PLATOON (1986)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre(s): Action / War

Director: Oliver Stone

Cast: Charlie Sheen / Tom Berenger / Willem Defoe

Plot

A platoon of U.S. Marines is fractured by the dangers and moral ambiguities of the Vietnam War.

What I Liked

One of the great things about “Platoon” is that it doesn’t attempt to package the Vietnam War.  It neither blindly justifies nor wholly demonizes the American soldiers in Vietnam, nor does it solely try to portray the soldiers as innocents victimized by war and the military machine.  That writer and director Oliver Stone was himself there to witness many of the events he transferred into the film lends to its authenticity, making Vietnam feel like a real place with real people in real situations.

That basis on fact and the factual accuracies does not mean that Stone did not bring a great deal of artistic flair to the movie.  In particular, the characters of Sergeants Barnes and Elias feel larger-than-life, together representing a sort of duality of man that, for Stone anyway, characterized the war and at the same time transcends any war.  Those roles are played by Tom Berenger and Willem Defoe respectively in two tremendous performances.

Indeed all of the performances, from lead Charlie Sheen on down, are top notch.  Even actors who do not have many lines still manage to convey the anxiety and misery of the experience on their faces.  “Platoon” has to be considered one of the greatest ensemble casts of all time: Sheen, Berenger, Defoe, Forest Whitaker, and Johnny Depp, for starters.

What I Didn’t Like

Outside of those who dislike war movies or those who have some moral objection to its portrayal of the Vietnam War, I cannot think of any reason someone would not like “Platoon.”  I would have to say that some of the commentary by Sheen’s character was unnecessary.  The messages of the film don’t need to be explained to the viewer, they’re right there in the experience of watching the drama unfold.  But that’s still no reason to outright dislike the film.

Most Memorable Scene

There can’t be any debate about this one.  The scene where the platoon wreaks havoc on a Vietnamese village is one of the most intense and disturbing moments from a war film that I have seen.  Every time I think of “Platoon,” that is the first scene that comes to mind, although there are plenty of others that are moving, artful, or entertaining.  Sheen’s initiation into Elias’ “underworld” also comes to mind, as does Berenger’s confrontation with Sheen in the same location later in the film.

My Rating: 5 out of 5