There have been some great war movies to make it to the big screen over the years and director Oliver Stone has been behind quite a few of them... however, for me, Platoon remains the best.
Platoon
Not only is Platoon one of the finest films in this genre, but, in my humble opinion, it remains one of the best films of Stone's career.
Platoon draws on his own personal and harrowing experiences of the Vietnam War and this really does give the movie a raw and incredibly real feel. This is not a glamorised Hollywood war movie as Stone gives audiences an insight into the brutality of guerrilla warfare.
We have seen many movies focus on the Vietnam War over the year, and yet there is some profoundly different about Platoon - it is a movie that you feel really does matter.
Platoon is an unsympathetic film it doesn't gloss over the troubles in Vietnam to suit and American cinema going audience. Stone depicts some soldiers as violent killers who struggle with seeing their friends injured, killed, and take out their rage on the locals.
Stone also showed controversial issues within the U.S. army such as drug abuse, which has largely been speculated upon in recent years, the bullying behaviour by more experienced soldiers on the new, inexperienced recruits and the killing of unpopular officers.
Stone is not afraid to shy away from these issues and fearlessly shows a barrage of powerful images that highlight the horror and carnage that the American soldiers faced and endured on a daily basis.
This insight into the realities of the war is what elevates Platoon about other Vietnam movies and the images that Stone captures really will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.
However, it is not all about Stone as Platoon would be nothing without the fantastic central performances from Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, and Tom Berenger.
Platoon was one of the major breakthrough roles for Sheen as he took on the role of new recruit Chris, who struggles with what he witnesses during his time in the jungle. However, it is Dafoe and Berenger who really shine as Sgt. Elias and Sgt. Barnes: who are at war with each other as well as with the enemy.
Both men deliver a grizzly and gutsy performance - the demise of Elias remains the defining and iconic image of this movie - in fact, it is one of the most iconic war movie images of all time.
Platoon went on to be nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Bes Director & Best Supporting Actor for both Dafoe and Berenger. It went on to win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing.
Platoon is one of the great war movies that I have ever seen and it remains a must see in this genre of film. Over the years, the power of this movie has never diminished and remains as hard-hitting today as it was when it was released back in 1986.
Tagged in Oliver Stone