"... we did not fight the enemy; we fought ourselves"

Rating: 9/10 (26 August 2016)

"Platoon" is hardly an obscure movie, and I guess the reason it's taken me so many years to finally see this is - I dunno, you see enough war movies over the years (not to mention having seen "Full Metal Jacket"), how affecting could this actually be? That's a stupid reason, and the joke's on me; "Platoon" is devastating. This is probably as anti-war as they come, and that it's partly somewhat autobiographical just gives it more punch.
I don't think I've ever seen a movie of this type that really emphasizes the dehumanizing effects of war. Charlie Sheen's fall from wide-eyed grace isn't so much heartbreaking as it is tremendously dispiriting. And putting him between two opposing symbols of embittered soldier (Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger) makes for a clever storytelling hook. I really don't want to give away any spoilers, but when one of these lead actors is killed, it is deeply sad.
This one absolutely lives up to the hype.
9/10