Platoon

The best war film from Vietnam that leaves an ultradeep impact. Stone's idea to create a drama of an individual against the backdrop of a fanatical commander and a guy with a good heart is simple yet brilliant. Thanks to the atmosphere and gripping direction, I became Taylor and at the end, I wondered if I would pull the trigger. (21/01/2006)

Breathtaking film, which is not so much about the Vietnam War itself, as it is about the war between members of one platoon fighting under the same flag. Oliver Stone is not a Hollywood follower, so do not expect any celebration of heroic Americans fighting against evil communists in Vietnam, quite the opposite. Stone incorporated his personal experiences into the film, experiences he personally felt in Vietnam and shows all the horror of war in all its disgust. The pervasive despair, fear, and madness from the film radiate directly and completely captivate you. Especially the passage where the platoon ravages a Vietnamese village will surely strike you and emotionally drain you. Chris perfectly captures the whole issue of this war in his inner monologue when he says: "Day by day, I struggle to maintain not only my strength but my sanity. It's all a blur. I don't know what's right and what's wrong anymore..." The film offers a truly quality array of actors, many of whom have become big stars and joined the acting elite - Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, and Forest Whitaker. Above all, the character of Sgt. Elias, played by Willem Dafoe, left the strongest impression on me. My favorite scene is the one where the repeatedly shot Sgt. Elias desperately flees from a pile of Vietnamese and just can't give up and fall, a truly powerful moment. I rank Platoon second on my personal list of favorite war films right after Apocalypse Now. (20/05/2018)

Maybe not as hypnotizing as Apocalypse Now, but still very good. Stone decided to have a crack at the much filmed Vietnam war and built this story about a new recruit (the excellent Charlie Sheen) who arrives in that hellhole, full of idealism. What Platoon stands on are breathtaking shots, first-rate action and acting performances of all those involved. Not just Sheen, but also the excellent Willem Dafoe deserves a special mention and also the slightly twisted Tom Berenger. We even get a brief glimpse of Johnny Depp in one of his first parts, so keep your eyes peeled. (20/08/2009)

I saw Platoon for the first time during its premiere back in the late 80s during totalitarianism. Oliver Stone, known as a left-wing activist and anti-war advocate, was considered to be the guarantor of the film's ideological independence, so the otherwise vigilant censorship slept on this occasion, and perhaps it was even intentionally done by the translator, who was pushing the boundaries of what was possible during perestroika. In the middle of the screening of an otherwise serious war drama, the deafening laughter of the audience began to echo through the hall. This happened because of the memorable line after the seizure of an abandoned Vietnamese bunker when an American marine reports: "There's nothing here, just four Czechoslovak machine guns." Today, it sounds like a banality, but back then, the fact that, per capita and in terms of GDP, Czechs belonged to the largest producers and exporters of weapons was a strict social taboo. Stone had only a short but personal experience with the Vietnam conflict, and unlike his colleagues, he artistically restrained himself and aimed to present the most authentic account of the Vietnam conflict. He had his acting team run around a tropical jungle on a Pacific island for three weeks, under the guidance of a Vietnam War veteran, who also had a small role in the film. Stone was striving for the maximum depiction of the conflict and, within this effort, he downplayed the main significance of this character. Although the idealistic newcomer goes through a baptism of fire and matures over time spent with the unit, the real collective hero becomes his platoon. The darker dimension is represented by Sergeant Barnes, a skilled warrior, and his patriotic humanistic counterpart, Sergeant Elias. The film does not have a linear narrative; it is divided into several war episodes with combat engagements and marches. Stone alternates the pace, slow and strenuous movements, and stressful patrols in the middle of the nocturnal jungle, which instantly turns into a bloody night battle. Stone shows how thin the line between heroism and war crimes can be, how ideals fall apart in an intense atmosphere, and how easily a drug epidemic spreads. For me, it is one of the best war films that I am always happy to revisit. Overall impression: 95%. (17/11/2014)

Oliver Stone isn't exactly one of my favorite filmmakers, but I have to say, I do enjoy similar war films. To show what war really is, what madness it actually represents. And here it was achieved so perfectly in just a few scenes, as if other filmmakers hadn't managed it throughout an entire movie. For me, the film doesn't reach the quality of Full Metal Jacket or Apocalypse Now, but it certainly belongs among the very best that war cinema has given us. (19/01/2016)