Platoon (1986). Cert 15. Director -
Oliver Stone. Writer -
Oliver Stone. Starring -
Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger & Forrest
Whitaker.
Premise - A
semi-autobiographical tale of Oliver Stone's tour of duty in Vietnam.
The whole of Platoon is summed
up in the film's tagline - The first casualty of war is
innocence. This hold true for Platoon and
in particular Charlie Sheens character Chris. The movie follows Chris
around from the moment he steps of the plane and is referred to as 'fresh
meat' right up to the climatic battle scene. We see Chris change from a
young, fresh faced boy with a cause. To a battle hardened man who has lost
all hope in an alarmingly short space of time. In this space of time we
learn that Chris' Platoon is undergoing a civil war of it's own.
The Platoon is spit into two
camps, one lead by Sgt. Barnes who is hard as nails and remorseless in his
butchery. The other lead by Sgt. Elias whom is also hard as nails, but has
a conscience. Platoon is very effective in
it's depiction of the anguish of being in Nam, because director Oliver
Stone is able to draw on his own personal experiences and bring them to
fore. His screenplay and direction are excellent and make the film all the
more shocking because of his involvement in the war. I've never been the biggest
Charlie Sheen fan, but he and the rest of the cast perform admirably.
Perhaps best is Willem Dafoe, the scene with in slow motion with Barbers
Adagio for strings playing is breathtaking. Platoon is a very
claustrophobic film. For almost all of the movie the enemy is never seen,
but Stone gives the feeling throughout that they are never far
away. Platoon is an excellent movie
and is easily one of the best war movies I have seen.
|
8/10 for Platoon. Poster Quote - War is hell. |