look he gave was upset/scared that he wasn’t going to be given relieve days but now that I’m older and rewatch it it’s more of a shocked/sad look knowing that all of his friends were killed in the battle, even Barnes and that really hit him hard.
I thought it was because it was much more responsibility then he could handle; he could barely cut it out as a sergeant but a platoon sergeant?
Negative. He gives that look because it means he has to stay in that shit hole and run a platoon.
@@murphyjack90 I also wondered whether his promotion meant he had to kiss goodbye to going on leave.
"O'neil how you doin"? "Oh I'm doing fine, sir."
"well that's good because you got second platoon" *looks in despair* LOL
Frantyx
That's karma biting him in the ass for hiding behind the dead soldier. Fucking coward.
There isn't such a thing as a coward in a firefight.
ClandestineOstrich he knows since Elias, Barnes, Lt Wolfe are all dead he is one in line
Who else caught that ? 1:25- 1:35 - He said what are you saving up to be Jewish ? Then the radio says ?
I knew almost ever personality in the movie when I was in Iraq. Crazy.
Fuct me up when I came home n watched it. Every war is different , yet every war is the same .
This movie was cinematic gold! Each character, regardless of screen time, provided depth and emotion. I've probably seen this film 20 times and each time I find something new & each time I feel like I knew the background of every man. Best war film in history.
I'm the same as u
I consider this the best war movie of all time with Saving Private Ryan a close second!
I've probably seen this film about 30 times.
I'm Japanese.
Oneil is such an overlooked character...caught between barnes and elias, lead by a clueless LT, he played tough to get by, but you knew he was scared as any one of us would be.
All he wanted to do is go on R & R in Hawaii and see Betsy.
Robert Juneau I got a badd feeling on this one.
Robert Juneau 4 years later....I thought her name was Patsy
what is R & R
@@guydekeyser rest and relaxation
well he fucked that up with saying just fine sir!
Don't think I've ever seen anyone play scared and brave so well at the same time.
Yeah, I always liked O'Neil the most. King is great too. I wish they would make more films on the Vietnam War of this calibre.
The face of O'Neil at the end when the captain said that he Will take charge of second platon is funny and sad at the same time😂🤣😭
Saw an interview with John C McGinley (O'Neil). When the movie was first financed in 1984 he was in a minor role as Barnes' radio man. But then the financing collapsed. Two years later in 1986 it was on again and Oliver Stone called him up said we are back on and I want you in the fourth lead, Sgt. O'Neil. John Spencer had that role but had to drop out due to a schedule conflict. McGinley almost said no because he was soon to star in a great play in New York with a famous producer. Stone said I know the producer so go tell him I said I need you in the Philippines for 3 months. McGinley meekly asked the famous producer and he said 'yes, go, and tell Ollie I said hi'. And that was the start of his long movie career. He said later in the interview it was hardest shoot he was ever on but credits it to his subsequent career. Sometimes you have to say yes to things even when something else looks better.
I was in the military and I swear every place I was stationed there was a "Junior" type guy!
That is soooo true
Yeah who gets the whole damn company punished
Look at us replying to an 8 year old comment
To be fair , the only people that know how scary war is ...... are the ones that have been in it , or were in it .........
@@fannysludge I have been in war.
Lol this wasn't the "Best of O'Neil" it was "Every fucking scene with O'Neil"
And they're all at his best.
Kye .Kyle Except when he says "Excuses are like assholes Taylor everyone has one"
lol, he left out the best one
Don't forget "Bunny we leave and nobody saw a fucking thing, you understand me Taylor not a fucking thing!"
What do you say there, Chieferooni?
Tom berenger and john mc ginley brilliant character actors. O neil is a pure bastard but you have to love him.
Peter Hughes they made him, Bunny and others are part of villains as Barnes Squad is essentially the villains and Elias are the good side. Bunny, Barnes, O’Neil etc are more of psychotic burned out veterans while Elias is sympathetic character and cares for his men even he is world weary vet along with his squad but show more humanity. Your right O’Neil is a bastard but one that love to hate and makes the movie by bringing in the humor.
Yeaaahhh you got the fresh meat buddy !!! hahaha
@@scottknode898 I don't see O'Neil being evil like Bunny and Barnes, but he is scared shitless and tries to suck up to Barnes whole time, maybe to not having to do ambush and other combat stuff. after Bunny kills that one vietnamese civilian dude by hitting him with the shotguns stock, you can see O'Neil scared and not really showing any acceptance on Bunnys behavior. O'Neil is more of a asshole and mostly he seems to be acting like asshole is because he is scared and doesn't want to show it, so he hides behind this fake asshole persona.
No the vc and Charles Manson are the villains. The vc were the true bad guys.
I feel sad for this guy. Scared shitless and covering it up with humour.
That's why the Irish drink!
@Sonny cookie cutter ^
@Sonny Fuck you
In a war like that EVERYONE is scared shitless, it's just a question of whether its shown or not. Anyone who isn't scared shitless is a total psycho and does not value their own life. Anyone who tells you they have been shot at and were not scared is a fucking liar.
And ass-kissing
There's something really tragic about O'Neill.
The tragic of simple ass lickers.
Yeah, he's a mick.
@@slickster2880 What's a mick?
@@zeroireland That's a derogatory term for an Irish person.
@Jebidiah Newcracker I dont know, too old to be drafted maybe served his jailtime on nam
The interesting thing about the conversation between Barnes and O'Neill before the final battle is that for a moment Barnes shows a sympathetic, human and paternal side. On one hand, he is annoyed with O'Neill for wanting to leave his plt when it needs it's squad leadership most, but on the other hand, he appreciates O'Neill's desire to survive and live to see another day. I don't agree with Barnes much in this film, but he handles that conversation well.
I heard that West Point classes point to Lt Wolfe as an example of how an officer shouldn't act.
Can you tell me what he did wrong? I've never been in the military. I'm guessing it had something to do with how weak he made himself appear to his men, like as if they would eat him alive.
@@DoctorDoomsPvP he air strike his own men. He allowed civilians to get killed. He doesn't even no how to use a compass
@@DoctorDoomsPvP he let barnes assume control of the platoon, even after he told him he should give orders as the Lt. Was hesitant under fire, let his men kill and rape civilians, and lied to the captain about what happened in the village which to me was the worst....officers are supposed to be honest and he should of charged barnes and the guys that raped the girl. Basically no balls as a leader.
@@hutch1111111 letting Barnes assume leadership was the right decision. It's like learning how to drive with a book and letting someone like a cab driver take the wheel to get not only himself and his men through a dangerous situation. He should have been accurate with the artillery support though. But there's a difference between book learning and experience.
@@maddumass got to disagree, a new officer, has to assume command, a good platoon sgt would of been able to keep him in check. Barnes overstepped.
O'Neil death grip kills me every time 😂
What an incredible movie. I've lost count how many times I've watched it.
I feel sorry for second platoon with O'Neil in charge of it.
Same i watched this a million times that part is messed up
Thats where you are wrong, Red had his entire platoon play dead in a foxhole 3 times, every man in his unit made it home alive.
Rat bastard O'Neil.
O'Neil is the prime example what a platoon sergeant should not be. Second platoon is screwed with him in charge.
Lol
Some explanations: O'Neill was a dick but he was no worse than most of the soldiers. When he laughed off Chris' excuse, saying "excuses are like assholes, everyone's got one" he was merely showing him that as a green recruit, he had no right of opening his mouth. Damn, why isn't that line in this video?
When he's using a dead buddy to cover himself from the advancing NVA, he's not being a coward at all. What would you have done with literally a handfull of men and an entire enemy regiment on top of you?
His look on his face, upon hearing he's now got "second platoon" is not hopelessness. At first I thought so but later I realized that at that moment, it sunk in with O'Neill that Barnes probably was killed. And Barnes wasn't supposed to die, because the only thing that can kill Barnes, is Barnes!
Naw he thought he was leaving, but he got second platoon!
"you got 2nd platoon" ..the look he has in his eyes made me kinda feel sorry for the bastard
There's something about 80s movies. They stick to your soul.
19 people got second platoon
A number which, as we all know well, was the average age of a combat soldier in Vietnam...
Fuck what punch in the dick
He may have been a prik but he made the movie...
"Theres no fucking way...."
"Waddaya say Bob?"
“What do you say there CHIEFAROONI?”
Platoon reminds me so much when I was in. They played their parts and there's always that kiss a$$, the idgf, the I'm fed up, and that sgt you wanna shoot in the back.
Red was a clever guy. He knew politics and understood power dynamics. He even had a legitimate survival strategy - align oneself to power for security. Unfortunately, Red didn't understand that the more you brown your nose, the farther the flowers lie.
The more you brown your nose the farther flowers lie? What does that mean?
I have a feeling that O'Neil actually did OK with his own platoon - the Captain giving O'Neil a platoon at the end of this video. One gets an impression of O'Neil that he was not a bad guy as such, but was a stooge for Barnes because he was afraid of him. Well, with Barnes gone, O'Neil could turn over a new leaf.
I think giving O'Neil a platoon is a mistake, but a lot of these promotions happened because someone else got killed, and promoting them was hard to avoid.
The captain himself might have been moved up to battalion command after the original commander got killed, possibly with his XO as well, and I can see Ra and even Taylor moving up a rank or two with all the vacancies.
@@stevekaczynski3793I thought Rhah was promoted in field to cover for Elias.
People hate O'Neil but at the end he is one of the few that actually made it
We don’t know if he actually made it considering at the end he was given second platoon.
Neat little lighter glitch they left in there.
it was unscripted, just an actor error. Glad they left it in, more genuine.
I'm glad they left in, too. Real life is like that!
Which bit, when he gives Chris shit burning duty?
MAGA Mexican Director Oliver Stone left that scene in as liked the authenticity of actors improvising scenes or lines as happened several times in movie
The Sound of Legends no when O’Neil was igniting the lighter to light Barnes Cigarette the actor John C McGinley made genuine mistake and just went along with it and relit the cigarette. Stone liked it so much he left it as liked the improvised part or how actors handled mistakes during filming as are several improvised scenes in the movie. The actors were actually stoned out of minds when filmed scene where Elias and his men are smoking weed, the actors smoked prior the scene being filmed and were coming off being high and felt like shit. Stone liked the authenticity and made the actors go through grueling military training boot camp in the Philippines not on soundstage. The actors all went through a grueling weapons training course right before actual filming and stated filming right after boot camp to show actors exhausted and weary and would get at each other for real well. They actually ate rations, did night rotations to show what soldiers actually went through as Stone was a Veteran of Vietnam and didn’t want actors doing things half assed or be in comfortable conditions to they got to see first hand what Vietnam vets vet went through and make their characters more realistic then shown in war movies before Platoon was made. Actor Tom Berenger who played Barnes lost 28 pounds during the 14 day boot camp.
When dying is the only thing to face...
living isn't that hard to do...yours very truly Alfonso Cantu USMC 78-82
Oneil is a great character. And everyone spends time talking about Elias and Barnes without noticing ONeil. Elias is the good guy, noble knight. Barnes the madman, pure psychopath. ONeil is the most human of the sergeants. Wants to be liked, subject to weakness, fearful for his life, a bit of an ass, etc.
All the ppl that disliked or even thought of disliking this video got put in 2nd platoon under O 'neil..
I saw in one of his interviews about the movie where he talks about the R&R scene with Sargent Barnes, his crying was authentic, the conflict were the movie was being shot, family issues, tiredness due to the training and the hours and hours of shooting….the fact about all the soldiers during the Viet Nam conflict ended up getting the best of him
In my opinion, he deserved an Academy Award nomination for supporting actor. He was perfect.
O'Neil earned his promotion by still being there.
Basically, yes.
The government way
best coward ever captured on film, brilliant
Will always remember 4:05. He was so scared. Made me scared for him and I was wondering why he was so afraid. Yeah, he was a shit heel but a capable soldier. Not until I saw the battle did I understand. He knew what was coming and wanted to get as far from it as he could. I dont blame him. I also dont blame Barnes for not letting him go. Barnes face when he puts his hands on him is like "You just touched me?"
2:00 "Sometimes I just look at a guy, and I know he's not gonna make it"...then Barnes gives him that look. You could tell that Barnes just had contempt and disrespect for O'Neil throughout the whole film. But for all his cowardice and slithering out of anything he can, he's one of the only ones that makes it to the end. Self-preservation I guess.
Barnes is more obviously disrespectful to the LT than to O'Neil, which is interesting.
Every body gotta die sometime but I’ve got a feeling out of all in this platoon O‘Neil will be the one who lives to be 100
"He's goin down cause I got 'em in the O'Neil death grip. He don't know whether to shit or go blind for chrissakes."
O'Neil was actually pretty real as a type. I was in the Navy and we had a lot of weasels like him, too.
Oniel, the weasel
I love how the quality reminds me of watching this movie as a kid. nice and grainy. like an old analog set.
O'Neil gets called a kiss-ass when Bunny is the biggest kiss-ass in the film!
yeah but bunny's just a fucking nut job so no-on really wants to validate his existence lol
Jakira Kumahata Johnny Drama, YEAH!!!! "I'm Bugging!!"
+Jakira Kumahata No, Bunny has too much to prove and goes way too far. He's really a coward.
''CHILL OUT MY DUDE, YOUR CHILLING HERE WITH ME AND AUDIE MURPHY
I knew I shouldn't have come here.
amazing translation service, glad you typed it out
Bunny was a sick fuck
@E Fig cool
sergeant,i think in front of the men its necessary for me to give the orders,barnes....
yes sir,blows smoke in his face.
One of my favorite scenes. The pure lack of not one shit given was captured perfectly.
Showed that clearly in the movie, thanks for the translation service
I had a guy in my platoon that looked and acted exactly like Junior! He was such a douche, lazy good for nothing, always trying to get out of everything!
Your platoon on some playstation war game,you numb nut...
@@nicolassosolic3760 You're not even at Pogue level.
FLUCK YEAH then trying to get a medical restriction
@bass reemer so what does that have to do with the u.s. Marines?
@bass reemer well being as you dislike republicans, HOW ABOUT DRAFT DODGER BILLY BOY CLINTON? OH YOU FORGIT HIM EH???
O'Neils a classic character!!!
Oh I love this picture.... simply one of my 50 pictures all the time!!!
O'Neil is an even more unsavory character. At least Barnes follows his own personal principles; O'Neil just sucks up to ppl (i.e. Barnes) to get favors and protection--an opportunist. You can see this before the final battle in the film. He thought Barnes would cut him some slack and let him leave, and he was devastated when Barnes just coldly told him "everybody's gotta die sometime..."
redDL89 O’Neil was known as a ass kisser to as Crawford puts it O’Neil has his nose pressed so up tops ass he swears he is Pinocchio.
O'Neil was the biggest ass kisser ever in this film. He kissed Barnes's ass throughout the entire film and finally got put in his place when Barnes denied him leave and when Capt. Harris put him in charge of 2nd Platoon. 5 bucks he didn't make it to the next encounter with the NVA, as a guy like him would have been a victim of friendly fire very quickly out there in the jungle. What a shitbird.
yeah but you have to keep in mind that he looks old enough to have served in korea, he had to earn the rank Sergeant so he mustve at one point not been a coward and just sick of warfare
McGinley was apparently 26 or 27 when this was filmed, which is kind of shocking because he does look way older.
@@coachbombay7576 I think it's the facial hair that makes him look older
The way Barnes grips that cig at 2:38 is so subtly badass
I agree. But the ultimate is the scene in Goodfellas, when Jimmy the Gent realizes that he is gonna whack EVERYBODY...... scary as fuck.....
That one line, "C'mon Bob, I never asked you for a thing over here" always made me wonder if they knew each other in the States, or if O'Neill did ask Barnes for something somewhere else. At first with him lighting Barnes' cigarettes and everything he kind of comes off as kissing ass, but you get the feeling that they've bonded over something previous. Even though Barnes is a hardass, you can see he kinda likes O'Niell but everytime O'Niell calls him calls him Bob, Barnes gives him a look like, "This is business, it's Sergeant Barnes. When we're having beer and playing cards, I almost tolerate you calling me Bob."
And if it were anyone else asking for leave at the end like O'Niell does, you know Barnes would be a lot less casual about it. Barnes gives the exaggerated eyeroll like, "I knew being cool with you was gonna result in you trying to cash in a chip with me." and O'Niell immediately counters by pointing out he's never expected anything more out of their friendship. Barnes acknowledges that and explains, something he doesn't have to do as ranking non-com and platoon leader and makes a point to add, "And you know that." Then he has to get a little harsher about it, and O'Niell pushes a little more but Barnes is still is still trying to be cool about it, "I -am- talking to you Red..." and then points out that now it's an order, "...and I'm telling you no. Get back in your foxhole." O'Niell pushes even more, stopping Barnes from turning and Barnes looks at his hand like, "I know this motherfucker didn't just touch me..." and you see him take that step and square up. His posture, everything changes. "Everybody gotta die sometime, Red." And now O'Niell knows the bottom line, he's on his own.
So he comes off a little cowardly through it, especially with hiding behind that dead body, but I never saw that as cowardly. His position was overrun, nobody has his back, he's in the middle of Vietnam, Republic Of and when this fight is over he might be the only one alive in the middle of occupied territory. His relief when he lives through it, him trying to justify it to himself saying "They all left me", but he's safe for now. Then he gets upped to platoon leader. Not a promotion, not a ticket out, not his 3 days R&R coming up, but he's staying right back there in the same shit and he knows, he's not a Barnes. He can't just keep doing this and survive. He feels just like Junior, "I can't take it no more..." You can visibly see his heart sink. He's never going home alive.
This is one of my favorite films...
Mines to.
You forgot to show the scene where O'Neil threw the grenade that wounded Tex during the night ambush scene....
@ClandestineOstrich lmao thanks for the laugh bud
Yeah, Oneil is the typical blue falcon!!
I HATE O NEIL MORE THAN THAT GUTLESS COWARD JUNIOR. WE ALL HAVE TONDIE SOMETIME.
@@eddieagostini450 SPELL RIGHT FUCKO
Man I cant believe that some one has done a Compilation of O Neil . When I was I School we all used to Mimic him LOL I thought it was just us HaHaHa
My friends and I used to mimic O'Neil and Hudson from Aliens when we were in high school in the mid 1990s.
The way his Zippo goes out the first time he tries to light Barnes smoke always makes me laugh 😂
Hearing "Bob-O" here years after watching Scrubs sent shockwaves through me
True story. A buddy of my father was being hauled into the jungle (first trip out) when a small boy started to chase the truck. The sergeant stood up and shot the kid. Everybody on the truck was freaking out. Next thing you know, the kids body blows up. That was his welcome to Vietnam...
4:19
"Everybody gotta die sometime, Red.."
That line speaks volumes in several ways. Most would say something like "stay alert and you will be fine" or "it's normal to be scared and have a bad feeling out here, but you'll be okay." But not Barnes. There's no filter whatsoever for his words. He says exactly what he's thinking, and it's usually terrifying. Not to mention that he's basically saying to O'Neil, "yeah, you might die, but it's okay because everyone dies eventually."
He probably suspected that he himself would not survive Nam and saw no reason to comfort others.
The only better quote is, "No better place to die!"
Funny thing is that O'Neal qualifies as the second best leader in the platoon!😁😁😁
"EVERYBODY GOTTA DIE SOMETIME RED !" 😀 THE MOST CLASSIC ALL TIME CINEMA ONE LINER EVER !! 😎😎❤👍👍🤙
2:05 That face of Barnes saying: You won't make too, so better shut up.
John C. McGinley is such a great actor. Just the way he delivers his lines.
I like how YT wont show me any recommendeds when I type f*ggot but it still brings me the right video of O'Neill.
No one gets out of the O'Neil death Grip!!!
when you can actually hate a character in a movie and you get mad, you know thats a good character ! thats what i get from o'neil everytime i watch it , thanks !!
The best written character in Platoon.
You ever been in the O’Neil death grip I didn’t know whether to shit or go blind…
🤣
"you got 2nd Platoon" That was brutal, ugh!
Saw platoon back in '87 in a night summer open air cinema. I was 10 y.o. back then. One of the best fckn experiences ever
When,i first saw this, I loved it! I still do! A great movie of our time!
O'Neil is that guy in high school who always tagged along with the biggest bully gang thinking he's the No.2 or something but when shit hits the fan the entier gang just throw him under the bus
Lifers were much like that back when I was in.
ur right
In the first ambush scene when Gardner dies,some of the men are blamimg Chris Taylor for falling asleep when it was actually Junior who fell asleep on watch,but Taylor got the blame because he's the new guy,then Oneal gets in Taylors face mouthing off telling him excuses are like assholes everybody got one,not even realizing that the grenade he tossed blew off the arm of Tex,one of his own men
Barnes was Platoon Sergeant while O'Neil and Elias were squad leaders.
@@scottknode898 a staff sergeant can be a platoon sergeant
Bunny had the best lines, though there are loads of greats in Platoon!
Man, Vietnam screwed Dr Cox up pretty bad. No wonder he's so tough on JD.
I'm sure if he didn't call Barnes "chiefarooni", he'd have been on his way to Hawaii to see Betsy.
O'Neil was such a cleverly written character. Throughout the whole film you're led to believe that he's one of those tough-guy assholes but in reality that was just him kissing Barnes's ass in hopes that Barnes would let him go home. But after Barnes denied his request, O'Neil revealed himself to the audience for what he really was- a coward who wanted to leave
Remember what king said there is no such thing as a coward out here
As much as O'Neil had his moments, I like to think he made it home okay.