With the vast array of Vietnam war films that dominated 1970s & 80s Hollywood cinema, Oliver Stone's Platoon could have easily become lost amongst the wealth of what many would consider 'Apocalypse Now copycats' (despite many having come before). But Platoon set itself apart in many ways - including being one of the first films to prove that Charlie Sheen can act - and has become a worthy classic.
Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is a college drop-out that volunteers for combat duty in Vietnam. Taylor is assigned to Bravo Company, 25th Infantry Division where their task is to wait in the jungles near the Cambodian border, ready to ambush passing North Vietnamese soldiers. Although Lieutenant Wolfe (Mark Moses) is technically Platoon leader, the stern Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger) often barks out the orders.
Taylor is eventually accepted by a section of the group that have a clubhouse where the smoke marijuana and try to forget the situation they're in. Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe) takes Taylor under his wing. Other notable Platoon members are Bunny (Kevin Dillon), a savage and immature soldier, and Sergeant "Red" O'Neill (John C. McGinley), who's charismatic, but generally cowardly. Tension starts to rise in the Platoon and divisions form, especially after a horrific attack by the platoon on a village.
The first in Stone's Vietnam trilogy, he began production by sending the cast on an intensive training exercise in the Philippines, with the aim being to lower their morale to the point that they were broken down and had a "don't give a damn attitude". The cast have since said that the exercise help them both get into character, and bond with each other, a crucial element for a platoon. Stone's purpose with Platoon was to use his personal military experiences to form a realistic representation of the conflict, free of cliches, just showing it as it is. This makes for some unique and equally harrowing viewing.
As an audience, we're dropped into the action just as the soldiers are, with nowhere to run from the horrific sights of Platoon. The night scenes are realistically lit so that the action becomes disorientating, with muzzle flashes only aiding slightly during the ambushes. The film has a hazy-tone to it that accentuates the heat of the Vietnam climate. Ex-marine, Leo Cawley said in his essay on the film (well worth a read by the way) that "The details are authentic and compelling", and if he is to be believed, then it could be said that Platoon achieves it's 'anti-war' status in a natural manner, through realism not rhetoric.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Charlie Sheen's leading role in Platoon is one of his finest performances of his career. Playing the young and fresh Chris Taylor, spurred on by his families military roots, Sheen brings an innocence to the role that is crucial in the development of the character. Willem Dafoe is his usual borderline psychotic, yet still trustworthy self, Tom Berenger is an emotionless badass, and John C. McGinley, whilst slightly overacting, is certainly lively as Red. Also, keep your eyes open for a small cameo from a young Johnny Depp.
The sound design is equally an attempt by Stone to place the viewer in the closest approximation to his experiences as possible. The various chatter from different Platoon members is subtly muffled, the gunfire and explosions are (whilst still fairly Hollywood) not completely overdone, and the soundtrack features appropriate era music from Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, The Rascals, the classic Adagio for Strings as the theme, and a nod to Apocalypse Now with Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries
Platoon would not be as poignant a movie if it weren't for the level of meticulous detail and realism that Stone draws from his experiences, and indeed in the characters, many of which he based off of his squad-mates. It's the confronting nature of it that makes it a true classic, and by far one of the best (if not the best of the) Vietnam War movies.
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