Hard to watch, but important and truthful

Rating: 10/10 (28 May 2000)

"Platoon" is one of the most realistic war movies ever made. It deals with the fact that while Americans were fighting in Vietnam, horrible war crimes were commited. In this movie, the main character is Chris Taylor, played by Charlie Sheen, a man who volunteered for Vietnam out of a sense of duty to his country. His grandfather fought in the first world war, and his father in the second. He felt it was also his duty to carry on the tradition. Taylor arrives in country with only a few other new recruits posted in his platoon. Everyone expects him to know what to do and how to do it. When the platoon is stationed on "ambush" in the jungle, they are the ones ambushed, by the Vietcong. The ambush is unfairly blamed on Taylor, by people saying that it was his fault for sleeping. In fact, his shift was over, and another soldier fell asleep on the job. From there on, things get worse, and the platoon ends up burning a suspected Vietcong refuge village to the ground. Sergeant Barnes shoots an old woman and is about to murder a child, when Sergeant Elias stops him. Looting, rape, murder, and arson are all comitted by Americans in that village alone. It is difficult to watch and you begin no to feel as much sympathy towards the Americans. War is bad. Plain and simple, and should be avoided at all costs. Especially a different country's civil war, such as Vietnam.