Scenes

In Full Metal Jacket, the opening scene was much more personal than Platoon's. It was more personal because it showed dehumanizing process of training camp soldiers go through. For example, at the very beginning when the soldiers' heads are shaved, the look on their faces is saddening. I can imagine what they are thinking. "What in the hell am I getting myself into?" The camera close up also contributes to my point. It's a sad sight to see really.

In Platoon, the way scenes are shot by the director's camera influences the realistic feel of the overall movie. During the scene where the chopper comes to pick up the injured and dead, I noticed how the camera pans with the soldiers as the uninjured soldiers carried the injured and dead ones aboard. It's a powerful scene because it's what you would probably see in a real war. Also, the scene where William Defoe dies and Charlie Sheen is on the chopper and turns his head to look at Wolf is crucial. The close up is so up front that you can see the rage in Sheen's eyes. I guess my point is that the way camera techniques are executed in Platoon makes the movie so much more realistic than Full Metal Jacket.