Before he became the warlock with the tiger blood, the young Charlie Sheen was in the trenches in the critically acclaimed Platoon. The movie tells the stories of the horrors of war as experienced by its director and writer Oliver Stone. Sheen has often been heard while on tour referencing the movie, and he certainly has every right to be proud. It’s probably one of his greatest achievements in his career, which was only when he was around 19 years old. The gritty portrayal of Chris Taylor, a man who gave up college and joined the combat ranks in Vietnam, was one of the most memorable, especially the speech he gave in the film.

When asked about Sheen, Stone said that he wouldn’t know him now, that he’d grown in so many different directions and was rich, that he was a different person these days. Back then, he remembered him as a novice 17 year old that was eager to be in the film, but at the time, he didn’t have it. But because of production issues that delayed the film, Sheen was two years older and when he went back to audition again, Stone saw him as the character, more mature with the look of a guy who would have been Chris Taylor, a role Stone based on himself.

Stone also revealed that Sheen was not the first choice. He wanted Keanu Reeves, but Reeves decided that the movie would be too violent. A strange stance for a guy who would later be Neo in the Matrix, but at the time I guess morals were more important than cash. Kyle MacLachlan (famous for Twin Peaks) was also considered, but did not get the part. Johnny Depp, who did not either, did manage to get another part in the film though. Nope, Sheen was his man.

Platoon is being released the 25th anniversary on Blu-Ray and stars William Defoe, Tom Berringer, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Dillion, of course Johnny Depp and Sheen. It has a ton of extra features including commentary by Stone, deleted scenes, and documentaries on the horrors and triumphs of the Vietnam War. This first Blu-Ray edition will be released on May 24, 2011.