Platoon follows the experiences of Chris Taylor (Sheen) as he enlists in the American war effort against the Vietnamese. Entering a conflict already doomed to failure, he soon finds that the two leading officers, Barnes (Berenger) and Elias (Dafoe), have very different points of view on the rules of engagement and the behaviour of their soldiers. Alongside his fellow recruits, Taylor experiences conflict, both inside and outside the platoon.
Berenger and Dafoe Dominate
Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe are outstanding here, with Charlie Sheen taking his father’s role from Apocalypse Now as the audience’s anchoring point. Berenger and Dafoe, as the two officers, Barnes and Elias, present ruthlessness and level-headedness respectively; their two leaders are said to be fighting for Taylor and his soul, and the strength of their performances comes down to their antagonism toward one another.
Berenger is cold, scarred and disturbing to watch, whilst Dafoe acts against type as the laid-back, morally central counter to him. Sheen is good as essentially the new recruit – the audience travels with him whilst he gets adjusted to war, and his move from innocent to ruthless soldier is convincing, a strong performance that keeps the film engaging to watch.
Strong Supporting Cast
Keith David and Forest Whitaker portray two of the more experienced recruits, their welcoming of Sheen’s Taylor and what transpires with each presenting the comradeship ever-present in war. Kevin Dillon and John C. McGinley play two of Barnes’ cohorts, insane and loyal respectively, and dangerous – the two manage to convey the darker side of war.
Like many war movies before it, and especially akin to other Vietnam films, Platoon is not just about war, but about the psychological effects of it. Notwithstanding this, the action is top-notch, and some of the dialogue will be familiar – this film is more quoted than you would think. Oliver Stone based the film on his own experiences and thoughts from a stint in Vietnam, and it’s impressive to behold the ambiguity he presents.
Stone Questions War Effort
Going against the war machine, he presents a starkly different picture than many films do of the American soldiers – some are murdering, raping scum, and some have been turned that way through their experiences of war. His experience of the war is a large part of the success of the film, as it is surely obvious that someone who may not have witnessed such a conflict would not be able to portray it truthfully.
With a war movie, particularly one such as this, the action is brutal, swift and realistic. It’s not beyond Oliver Stone, having experienced war first hand in such conditions, to set the action in the jungles and wilds that the narrative demands, but he excels in showing the tight, uncomfortable confines and the subsequent anarchy as bullets, bombs and fire rain down upon the soldiers. To truly convey war, war must be presented realistically – and as a result, the bloodshed and effects are chillingly realistic.
Justified Classic
All in all, it’s easy to see why the film is such a classic – it doesn’t need to follow the complicated, intricate plots or bloated running times of other war films, because it knows what story to tell and how to tell it effectively and stylishly.
Will Roszczyk - Nearing the conclusion to a Bachelors degree in English, I am a twenty-one year old writer who aims for a career in professional writing, ...
