Platoon (1986)

horrors of war
Oliver Stone's Platoon transcends the romanticization that so often infuses our thinking about war with a painfully honest portrayal of its dehumanizing effects. Charlie Sheen plays Chris Taylor, whose idealism drives him to leave college for the hellish jungles of Vietnam. He sheds his innocence quickly, however, as the horrors of war take a heavy toll on his body and his sanity. After witnessing acts of barbarity by fellow soldiers--including rape and the deliberate killing of civilians--Taylor becomes aware that he is fighting not only an external enemy, but an inner one as well.

Representing the sides of this internal battle are Sergeant Elias (William Dafoe), who shows compassion towards his men and is outraged by atrocities he witnesses, and Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), who displays no regard for human life. With their sanity pushed to its limits by the terror of combat, members of the platoon are torn between the two men and begin to turn on each other.

This film is disturbing in its brutal realism, and the painful questions it raises remain relevant decades after the Vietnam War, particularly in light of incidents such as the Haditha massacre and the overwhelming numbers of Iraq veterans struggling with PTSD. Platoon sheds light on the conditions that breed atrocity and the devastating psychological effects of war upon soldiers. It is not an antiwar film, nor one with a political agenda; it is simply a raw, candid film about war's impact.

OLIVER'S REGIMENT
Oliver Stone has never been accused of being boring, at least to my recollection. In "Platoon" Stone has apparently crafted not only the definitive war movie of his generatiom, but also one of Hollywood's best films ever. I say "apparently" deliberately, knowing that non-combatants can never appreciate the full horror of warfare. Try telling the late Helen Keller how tough it must have been to be blind and deaf. You get the picture. Stone's movie literally explodes across the screen, with little time given to actor definition. Oh sure, Berenger and Dafoe stand out, but certainly not in the fashion of grabbing the limelight. War is a team effort, for better or worse, and one is drawn to the conclusion that the enemy is not always across the firing lines, one of Norman Mailer's themes in "The Naked and the Dead", circa 1950. In summary, one is definitely not entertained by this film. Perhaps, it's our animal instincts that keep drawing us back to it, sadly.

Not even Close G.I.
Platoon DVD

Platoon Starts out with the phrase "Somewhere near the Cambodian border" I can tell you exactly where that is. That's my old Area of Operation ( A.O ). Charlie Sheen plays a Vietnam soldier in the 25th Infantry Division ( my old Division ). You see the armored Personnel Carriers at the end of the movie that come to the rescue? That's us; the 2nd of the 22nd Mechanized Infantry (the Triple Deuce).They even showed the bull dozers that we had, unofficially of course...

Bottom line on this movie, Oliver Stone is either a liar or a fool. About the only thing he got correct in this movie was the uniforms worn by the U.S. soldiers. The V.C and NVA were shown in incorrect clothing. You'd think that since this movie was made in 1986 he could have gotten it right if he wanted to. No wonder the American public had/have such a distorted view of what really happened in Viet Nam.

Not recommended for anyone who wants a historically accurate portrayal of the Viet Nam War. Maybe Oliver Stone was smoking something?

Gunner January, 2008