Strong Film With Some Flaws

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 2017)

For a rather powerful film, this movie seems permanently stuck in the 1980's. It's still very much a trend setter that inspired other war themed films to follow even though they have emulated the theme of war, it can never fully be duplicated. Yes, "Platoon" still succeeds in capturing the fear, the unpredictability, and the uncertainty that comes into effect when you're in the war. However, Oliver Stone's other war themed follow-ups become more stylized in contrast to the substance that this film delivers. The visceral effects seems to be more personal due to the horrors director Oliver Stone faced during his time in Vietnam. The characters depicted here have the emotions to convince you that these soldiers are fearing their lives and know they can come out of this war as heroes or dead.
Charlie Sheen stars here as Chip Taylor, a college flunky from a posh upbringing arbitrarily enlists into the military feeling that the underclass should not be the only ones fighting in the Vietnam War, which shows little significance towards his allies who accurately says that only the rich could convey such an attitude. Sheen doesn't have the impression or the range as Taylor from the inexperienced novice to grizzled veteran he never sparks any kind of adequacy which makes this movie very distracting.
As times strolls on, Taylor becomes more respected by his troop who ignores the fact that other new recruits won't make it out alive and we grow onto them which is something the audience never really does. The platoon has two superior sergeants who they admire. We have a scar-faced mean-tempered tyrant Barnes (Tom Berenger) and the more level-headed but effective commando Elias (Willem Dafoe). Berenger excels quite well as the brutish leader who seems like he was born into this lifestyle and may not adjust well to civilian life. Both Berenger and Dafoe were nominated for Best Supporting Actors at the Oscars, only to be humbled by Michael Caine for "Hannah and Her Sisters".
Barnes and Elias's friendship falls out when the borderline insane Barnes threaten to kill a Vietnamese lady who may or may not be helping Viet Cong fighters which eventually leads to a divinity within the platoon which Taylor likes to awkwardly describes as a "civil war".
The loose formatting of "Platoon" we see a cornucopia of unrelated occurrences of grunts and the endless chatter about how how long before their tour of duty will come to a conclusion. The movie lures into the daily regiments that the soldiers go through in their endless quest for survival. The battles with the enemy is illustrated with realism along with the constant reminder that heroism or death are the only options in this war. The physical and psychological wounds is vintage in terms of storytelling. But Stone's choice of music is highly questionable. The "Adagio of Strings" song feels out of place and it more or less hinders the scenes as opposed to contemplating them.
The narration by is seen from Taylor's letters to his grans must've been giddy over his cheery sentiments about if his sanity is in tact or his doubts of making it in his war. His diary looks like it was written by a Junior High student coping with anxieties rather than a man in the middle of what is threshold of hell. Elias' death tends to be vastly overplayed loosely inspired by the 1968 picture of the soldier aiding a helicopter to the ground which runs its welcome.
The strong points in "Platoon" that's handled well is the stress of these average soldiers face when heading to the front line. The Viet Cong are depicted as semi invisible ghosts using their mind games to inject fear is handled very convincingly. So when the scene where the platoon invades a village and destroys it an annihilates the people serves a purpose. In the midst of battle, we see the fear, the pressure and the determination in which leads the troop to the brink of madness. It is a reminder to the environment in which these soldiers are facing and is an open invitation of what could happen if we were in their situations.