Did Barnes kill Manny in some sick plot to harden his men?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Platoon
julielambert99 — 11 years ago(June 19, 2014 07:30 PM)
Did Barnes kill Manny in some sick plot to harden his men? My mom had explained to me that, to her, when Chris' and Barnes' eyes meet slightly before they notice Manny is missing, Chris had caught Barnes reflecting on killing Manny (Chris doesn't know this, he is just watching him because he looks troubled, part of why Barnes is startled when he catches Chris looking at him. She says he had just killed Manny before getting back to camp and was settling in when Chris starting to watch him). They notice Manny is missing when they go to move on from that point. Then they find Manny after this, mutilated. She says it was Barnes. HE is the psychopath killer in this movie. He hates the enemy. He kills Manny in order to stir up the men and make them more ruthless. He wants to make them into killers like him. He wants to make them hate the enemy like he does. After he kills Manny and gives them the speech, many of them are ripe to "do the whole town". They don't question his tactics. He definitely goes over the top at this point. Killing the woman, and such. I had always thought this to be so. Everyone I tell this to thinks I am crazy. I just took my mother for her word.
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GirlwonderReturns — 11 years ago(June 22, 2014 06:33 PM)
Um. no.
Barnes looks troubled (and is actually crying) in that scene because he just saw two of his men blown to pieces by a booby trap. He goes apesht on the town because of the deaths of Sandy, Sal and Manny. Barnes didn't kill Manny. Tell your mom she's wrong.
Saying "I apologize" is the same as saying "I'm sorry." Except at a funeral. -
GirlwonderReturns — 11 years ago(July 21, 2014 09:36 AM)
So you were able to divine what kind of person I am from one sentence typed on the internet, judged and insulted me, and I'M the smarmy a-hole? I love irony
Saying "I apologize" is the same as saying "I'm sorry." Except at a funeral. -
Comatose_Conscience — 10 years ago(March 23, 2016 03:15 AM)
It's true though, dude. And I'm not saying you are a smarmy a-hole, please don't think I'm saying that
But the whole 'ummno' is a thing I've seen many a person type on the internet, and it always just comes across as the most douchebaggy sentence a person can start out with. It just sounds immediately condescending and needlessly flippant. I hate it when people do that lol. -
cockroachcharlie — 9 years ago(April 30, 2016 09:04 PM)
Um.no.
Sorry. I had to.
Yeah. It can come off as kind of dickish at times. Text doesn't always translate well. I personally tend to reserve it for when something comes completely out of left feel and is extremely obviously wrong (not counting troll posts).
"Did Barnes kill Elias cause he did his sister and videotaped it?"
Um..no.
Get it? -
nickm2 — 11 years ago(June 22, 2014 10:41 PM)
Unlikely; as they were in an NVA bunker complex, that means there had to be NVA around-skulking around the jungle to murder Manny would be a great way to end up with your head separated from your body.
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!? -
Jakealope — 11 years ago(July 21, 2014 10:35 PM)
I don't see where Barnes even had an opportunity to grab Manny when he and the other leaders converged to the bunker where Sandy & Sal got blasted. IT was the Lt who ordered Manny out on guard. It seemed a couple of NVA were still lurking around and saw an opportunity for mischief when Manny split off from the group.
What are they doing? Why do they come here?
Some kind of instinct, memory, what they used to do. -
mobstar1967 — 11 years ago(July 29, 2014 09:55 PM)
I don't believe Barnes killed Manny for a second..
Yes he eventually went on to try and kill Elias but that was only to save his own ass from a court marshal and possible imprisonment for an illegal shooting.. He's out of control but not to that extent.. -
ynotony23 — 11 years ago(August 08, 2014 12:35 PM)
no Barnes didn't kill Manny. First off he did really know where Manny went. Lt. Wolf was the one that ordered Manny to that spot. Like the other said as well Barnes was sad because he just saw and had 2 of his friends blown away.(both those guys were in the clubhouse playing cards) Plus next time you watch it you can see a white tag around Manny's neck which is something the VC did to mock/insult US soldiers. Barnes killed that women because he was just fed up with everything. He thought they were lying about not knowing anything or helping the VC. He got sick of hearing her so he put her down. I don't think he was trying to turn everyone into killers he was doing his own thing. after the other soldier saw that, some of them are just as fed up and suggest killing everyone the war is taking away their humanity. IF Barnes was just planing to kill everyone in the village he wouldn't have gotten upset at the soldier who brought that guy to Barnes and tripped him. Barnes pointed at him and told him to get the hell out of here. He just wanted straight answers like i said he was sick of the BS.
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Chopperbubba — 11 years ago(August 14, 2014 05:13 PM)
I couldn't see Barnes brutally killing one of his own troops to prove a point when they just lost two men to a booby trap. Barnes may have been a sadistic %#&@ who enjoyed killing VC, but a pure psychopath he wasn't.He showed genuine concern and emotion when someone died from his Platoon. He killed Elias out of survival, due to the looming court martial hanging over his head.
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tellbeerx — 11 years ago(October 16, 2014 11:06 PM)
Julie, your mom made great points.
I also think Barnes kill Manny too just to harden his men. Why? because- it would be extremely stupid for NVC to give Platoon the excuse to start killing nearly villagers, villagers that provide them with provision.
- Barnes knew where his platoon is heading at, and he put the corpse where everyone could see to eliminate any suspicion.
- Give way for his men to start killing villagers - check. Their first victim? an unarmed mentally challenged man and he was also a crippled.
Examples from the above made me realize why the death counts for civilian in Vietnam were so high because leader like Barnes know how to inspired.
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nickm2 — 11 years ago(October 18, 2014 11:34 AM)
Civvie casualties are high because usually a village gets artillery prep & the NVA were very quick to make sure civilians were in the mix where they could amush allied units from bunkers in the village. It does build mistrust-like the cops in shytty parts of town (& trying to track down people with a history of firing at police) tend to be more trigger happy: shoot first ask questions later.'
All that being said, that's always been a feature of guerrilla wars. Yet in spite of all that, more civilians died AFTER the war because in true commie fashion the North Viets & their erstwhile allies/clients like the Khmer Rouge & Pathet Lao just couldn't resist 'liquidating class enemies';
Still, usually NVA would operate in the hills & jungles away from populated areas because they were nearer to their sanctuaries & basecamps, near or over the border.
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?