Review of Platoon (1986) by Nathaniel B — 23 Feb 2013

''Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.'' -- Ecclesiastes 11:9.

Oliver Stone himself is a war veteran, so he should know better than anyone else about the devastating impact war can have on the human psyche. The story is firing on all cylinders, I think, but it's the execution that dragged this film down for me. It's beyond dull, one of those rare movies for which I found myself pleading for the end credits to arrive right from the get-go. Absolutely nothing special happens.... no ''wow'' moments. The lighting for the scenes at night were poorly shot too, I almost wanted to fast-forward them. Tepid storytelling aside, it did have a few compelling performances (not from Charlie Sheen, obviously), great cinematography and well-directed battle sequences -- which I expected. ''Platoon'' is almost universally regarded as Stone's magnum opus, so I might re-watch it someday to confirm my opinion of it. In the meantime, check out Stanley Kubrick's ''Full Metal Jacket,'' if you haven't already. That movie covers similar themes and way more effectively than this snore fest (the first half does, anyway).