Platoon is one of those films that I always meant to watch but
never seemed to get around to. It is one of the best films about the Vietnam
War, which considering how many Vietnam films there are is high praise. It
tells the story of one soldier who volunteers for service and follows his
development and experience of the war. The film is based upon the director’s
experiences in Vietnam and is an absolutely amazing watch.
Charlie Sheen stars as the protagonist, Chris Taylor, who drops
out of college and volunteers for Vietnam. To the other men in his unit, he is
a complete outsider and doesn’t belong in Vietnam with the other hardened
soldiers. However, after time he comes to be accepted and forms a close
relationship with the group. Charlie Sheen manages to do a fantastic job in
this film. It was (I think) his first major role and puts in an incredible
performance. At the start of the film he appears as an innocent young man who
is out of sync with the lifestyle of a combat trooper. However, by the end of
the film his experiences have noticeably changed him. It is the extent to which
this is noticeable that makes his performance so impressive. By the end of the
film, he too is a hardened soldier, hence the tagline of the film: ‘The first casualty
of war is innocence’.
Given that the film is based on Oliver Stone’s (director and
writer) Vietnam experiences, the impact of this film is very powerful. I didn’t
know that it was based on truth when I watched it, but when I discovered this,
it completely changed my perspective on the film. It goes from a war film
showing the effects of Vietnam on a young man to a film documenting how Stone
feels the war impacted him. To say that this is profound is understating it a
bit. Some of the scenes in the film (like the one where the soldiers reach the
village) are very shocking, and reinforces the idea that you cannot know
exactly what it was like unless you were actually there.
Aside from Charlie Sheen, the others actors who make up the
platoon really complete the film. Tom Berenger is immensely sinister and
dislikable as Sergeant Barnes. There is a sense of mystery around his
character, in much the same was as there is around Tom Hanks in Saving PrivateRyan, but in Platoon there is a much more grave element to this. His character
isn't meant to be disliked though, or at least I don’t think so. There is no
doubt that he commits some atrocities in the film, but maybe Stone is conveying
a strong message about the impact Vietnam has on people. The scar on his face
alone shows the impact the war has on him, and when Charlie Sheen gets cut as
well the parallels between the two men are stronger. Many people see Barnes as
the villain, but he is made the way he is by the war going on around him.
Similarly, Chris Taylor changes throughout the film due to the war going on
around him. Either way, Berenger does a fantastic job of conveying the
director’s message.
Sergeant Elias is played very well by Willem Dafoe, and is a
relative force of good in the film. He seems to be keeping things very much in
the ‘good’ camp, and after his death (the classic scene in the movie) things
start to get a bit more out of control. In many ways it is his death that is
the catalyst for this, as the suspicions start to creep in among the soldiers.
In stark contrast to Elias is the character of Bunny (Kevin Dillon) who comes
across as simply psychotic. He loves what he is doing in Vietnam and in one
very disturbing scene, smashing a Vietnamese man’s head open with his gun
before remarking that he’d never seen one pop like that. Bunny seems to
represent everything twisted and bad about Vietnam, whereas Elias shows more of
the compassion and good intention that Chris starts the film with. There’s a
tip of the hat for Forest Whitaker, John C. McGinley and Johnny Depp who also
appear in this film.
When you think about the acting, the symbolism, the subject matter
and what it was based upon, it is really no surprise that Platoon won the
Academy Award for Best Picture. It completely deserves this award, and Stone
deserves the Best Director Award. I’m surprised that Charlie Sheen wasn't
nominated for the Best Actor award, but both Dafoe and Berenger were up for
Best Supporting Actor, again, deservingly. The film is incredibly well made,
and really does grip you. Although it is a bit slow in parts, this is intended
to reflect the nature of the war, and Stone, building on his own experiences,
conveys this magnificently.
If you have an interest in Vietnam or in war films then Platoon
should definitely be on your list. If not then I think it is the kind of film
that is important to see, just because of the subject matter. You might not
enjoy the whole thing, but its importance cannot be understated. I really
enjoyed Platoon because it made me think, and thoroughly recommend it.
Another film dealing with the Vietnam War, but in a more light-hearted way is:
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