Platoon

Rating:
Summary: War as it was.
Review: Oliver Stone is a very opinionated and controversial director. Just taking a look to some of his films is more than enough: "Salvador" (1986), "Born 4th July" (1989) and "JFK" (1991). "Platoon" (1986) is not an exception to this rule. Nevertheless, whatever your opinion may be, this film will not leave you unmoved.

In my opinion is the most realistic and insightful film done on Vietnam War.
Why do I think so? Well first of all it directly shows a taboo subject as "fragging" (killing or trying to kill your war mates). Second it shows drug consuming: the direct and side effects on the front line troops. Third it shows the abuse on civilian Vietnamese population. Last but not least a very straightforward description of front line life: sentinels going asleep and letting others to be blamed; NCO rivalry amongst themselves and with the junior officers; racial and social tension; nothing is omitted.

The storyline follows Pvt. Chris Taylor, a just arrived volunteer, from tenderfoot to veteran. His hard growing up: as a man and as a soldier; his ethical decisions; his moral dilemmas; you can easily see all is "the real thing". It is no surprise as Stone is Nam Veteran.

Every actor, from main character to supporting roles, gives a top notch performance: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Forest Withaker, Francesco Quinn, John McGinley, Kevin Dillon you name it.
Photography by Robert Richardson ( a usual Stone's collaborator) is very good.
A word for the final battle: superlative realism and great action cinematography.
A film recommended for everyone that wants to have a sight of what war really is and a realistic, if controversial, account of Vietnam War.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.


Rating:
Summary: Easily Stone's Best, Hard Hitting
Review: This film sums up hard hitting. It's emotional, and manages to maintain it's touching credibility throughout, even with the blockbuster battle at the end. Tom Berenger as the twisted CO is superb, and in my opinion his best role. Willem Defoe is shortlived but stellar, he brings the emotional side, an angle Platoon could not survive without. And of course Sheen, matching his father for being in a Vietnam film (Apocalypse Now) and does a great job.

The plot is based on a small platoon of men trying to survive during the Vietnam war. Straight forward but executed to perfection. Don't expect it to be cushy either, there are a few harrowing scenes, definately not a film for the faint hearted. It simply hits hard, and with a fantastic score (mostly Barber's Adagio For Strings, or Agmus Dei) that really emphasizes the emotions.

The best and most realistic war film I have seen, above Apocalypse Now. I don't care for the people who say Stone made lots of it up, of course he did. But your telling me everything was sweet and sound during the war?

Rating:
Summary: It isn't looked at in the proper way.
Review: People see this movie and are like "Hey, that part's cool when he kills that guy." or "When he smokes that weed." or "When that dude dies.". This movie isn't about the action. It's about Charlie Sheen's struggle on the inside. He gets to know one of his CO's only for him to get shot be the other CO, who is a crazed maniac. This movie is about the horrors of war and what it does to people, how it changes people. It's not about guys shooting the guts out of their enemies for pleasure.

Rating:
Summary: Death. What you all know about death?
Review: Fantastic movie full of great performances. This is a brutal look at life in the jungles of Vietnam. This does not paint the men involved in an overtly dark or heroic light. It does, however show both sides in a stark contrast. Some parts are difficult to take, but the film is worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: Stone's Best Film
Review: I'm not the biggest fan of Oliver Stone's work. There's no denying his skill as a director, but it's his disingenuous politics are what turn me off. I found "JFK" to be one of the most deceitful paranoid fantasies ever put to film. What made that film so dangerous was that it was so well crafted that people believed it. "Platoon" is a different animal completely. This is the work of a man who is trying to come to grips with his past and ultimately put those ghosts to rest. There have been many great films about the Vietnam conflict("The Deer Hunter", "Apocalypse Now","Full Metal Jacket") but those were works of men who hadn't experienced first-hand the war. You can sense the urgency of Stone wanting to tell his story. The fire-fights, the battles, the fear are all palpable to the audience. Stone enlists a first-rate cast (Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, John C. McGinley, Forrest Whitaker, Keith David, Johnny Depp to name a few) that actually feels like a platoon. Stone's alter ego here is Chris(Sheen) a college kid who dropped out to enlist in the Marines. The internal conflict is Sheen being torn between two father figures, the "good" Sgt. Elias(Dafoe) and the "bad" Sgt. Barnes(Berenger). The way these two conflicting personalities are written is heavy-handed at times. The scene where Elias is trying to evade his North Vietnamese pursuers he stumbles and lifts his arms upward like a crucified Christ figure. A later scene in a trench, a drunken scarred Barnes gives a speech to the platoon under a twisted string of Christmas lights that gives off a halo effect. Dafoe and particularly Berenger overcome some of these indulgences in the script by giving full-bodied performances. Despite some reservations, "Platoon" was a very important film when it came out in 1986. There were still young men who had returned home from the conflict who had not come to terms with that period of their life. This film was great catharsis for them. The emphasis in this film was on the soldiers and it's important for today's audience to appreciate the sacrifices of these men then and now.