Platoon Scene 15 Summary

  • An aerial shot shows us helicopters flying through a valley. The scenery looks eerily familiar. The music is eerie. Taylor narrates again.
  • The guys have been sent into the valley again the next day, very close to the Cambodian border. Taylor feels like they're returning to the scene of a crime.
  • Bunny is talking to Taylor but we can't hear over the sound of the helicopter's blades. Barnes is doing something to his fingernails with his knife.
  • The camera shows us the landscape below: it's partly destroyed, burnt out, wasted.
  • Soon, a familiar landmark appears: the dilapidated church that the guys passed by earlier in the film.
  • Charlie Company is being sent as "bait" to lure the enemy out of hiding: "somewhere out there," Taylor tells us, is the entire 141st NVA regiment.
  • The helicopter lands, and Taylor and co. disembark.
  • The camera pans to several higher-ranking officers having a discussion (Captain Harris is among them).
  • Several prisoners are on the ground. One shakes his head, and a soldier slaps him hard and knocks him over.
  • Tony (Ivan Kane) and Doc (Paul Sanchez) are working on their foxhole. Tony notes that the prisoners were caught the previous night.
  • Tony says the prisoners had detailed information about the location of all the foxholes, all the claymores, distances, tree lines—"everything," he summarizes.
  • Doc notes that he's getting "bad vibes" from the place.
  • The camera shifts to Rhah. He's approaching Lieutenant Wolfe, who tells him that he's taking over Elias' squad.
  • Rhah scoffs: there's barely enough guys to make up an entire squad at this point. Dude has got to be kidding.
  • Wolfe tells him to take control of two separate foxholes. They're so far apart, an entire regiment could walk between them and nobody would know.
  • Rhah tells Wolfe as much, but Wolfe doesn't want to hear it.
  • Rhah says he's only got 5 guys left. Wolfe doesn't care. He doesn't "give a flying fuck" anymore about anything.
  • Rhah and Wolfe go their separate ways as the scene shifts.
  • A group of soldiers are headed into the jungle. King is glad he's not among them.
  • "Somewhere out there is the beast and he hungry tonight," King exclaims.
  • He asks Taylor what he's so grumpy about and why he isn't writing any letters. Doesn't he have somebody, King inquires. A grandma?
  • Taylor responds that he has nobody before lighting a joint. King says he's smoking too much weed before taking the joint from Taylor after he's taken a few puffs.
  • Taylor asks King if he's ever been caught in a mistake that he can't get out of. King says there's a way out of everything.
  • Taylor is bothered that guys like Elias get killed and guys like Barnes get to continue making up the rules.
  • Taylor feels like he and the other soldiers aren't worth anything. King says nobody ever said they were.
  • All Taylor has to do is make it out, and then the rest of his life is gravy, all gravy.
  • O'Neill comes up, and tells King to get his stuff together. His time in Vietnam is over, and he's got 10 minutes to catch the last chopper.
  • He's ecstatic. He talks a bit more to Taylor before saying goodbye.
  • The scene shifts to a very infected-looking foot. Barnes is examining it. It belongs to Junior, who says he can't walk.
  • Barnes stands up, looks at him, and then says next time Junior puts mosquito repellant on his feet he will be court martialed.
  • Junior's face changes. He's been caught, or so it seems. He screams at Barnes and tells him to go ahead and court martial him. He doesn't care anymore.
  • He shouts some more before Barnes asks O'Neill, who has been watching the whole thing, if he still has the centipede Barnes found.
  • O'Neill doesn't realize at first that Barnes is playing a game with Junior but then confirms.
  • Barnes asks him to get it so he can put it in Junior's pants to make him walk. Junior shouts some more.
  • Barnes leaves, and Junior falls back on the ground, saying he can't take it anymore.
  • O'Neill chases after Barnes, and tells him he's been given R & R (vacation).
  • It starts in 3 days, and he wants to go to Hawaii. Barnes says no. They need guys like him out there.
  • O'Neill gets upset, and reminds Barnes that he's never asked him for anything. He only wants 3 days.
  • Barnes declines again. O'Neill starts to choke up: "Bob I got a bad feeling on this one alright?"
  • He's afraid he won't make it out. Barnes replies by telling him that everybody's gotta die at some point. Well that's heartening.
  • Barnes leaves. O'Neill is frustrated—to say the least.
  • The scene shifts, and King is on a helicopter that is taking off. He's waving at Taylor.
  • The chopper leaves. A few seconds later, an explosion rings out, and a machine gun starts firing.
  • The scene shifts to Rhah, who's annoyed that the ambush is starting "right f***ing now" rather than later.
  • The scene shifts again to Junior, who is sitting on the ground, staring. Bunny talks to him.
  • He doesn't feel like they've done anything wrong, but sometimes he gets a bad feeling (just like O'Neill).
  • He confesses that he likes Vietnam. You can do what you want, and nobody bothers you. The only thing you have to worry about is death, but even if you die you won't know about it anyway.
  • Junior is annoyed that he has to spend the night in a hole with Bunny.
  • Meanwhile, Captain Harris is on the radio, talking to a group of soldiers somewhere else (perhaps the group we saw going into the jungle earlier).
  • Harris is trying to get information, but the guy on the other hand seems unable to provide it.
  • He and his group are surrounded by the enemy, but Harris has launched some artillery.
  • Harris wants to know how they landed, but he gets no response from the other end. He tries several more times.
  • Suddenly he can hear enemy voices over the radio. Then it goes silent. Dun dun dun.