Stone's War of Attrition on Vietnam

Rating: Null/10 (3 March 2004)

*SPOILERS* -- Just in case :)
Now that nearly 20 years have passed since Platoon's first screening (can you believe it?) it seems more like an 'ok' war movie. "We Were Soldiers" is a much more respectful and accurate portrayal of our troops and the VC of the time (granted, it covers a different time in the war than "Platoon" does; politics & attitudes were vastly different between the two times, as well). Like all Stone films, it must be taken with a dose of salt. Sure there was plenty of chaos encountered by our soldiers (especially what my relatives have explained to me and accounts I've read by respectable individuals who served honorably), however, a unit like Chris's(Charlie Sheen) was simply a work of inspiration and agenda. No I don't know everything so save your breath, but people need to realize that Chris' unit is an art of fiction created to emphasize Stone's agenda with drama. Truly, where would the drama be in this film if there weren't the two polar oposite personalities of Barnes and Elias? Undeniably, the drama is created by their opposing attitudes, those that choose to follow them, and those torn between them.
I cannot think of another war movie that preaches at you like "Platoon". Oliver Stone, who is considerably anti-war-at-all-costs (perhaps more -- heck he's eulogized Castro and Arafat in some recent films at Sundance), served in Vietnam and chose to make a film that consisted of characters comprised of a multitude of personalities/attitudes he came across. And Chris, well, that's Oliver himself (so he says in the commentary). As I said before there was no Barnes or Elias, they were figments of inspiration. Stone, and many Vietnam critics, fail to mention why were really there. It's just the same, "old white men sending young black/underprivileged/poor men to go die for them for no particular reason." Um, let's not forget about communism, and JFK's(our) war against it. I would like to go into further detail to answer some of the uninformed critics on this board, but that's not what this review is about. However, I will say, if any one good thing came from Vietnam, it was the fact that apart from South Vietnam, communism spread no further in Southeast Asia, or the rest of the world for that matter. It also dramatically changed the way the U.S. approached war, used reserves, and used (or have not since used)drafts.
I would recommend seeing "Gardens of Stone" for a balance after seeing Platoon. It deals with the war on the home front and deals with the tough home front issues of that day. Directed by Coppola (not his best but still worth a watch).