Review of Platoon (1986) by Brad Y — 19 Sep 2013

A honest and in depth portrayal of the horrors of war and our own demons, Platoon will leave you rocked, shocked and breathless. The Director (Oliver Stone) Gives us a haunting and painstaking vision of war through the innocent lives of young americans whose innocence was lost when they fired their first shots.

Bolstered by his own experiences in Vietnam, Oliver Stone gives us on of the most mature and thought provoking war film to date. The movie centers around Pvt. Taylor (Charlie Sheen) who was a naive college dropout who volunteered in the army to prove himself.

Throughout the film, we see him grow up from a child to a man hardened by the war and brutality he never expected. His platoon leaders, Staff Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger) and Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe) represent the good and evil, with Barnes being the evil and Elias the good.

They constantly battle with each other, with draws points to the duality of man under pressure. Like I said, good vs. evil. The films has several religious overtones and presents itself not just as an anti-war film, but a honest portrayal of man and his darkest hours.

All-in-All Platoon was a well made war film with great acting, honest writing, and mature direction which makes this film a memorable and thought provoking piece of film making at its finest.