The 80s Movie Club – For Tough Guys – Platoon/Raging Bull/Rain Man/Die Hard/Terminator DVD – Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas

Box set containing five popular action movies. ‘Platoon’ (1986) tells the story of a young innocent 19-year-old soldier, Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), who is thrown headfirst into the bloody Vietnam conflict. He is forced to fight not only the Viet Cong, but also his own fears and intense anger. As a result of not being able to make any progress against the enemy, the soldiers, led by the strict and unsympathetic Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), are forced to turn their anger and guns on each other. Barnes also has a personal battle with fellow officer Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe), who is the more understanding and compassionate of the two officers and helps Sheen to cope with his personal problems. ‘Raging Bull’ (1980) is Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed biopic of Jake La Motta, the boxing world champion who rose rapidly to fame but swiftly fell from grace. On the road to success, La Motta (Robert De Niro) marries a beautiful young starlet, but the pressures of success soon make him paranoid and he ends up alienating both her and his brother Joey (Joe Pesci). In ‘Rain Man’ (1988), self-centred car exporter Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) attends his estranged father’s funeral to collect his inheritance. To his surprise, he discovers the money is going to Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), the autistic brother he never knew he had. Charlie ‘kidnaps’ Raymond in an effort to claim some of his inheritance but, as he grows closer to his brother, he realises there may be more to life than money. In ‘Die Hard’ (1988) on Christmas Eve, New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) in Los Angeles, where she works. They are attending a party at Holly’s high-rise office block when terrorists, led by the suave Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) break in, taking everyone hostage. McClane manages to evade capture, however, and sets out to rescue his wife and the other prisoners. Finally, ‘The Terminator’ (1984) is James Cameron’s much-imitated sci-fi classic. A humanoid cyborg from a future dominated by machines (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent back in time to kill the mother (Linda Hamilton) of the as-yet-unborn rebel leader John Connor. Meanwhile, the rebels also select an agent (Michael Biehn) to travel back in time and stop the Terminator, thereby ensuring that events follow their pre-ordained course.

Rain Man (Dir. Barry Levinson 1988): Dustin Hoffman joins Tom Cruise to bring a funny and moving tale of brotherly love to the screen. Heartless Charlie Babbitt expects a vast inheritance after his estranged father dies. But Raymond his institutionalised older brother someone he’s been totally unaware of is willed the entire fortune instead. Raymond is an ‘autistic Savant’ with severely limited mental abilities in some areas but with genius gifts in others. When Charlie kidnaps Raymond the crazy cross-country drive back to Los Angeles teaches them both a few lessons in life. For as they overcome their mutual distrust of each other a deep bond is forged as they painfully share past memories present problems and a possible shining future together. Die Hard (Dir. John McTiernan 1988: New York cop John McClane facing Christmas alone flies to Los Angeles to see his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) and their kids in an attempt to patch things up. He arrives at his wife’s high tech office building in the middle of their Christmas party just as it is gatecrashed by the ruthless master criminal Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and a dozen fellow activists intent on relieving the Nakatomi Corporation of six hundred million dollars in negotiable bonds… Platoon (Dir. Oliver Stone 1986): Writer/director Oliver Stone has created a personal and searing testament to the men who fought the war in Vietnam. Seen through the eyes of a college drop-out the war is a real nightmare a private hell of fears from outside and in with enemies on both sides of the line. His platoon’s allegiance is split between leaders Sergeant Barnes and Sergeant Elias. Barnes is a scar-faced gung-ho fanatic bent on destroying the elusive Viet Cong and anyone who disagrees with him. Elias is a different type of soldier–he has lost faith in the war but not in man. Friction between the two sergeants leads to a second war as deadly as the one being waged against the enemy. Raging Bull (Dir. Martin Scorsese 1980): Raging Bull is arguably the finest work from the Scorsese and De Niro partnership. De Niro gives an amazing portrayal of a man whose animal side lurks just beneath the surface ever ready to erupt. Vivid and unremitting in its uncompromising brutality and honesty the fight sequences are famed for their realism. Violent throughout this film is a testament to Scorsese’s and De Niro skills creating a thoroughly absorbing film about such an unlikable character. Renowned for throwing himself into the roles of the character De Niro went on a diet to gain fifty pounds during the production for the role of the faded star. Terminator (Dir. James Cameron 1987): In 2029 giant super-computers dominate the planet hell-bent on exterminating the human race! And to destroy man’s future by changing the past they send an indestructible cyborg – a Terminator – back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) the woman whose unborn son will become mankind’s only hope. Can Sarah protect herself from this unstoppable menace to save the life of her unborn child? Or will the human race be extinguished by one mean hunk of mutant metal?