Review of Platoon (1986) by James H — 19 Feb 2016

Horrifying in its realistic depiction of war, nerve-wracking in its merciless treatment of well-developed characters, and eye-opening in what it has to say about war in general and human nature in particular, Platoon is a strong war movie with little to fault, and easily ranks alongside Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse Now as one of the best of Vietnam-war movies.

Unhesitatingly, it pulls no punches in showing, when beset by the brutality of war, the depths to which man might sink. Yet it tempers that nihilism with faith in man's goodness by also showing the heights to which he will achieve.

Going for simplicity, Platoon attempts no fanciful philosophizing, glorification of anything, or preaching to the choir, but instead sticking to the cold, hard truth. Oliver Stone's own creation in its entirety, Platoon is carried largely by Charlie Sheen, whose character's naïvetà (C) offers the perfect window through which we can observe the goings-on and change as Sheen's character does, shaped as he is by Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe's powerhouse acting as Barnes and Elias, respectively, with each being two sides of the same coin that is morality.

At almost two hours, the movie feels shorter, thanks to its great pacing, tight editing, mesmerizing performances, and powerful scenes.