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Platoon
(1986)
The first
casualty of war is innocence.
Director: Oliver Stone, rated R for language,
realistic war violence
  Starring: Tom
Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Keith David, Forest
Whitaker, Francesco Quinn, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley,
Reggie Johnson
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
"Somebody once wrote: "Hell
is the impossibility of reason." That's what this place feels
like
Hell." - Chris Taylor
Why watch this?
This is the apogee of Vietnam films. It's gut-wrenching.
Plot Summary:
Vietnam in 1967 sees a young American, Chris Taylor, leave a
privileged life to volunteer for infantry combat. Thrust into
the heart of the jungle, he quickly confronts the brutal reality
of warfare and the disillusionment that follows. As the conflict
intensifies, Taylor finds himself caught between two conflicting
ideologies represented by his sergeants, one embodying
ruthlessness and the other compassion.
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Dad's Preview:
This film follows young Chris Taylor's journey through his tour
of duty in Vietnam. He leaves
college and enlists in the
infantry (most infantry soldiers were not college students). His platoon becomes embroiled in an internal
civil struggle between very different kinds of leaders: the brutal Sgt. Barnes,
and the compassionate Sgt. Elias. Tom Berenger's
portrayal of Barnes is one of the most powerful I have ever scene on
film. The war scenes are intense, harrowing, and almost too real. One
can easily see
how experiencing the war in Vietnam could seriously damage, both
physically and mentally, the men who came home. |
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Hemdale Film
Corporation; Orion Pictures
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