Overwrought but intense

Rating: 7/10 (27 January 2019)

The film does a fairly good job of placing the viewer in the boots of a Vietnam soldier. The battle scenes are all visceral and wouldn't be surpassed in realism until Saving Pvt. Ryan. When the film is showing the foolish of the US military adventurism in South East Asia it is gripping and on point.
However, Stone doesn't trust his story to expound the points he wishes to make. Stone contrives voice over narration, as letters back home to a character we never see, that spoon feeds the viewer the basic story dynamics and central themes. Of course Chris's soul was in a tug of war between Barnes and Elias. I really didn't need that stated. It gives the film an theatrical feel that is at odds with the realism of the rest of text.
Likewise, Stone's flourishes-use of black and white footage, shifting the color palette, having eyes grow red etc.-stand out as too theatrical for the story. It makes the film overwrought which robs it of emotional heft. This film could have been so much more without these problems.