I do not agree...

Rating: 5/10 (22 September 2006)

...with the majority of people commenting on this film. It is described by many as:

one of the best (if not the best) film on war ever made,

better than Apocalypse Now

For the first point, I am pretty sure than a lot of better things have been done on war; for the second point, I am on the edge of crying when thinking that some people dare compare it to Apocalypse Now !...
But let's not start a flame war. To comment on it, first the director could have made more of some parts of the movie. The tensions between the members of the platoon could have been exploited much better. The main character (Taylor) could have used a far sharper depiction. The war scenes are better, quite realistic. But the scenes describing the "abuses of war" seemed really gratuitous.
The acting is good. I really liked some of the second parts (Keith David for example). But the main ones deserve little praise. I am pretty sure that Charlie Sheen had the leading part on the only basis of his being the descendant of the much more convincing leading actor of Apocalypse Now. Even the use of him as the voice off smells like a "réchauffé" of Coppola's masterpiece. Dafoe is not very convincing, which is all the more regrettable that his part was important in the "propos" of the film.
Concerning the sound track, I will only say that it is typically Hollywoodian.
I was maybe a little severe due to my expectations, since I had read some of the comments on IMDb before watching it. I should maybe replace it in the context of the time when it was released (cold war, triumphant Reaganism). I should maybe not try to see it as a film about war in general, but rather on the specific experience of American soldiers in Viet Nâm. But even in this case, my rating would not change by much (well, maybe half a star more).
Once again (don't think I am being partial, but I was really upset by some comments on this matter): it CAN NOT be compared to Apocalypse Now. This latter was raising the Viet Nâm war context up to a more generalist level, allowing a deep introspection in the implications and necessities of "warfare". Nothing in common with the bits of reflection scattered here and there in Platoon.