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Platoon (1986)
imdb.com rating: 8.1/10
my personal rating: 9/10
Platoon is a war-drama based on a young recruit’s journey to Vietnam and the moral dilemmas he encompasses. Platoon won four Oscars at the 1987 Academy Awards; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. The movie is an account of Oliver Stone’s real life experiences in the Vietnam War serving as a soldier. Stone had complete control in the movie to deliver his vantage point as the director and writer. Private Chris Taylor is a naive, young man who volunteers to the military right out of college. When Taylor is ordered to a deployable infantry unit along the South Vietnam and Cambodia border his war experience is not what he anticipated. Periodically in the movie you will notice a monologue or narration of events story told by Taylor.
In the beginning Taylor unloads from an airplane and he witnesses deceased bodies in black bags being moved. Taylor soon realizes there is a diverse mix of personalities and characters in the operational platoon he is assigned to. The soldiers are like an extended family of brothers. Among one of the personalities in the platoon is a hesitant Second Lieutenant who is overall responsible for the platoon, however, he awkwardly turtles up whenever in the presence of Staff Sergeant Barnes throughout the movie. Barnes and Sergeant Elias are each enlisted leaders of the unit with different troop management skills. Barnes is a seasoned and scarred veteran with a wealth of combat experience. He is a sociopath that is willing to do anything to survive. Conversely Elias is conservative, careful leader who has takes pride in having a deep rapport with his fellow soldiers. Elias is not afraid or timid of Barnes, not even in the heat of battle. In Platoon an intense rivalry ignites between Barnes and Elias. Since Barnes and Elias are the two Non-Commissioned Officers their indifferences cause a split in the troops under them. Taylor and some of the other soldiers do side with Elias and his views on war fighting. The other remaining soldiers support Barnes and his views on war fighting. A memorable scene in the movie is when the infantry unit is on a patrol and searches a Vietnamese village and farm. The village sequence is controversial because it involves a raid of the village huts and two illegal killings, one a woman executed by Barnes himself. Elias confronts the First Lieutenant with the question why didn’t you do anything, because in the scene he allowed Barnes to control the situation who is a lower ranking soldier. While the soldiers do find Viet Cong rifles and weapons hidden in the village, the kills were still preventable. When the unit returns to the forward operating base Elias reports the alleged illegal killing to a commanding officer, explaining how Barnes has innocent blood on his hands.
The music effects are superbly well done. The unique score fits in perfectly with the story. One of the integral concepts in the movie is the beautiful and atmospheric setting. The setting captures the visual sophistication of being in a lush jungle with wild animals and bugs. The viewer also becomes aesthetically pleasing soaking in the bright color schemes of the jungle background, a color mixture of blue, green, and grey. The vibrant colors truly captivate the setting and are visually stunning. The direction and flow of the movie are masterful from beginning to end, it doesn’t slow down or drag on at any point. A terrific take-away from Platoon is it does not feel like cardboard cut-out characters playing in a movie about Vietnam. It is Vietnam, the slow progression of characters, the music, and the setting all gradually build up to a genuinely inspiring two hour trip in the young soldiers’ lives. It has a mix of all necessary elements to successfully engage an audience. In a number of situations by the conclusion of the movie it is referenced to how Chris has come full circle and is transformed as a person. The movie is a cycle of emotional experiences from beginning to end. The climax point comes in the final battle scene as the soldiers defend their unit’s perimeter in a night assault. By the ending the viewer feels the emotional trauma and horror Chris endured. The illustrated point is the dehumanizing effects of war and why the unit of soldiers split. It also tells an excellent story of troop leadership and responsibilities, entailing how to properly or improperly mentor a young soldier. A movie comparison for it would be Full Metal Jacket (1987), I believe Full Metal Jacket is a great movie in its own right but I enjoyed Platoon a little more.
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Originally Posted by little ghost
