Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps the greatest war epic...
Review: Oliver Stone's magnum opus should be required viewing for all political hawks and 18-24 year-old's. I'll reserve the balance of my time for a few remarks about the Special Edition DVD...If you love this film it's imperative that you get the "Special Edition"--it's well worth the few bucks extra. The hour-long Documentary "Tour of the Inferno" is truly spectacular and contains extensive interviews with Stone, Defoe, Berenger, Sheen, et al, describing the "method direction" Stone employed to create an atmosphere of reality unparalleled in other war films. By method direction, I'm referring to the boot camp experience Stone and Dale Dye employed to cultivate a sense of the psychosis felt by those who served in the Nam, and impart that sense to the actors who were to portray very tangible characters drawn from Stone's own Vietnam experience as an infantryman. While listening to Stone's commentary I finally found the answer to a question about Platoon that had dogged me for years. In the scene after Barnes is killed, Chris is sitting down and is discovered by US soldiers followed by an American tank flying a Nazi swastika flag. I never understood this and scoured the Internet looking for an answer. In the commentary, Stone explains that the APC units were very extreme and used to adorn themselves with Nazi regalia[?]. Although some DVD's contain a lot of extras that simply aren't worth the effort, this is not the case with the Special Edition of Platoon. Outstanding!!! 5/5
Rating:
Summary: The Nam
Review: Oliver Stone's Vietnam War film, PLATOON, remains a very intense film, even some 15 years after its theatrical release.
As seen through the eyes of Private Chris Taylor, (Charlie Sheen), the film focuses on the experiences of this naive young man and the other soldiers in his unit. As tensions mount and fears of the enemy threaten to overtake the men, a sick rivalry develops between Sgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger) and Sgt. Elias (Willem DaFoe) that sets soldier against soldier. The entire film takes you inside the minds of these 3 men for different views on the war and what it was like for the men that were there. Of course some of it seems tamer now, especially after, more recent war films. But PLATOON still is an intense look at the war, that, even today, no one really understands. Stone puts his real life experiences as a "Nam" vet, to direct to perfection. The performances by the cast are superb... The Special Edition DVD has an excellent retrospective documentary on the film that is quite comprehensive. Of equal interest, were the 2 audio commentaries The first by Stone, the second by millitary advisor Dale Dye---both men put the actors through their paces. The photo gallery, theatrical trailer, t.v. spots and "collectible" booklet round out the disc's extras. This edition is vastly improved over the movie only edition and comes highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: I don't give 5 stars often
Review: I've only given 5 stars to a handful of films, but Platoon deserves it. I never served in war, so how real Stone's depiction of the Vietnam war is I can't say. However, comments in the commentaries (where else?) indicate that though most vets might quibble with minor details, they give high marks to the authenticity and verisimilitude. It is pretty scary when you are 6 feet in front of an enemy bunker but do not see it. As with all Oliver Stone movies, there is some blur between fact and fiction, but he was in Vietnam, so I can only assume he knows what he is talking about. Made on a budget of only 6 million, Stone manages to lead his platoon of actors through an ensemble performance that would capture oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Editing, and Sound, plus nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger. Other unknown or rising stars (including Johny Depp, John C. McGinley, Kevin Dillon, Mark Moses) were excellent as well. Some unforgettable images and scenes, least of which is the one on the DVD cover (which was the main movie poster, too). In Stone's commentary, he says he might have "gotten a little operatic" with Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" in this scene. I beg to differ - this is the best music/visual combo in film, although some of "Apocalypse, Now" is close. This piece of music has been used in tons of films, but never more emotionally than here. Some might say the ending narration is a bit sappy - but I think it made the film - and certainly it is an honest evaluation of an unreal situation by a young kid who really has seen it all. Besides a 5-star movie, there are two insightful commentaries (Stone, and technical adviser Dale Dye), and good behind-the-scenes series of cast comments. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Movie About the Vietnam War
Review: Director Oliver Stone has assembled an all-star cast for this fine film about the life of an Army platoon in the Vietnam war. Charlie Sheen stars as Chris Taylor, a privleged college drop-out who volunteers for infantry duty in Vietnam. He believes that its unfair for the poor boys to be fighting the war while the rich get to stay at home. Once in Vietnam, he is assigned to a platoon commanded by Sgt. Barnes, played magnificently by Tom Berenger. Barnes is a hard-drinking, hard-fighting soldier who, according to the film, had been shot seven times and survived. Barnes' only thought is to destroy the elusive Viet Cong. Also in the platoon is another sergeant, Sgt. Elias, played by Willem Dafoe. Elias is the polar opposite of Barnes. He has grown tired of the war after several tours of duty, but he still believes in the fighting man himself. What occurs throughout the movie can only be described as a "civil war". Half of the men side with Barnes and his gung-ho attitude, while the rest side with Elias and his compassionate style. The friction between Barnes and Elias reaches a boiling point when the group burns down a suspected V.C. village. Elias believes that Barnes acted too quickly and threatens to report him to the C.O. A fear begins to exist for Taylor and the rest of the platoon from both outside and inside. The fighting in the movie is very realistic and graphic, while the army life in general is accurately portrayed. The fire fight at the end of the movie between the Americans and the V.C. is especially well-done. I've seen this movie several times, and I enjoy it each time I see it. The acting is excellent, and the realism is first-rate. Berenger and Dafoe were both nominated for Academy Awards for their fine performances, while the movie itself won for Best Picture. Other movies released during the same time (Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill) were good, but Platoon stands out as the best in my opinion. Watch and feel the power of Platoon; a gripping film about a war we may not want to remember, but one we must never forget.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Slice of Grim Americana
Review: Oliver Stone's "Platoon" will forever have a spot in my holy grail of cherished DVD's. This is an outstanding look at the horrors of the Vietnam War. The classic good vs. evil struggle between Willem Dafoe's "Elias" and Tom Berenger's "Sgt. Barnes" is legendary. Charlie Sheen exhibits perhaps his best work with a very human, realistic performance as the guy who actually volunteered to carry a machine gun in the Mekong Delta, totally unaware of the hell he was about to enter. Its tough to watch parts of the movie, but it is really a great film. Keith David, and Forest Whitaker deliver excellent performances as black soldiers struggling with their enemies in the jungle and in their own company. The film has a terrific soundtrack that compliments the direction of Stone who was at his peak during the making of the film. This was before he made the repulsive Natural Born Killers. Platoon is one of the best (if not THE best) films of the 1980's.
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Summary: The Greatest Vietnam Movie, In my opinon.
Review: Oliver Stone's "Platoon" is one of the best and most powerful of all war pictures. It is the best movie ever made about the Vietnam war. Stone's film is gritty, frighteningly realistic and incredibly powerful. Stone doesn't just show us the Vietnam war, he takes into the Vietnam war. The screenplay is brilliant and doesn't fall into the trap that other war films fall into, where the violence turns into a fun experience and fighting seems "cool." This is a movie that truly shows the horrors of war realistically and with great effect. The cinematography by Robert Richardson (JFK, Natural Born Killers) is rich and gritty, giving more feeling to already great material. The characters are believable and convincing. It's great work because Stone himself went to Vietnam, so he has a better idea of what happened than Francis Ford Coppola when he made "Apocalypse Now" (which is also a great movie). "Platoon" is mesmerizing, powerful, effective, disturbing and even philosophical. It is one of Stone's greatest works. He ignites the screen with passion. The music is incredibly moving. No other director has made better films about Vietnam than Stone, who's "Born On The Fourth Of July" and "Heaven And Earth" followed "Platoon," and opened our eyes to greater clarity. I was never less than spellbound by this work. "Platoon" vibrates with realism and energy. A very special motion picture
Rating: 
Summary: War is violent
Review: Very bad messages in this movie. I thought this movie had a lot of violence in it and encouraged people to kill oriental kids. That is not a good message to send. Kids should not watch this. There were good parts though. The battle scenes were very realistic and the actor from the movie about garbage men was really good in his part. Some of the movie was unrealistic, such as when people got shot they would talk a lot still, chatting even though they got shot. Real people don't do that. I thought this would have been a better movie if they brought the Harry Potter character into it. He is more friendly for families. War is violent is this movie's message.
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Summary: A Vietnophobe's guide to Platoon.
Review: "You had to be there to understand", was a veteran's answer. "I had to be a six years old from New Zealand to not care less", was my response. Is Platoon, drama or documentary? It is not particularly good at either - neither attempting to explain the conflict nor obey the basic rules of dramatic engagement. In fairness, the good efforts of Messrs. Berenger and Dafoe saved what would have been the strangest war movie since "Francis Joins the WACS". But, this is a serious movie and there needs to be a hero, one who happens to be the only white, rich, educated, pretty boy in the platoon. I learned a lot about Americans by watching this movie. And I learned a lot about Vietnam, too. I learned that Vietnam was littered with the bodies of people who would not have made a living in Hollywood.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Slice of Grim Americana
Review: Oliver Stone's "Platoon" will forever have a spot in my holy grail of cherished DVD's. This is an outstanding look at the horrors of the Vietnam War. The classic good vs. evil struggle between Willem Dafoe's "Elias" and Tom Berenger's "Sgt. Barnes" is legendary. Charlie Sheen exhibits perhaps his best work with a very human, realistic performance as the guy who actually volunteered to carry a machine gun in the Mekong Delta, totally unaware of the hell he was about to enter. Its tough to watch parts of the movie, but it is really a great film. Keith David, and Forest Whitaker deliver excellent performances as black soldiers struggling with their enemies in the jungle and in their own company. The film has a terrific soundtrack that compliments the direction of Stone who was at his peak during the making of the film. This was before he made the repulsive Natural Born Killers. Platoon is one of the best (if not THE best) films of the 1980's.
Rating: 
Summary: A visceral view of Vietnam
Review: Regarded by many as the best Vietnam War movie of them, the first half of the film is absolutely riveting as Oliver Stone's platoon descends upon a remote village which eerily recalls the My Lai massacre. It is such a visceral movie. You can just about smell the cleaning of the latrines. However, the second half of the movie gets bogged down in the quagmire as Stone plays the good sergeant off the bad sergeant, drugs off alcohol, black infantrymen off white infantrymen, etc. Dafoe and Berenger play extremely well off each other with Dafoe becoming the ultimate martyr during the helicopter lift that is the signature scene of the movie. Charlie Sheen showed much promise as Private Chris Taylor, but never measured up to the role in subsequent movies. This is probably Oliver Stone's best effort. Certainly, his most personal, as he did more to capture the sense of a platoon in combat than did any other director, but unfortunately he couldn't avoid resurrecting traditional movie themes rather than letting the action carry itself.
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