Emotionally engaging.

Rating: 7/10 (24 February 2009)

The craziness and ugliness of war is told with such realism, grit and deeply disturbing moments that Platoon must be appreciated for its emotional engagement. The destruction of war on the human spirit and soul is deeply haunting.
Platoon is not an easy watch, and I was left emotionally drained by the experience. This is testament to Oliver Stone and his screenplay, which evokes raw emotion and a tense, alien environment through the cinematography.
Dafoe and Berenger are the most celebrated actors in Platoon, and that is how it should be. There characters do have more depth than the others of the platoon but they are both exceptional and draw you into their characters mindset. Although Sheen is very good as Chris Taylor, I did not feel that he was cast correctly. I understand that Taylor is an educated and affluent young-man but I felt he was a little too fresh faced, and rather unfitting for the role. I never succeeded in believing in his reasoning to join the forces.
I felt at times that the 'Adagio for Strings' was overplayed, if left to certain moments it would of been more poignant and powerful. The best moment was when Taylor joined Dafoe and his men for a night of relaxation to the music of 'Tracks of my Tears' singing/dancing away, it is so well-done that you are enraptured and share their moment of peace and happiness.
Platoon is one of the most poignant war films I have ever seen. Platoon is shocking and hard to watch, but tells one much about the sheer ugliness of the human soul when confronted with such pitiful and dire circumstances.