This is a "real" film, and its excellent

Rating: 8/10 (24 June 2005)

I don't think I've ever watched a film that depicts a real life situation as good as this. It is a rare film in that it is complete - the acting, music, setting and directing are all superb and create an amazingly realistic atmosphere. From watching this film, you will not only be entertained, but you will learn what life was like during the Vietnam War. In case you haven't already heard, Platoon is a war film that presents us with a day-by-day account of young Charlie Sheen, who is struggling to fit in with a group of soldiers, all much older than him. As you should know, the Vietnam war lasted many years and soon became a problem for the American society when the media found out the truth, and as Walter Kronkite, the news reader said "What the hells going on? I thought we were winning this war!" (Nope, my gcse in history ain't coming out) But this film concentrates on how the soldiers were feeling, and reacting to the war. Oliver Stone who directed this film put the actors through their paces by actually making them survive in real soldier conditions, were they had to dig there own homes, avoid sleeping on watch duty, and much more. It proved a treat as all the acting in this looks as though the war had started again. Normally at this point, I would comment on the films special effects, but I've got a break because this film just uses very realistic warfare weapons to create the big war scenes. You would think this would make it a preety low budget movie, but when you see the attention to detail, it must have a long film to shoot. This is a great film, but not for the faint hearted. As you would expect from a realistic film, there is lots of blood and 'gorey wound' scenes. And again there's a lot of shooting, the saddest part being when the platoon of troops shoot down a group of innocent villagers due to frustration. Overall, this is a great film. Good acting and great surroundings combine with a theme tune that will never escape your head its that sad and catchy, just like the film.