Platoon

John Gilpatrick started his review by saying, “I never thought I’d see a war film as brutal and uncompromising as The Deer Hunter, but Oliver Stone’s quasi-autobiographical film Platoon comes awfully close.” The film’s approach of putting you in their perspective isn’t completely unique, but it doesn’t get in better use. “Platoon,” released in 1986, gives you an idea of what war does to someone and what being in Vietnam might have been like. Neither is nice, making this a difficult film to watch. However, it’s obviously a powerful experience.

Our hero that tells us this is Chris Taylor, played by Charlie Sheen, a young American who quit college to enlist in the army because he was tired of the burden of fighting being on the poor and uneducated. The film starts just as he is put in Vietnam. He’s definitely a diamond in the rough, but he adds himself with his fellow men, especially Elias, played by Willem Dafoe, a free-spirited leader of the platoon. Elias finds himself up against Barnes, played by Tom Berenger, Elias’ no-nonsense equivalent. After a part where Barnes superfluously kills a villager and almost murders a child, the tension between the two men really heats us, and the platoon is divided in two.

This is a film filled with unforgettable characters and moments. Everyone knows the slow-motion shooting kills of one of the characters, but maybe the most memorable scene is the one where Barnes shows how he really is at the village. It’s here that you see how deadly conflict can be. If Barnes has humanity in him is questionable, but if he was, it’s clear the war has sucked all of that out of him.

The fight scenes in “Platoon” are also really awesome. Gilpatrick said, “Everything feels incredibly chaotic—not in a shaky-cam sort of way, but rather the characters don’t know what’s going on. The final confrontation with the Viet Cong in particular demonstrates not only how much the characters have changed, but also how little they know about what’s going on around them.” When a plan doesn’t go the way you want, what is the alternative? Just run around and shoot people, sounds like the right solution.

The film also has one of the best ensemble casts ever. Charlie Sheen leads the way with a great performance, one of the best of his career. Gilpatrick noted, “Chris is full of philosophy and optimism when his tour begins. By the end, he’s a shell of a human being.” He no longer cares of himself, he just wants to kill.

The two best performances of the great ensemble were nominated for Oscars. Tom Berenger is a portrayal of evil as Barnes. Willem Dafoe plays a little more complicated character. Elias earns our sympathy, just by going against Barnes. He earns our respect for stopping a violent murder. However, he can still murder, and when the worst comes his way, he does exactly that.

The rest of the cast is consisted of Johnny Depp (blink and you’ll miss him), Forest Whitaker, Keith David, John C. McGinley and Kevin Dillon. Gilpatrick noted, “David and Dillon have the meatiest roles. The former plays a happy-go-lucky soldier who is lucky enough to get out. The latter is a bloodthirsty disciple of Barnes.”

Gilpatrick admitted, “Platoon is quite simply one of the most powerful motion pictures I’ve ever seen.” War films are not made very much, but they don’t make them like this a lot. There’s nothing completely unique about it. It’s just an extremely well-told story. Since “Platoon,” Oliver Stone has been hit or mess. However, he’ll always be able to retire on this masterpiece, which is as good a film as any.

You should definitely see this movie, it is a must. If you loved all the other Vietnam War movies, this one you will love as well. Charlie Sheen’s character was portrayed through Oliver Stone’s experience of being in the Vietnam War. Sheen was Stone throughout that movie. Sheen also does note that Stone was really rough with the cast. This is one that is not to be missed and you should not skip over. See it for yourself, and be in for one heck of an experience that you have never been on before.

People may or may not know this, but this movie is the first in Oliver Stone’s “Vietnam Trilogy.” To know how the others were, stay tuned next week when I look at the second installment in “Vietnam War Movie Month.”