They Fought Themselves more than the Vietnamese

Rating: 9/10 (3 September 2012)

Before he was winning and before he was on his own drug, there was Platoon. Platoon stars Charlie Sheen and Willem DaFoe in the 80's. They are soldiers in the Vietnam War. They experience the full blown hell that war produced. Platoon was directed by Oliver Stone and most of his movies are very long and have extreme detail. Platoon is no exception having a deeper meaning than what is shown. Vietnam veterans suffered greatly during and after the war. Platoon shows the suffering during the war. I thought it was interesting how towards the end a soldier is talking the Sheen and he says if they survive the war they will go home heroes and life will be easy. In reality it was the exact opposite and I wonder if soldiers really thought that or if that was just for comic relief. Either way the story was basic, fight the war and survive, but it turned into something more. It turned into what is right and wrong in warfare and how or who to fight. Soldiers in Vietnam were exposed to drugs and Platoon shows how soldiers would relax by taking drugs and smoking cigarettes. The reactions to these drugs and the warfare itself drove soldiers insane and caused them to commit terrible acts that Platoon portrays. Platoon was historically accurate as well and that is very important. Situations the movie showed really happened. The scene where they raid the village and terrorize the farmers actually happened. It was a historically known massacre that really happened; I just can't remember the name. Soldiers didn't know who the real enemy was so they attacked everybody. Innocent people suffered because American soldiers could not control themselves and the pressures of the war got to them. They raped, murdered, and pillaged the village and that was just the beginning. They weren't only fighting the Vietnamese; they were also fighting each other. Barnes and Elias had their differences and they fought constantly but the betrayal of Barnes where he basically murdered Elias was just epic. That scene was just so bone chilling. Barnes chases him down and they stare each other down. It's a showdown and they look like they can read each other's minds. Barnes shoots and Elias falls down to the ground. Barnes tells Chris, Sheen, that he is already dead. Chris and Elias were good friends and shared similar opinions on the war. Barnes and Chris retreat to the helicopter but as they go up they see one of their own running towards the helicopter. It was Elias. He ate so many bullets and was bleeding everywhere. It was the ultimate betrayal. He was killed by his own squad and he raised his arms and looked up to the sky which became a classic pose from the movie. He falls over, dies and the helicopter flies away. Throughout the movie there is music from the Vietnam era but in every sad or serious scene the same tune of violins plays and makes the scene so much better. I always say the music can be the most important part of a movie. It sets tone and mood. It can make or break a scene and every time those violins played the audience knows the scene is important. Let me make one thing clear. I hate Charlie Sheen. I don't think he is funny; he is crazy, and a terrible actor. He should not be allowed to make anything else in the industry but that is just my opinion. Luckily this was before all of that garbage and he really did a good job. In parts of his acting I laughed and thought it was ridiculous but about an hour into the movie he stepped it up and did an amazing job. It made me respect the man more for his acting and what he had in his young career. It is a shame he let drugs ruin his life. My problems with the movie were that there were a lot of characters, possibly too many. Forrest Whitaker and Johnny Depp were in the movie but they disappeared. They were important for a scene and then I don't know what happened to them. Did they die? Did they leave the war? I don't know. Maybe somebody can let me know so please comment. For a war movie it wasn't the best I've seen but it wasn't really about the war between the Vietnamese but more about the war with themselves and the betrayal of soldiers. It was more emotional than physical and in a movie about Vietnam that should be portrayed so kudos to Platoon for that. Overall it was a fantastic movie that was more than a war movie but an emotional tale of soldiers in the Vietnam War. They suffered greatly and this movie probably most accurately portrays the devastation of the war. Action, acting, emotion, music, and overall performance were all good. Platoon easily gets the WillyT seal of approval but Charlie Sheen needs to just go away. I really just don't like the man or anything he is in, other than this movie. I could watch this movie again and again and can be viewed alone or with friends. Don't let young kids watch it obviously; listen to the rating on the movie because it will probably not end well but still a great film for mature audiences.