Platoon hardly needs an introduction but it is the 1986 movie directed by Oliver Stone. What not many people know is that it is the first film of a trilogy of Vietnam War films, Born on the Fourth of July and Heaven & Earth complete the trilogy. Oliver Stone wrote the story based on his experiences as a U.S. infantryman in Vietnam to counter the vision of the war portrayed in John Wayne’s The Green Berets. It was the first Hollywood film to be written and directed by a veteran of the Vietnam War. Facts Starting in February 1986, Platoon was filmed on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The production of the film was almost canceled because of the political upheaval in the country due to then-dictator Ferdinand Marcos, but the shoot went on as scheduled, 2 days after Marcos fled the country. The US Department of Defense declined to co-operate in the making of the film so the production made a deal with the Philippine military for the use of military equipment. The film had real Vietnamese refugees acting in different roles in the film and filming was done chronologically. As soon as their characters were killed in the movie, the actors returned home. The emotion that Charlie Sheen shows in the closing helicopter scene was largely real, knowing that he was finally going home. Upon arrival in the Philippines, the cast was sent on a two-week intensive training course, during which they had to dig foxholes
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