A Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (16 September 2003)

My Rating: **** out of ****.
Out of the Vietnam War films I have seen, Platoon is definitely the best. It is also the best film I have seen yet from Oliver Stone. If I had to describe Platoon I would say it is a gut-wrenching experience. The film realistically shows a platoon of men with their deadly battles against the enemy and themselves during the War.
Acting is a big strength in a film. Charlie Sheen is quite believable here as Chris Taylor. Tom Berenger is perfect as the tough-ass Sergeant Barnes. Willem Defoe is also great as Colonel Elias (I think he is a colonel), who is much more understanding than Barnes. Everyone else is quite memorable too.
The Cinematography is quite stunning in Platoon, probably the best cinematography I have seen in a war film. Stone's direction is perfect. A rarity in war films is a really well-written script, Platoon is extremely well-written. If you watch you will notice some disturbing scenes that were quite effective to me (The Village Scene). These scenes represent the absolute horror of what we do to the innocent in war. Although, Platoon's score is not original (It was in The Elephant Man, 6 years earlier) it is effective, it illustrates the tragedy of war effectively. Platoon is a masterpiece that will stay with you for awhile.