Vietnam's most faithful on-screen depiction

Rating: 7/10 (4 August 2019)

Directed by a true veteran of Vietnam, Platoon devoutly follows Oliver Stone's vision and memory of the conflict - a humid mix of dense green jungles and invisible threats, poorly navigated by those young American troops thrust into its core. The focus is mainly on the narrator and rookie soldier Chris (a very new, slightly hammy, pre-drug-addled Charlie Sheen), a wealthier college dropout who realises his mistake instantly after joining the war effort. As he learns more about the true indecency of guerrilla warfare and the hopelessness of their plight, he slips further into the recesses of potential madness.
The cast is undeniably talented, featuring big names such as Forest Whitaker, John C McGinley and even Johnny Depp. The real talent on show is Willem Dafoe - the friction between him and his opposing Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger) is frighteningly believable, and makes you question what decisions you would make in their shoes. Each has their own motives, each their own feelings - but all undoubtedly feel an intense fear with each command from higher up.
Platoon hasn't aged amazingly (the clunky CGI napalm scene springs to mind), but the vividness of Vietnam/Cambodia's vegetation is still as identifiable as ever. The Vietnamese troops are rarely given screentime, making them seem ever more omniscient when fighting the relatively clueless American troops. The sparse gunfights are also mostly at night, meaning the disorientation of the soldiers is equal to that of the audience. Platoon will always remain a piece of defining war cinema, full of iconic scenes and emulating the true story of Vietnam; it holds a place as one of the most accurate depictions to date.