ViewGuide

Created Jan 17, 2009 07:11AM PST • Edited Jan 17, 2009 07:11AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   Brutally violent and engaging, Platoon takes the Vietnam War and centres it around a battle between two men for a new recruit’s soul, utilising setting, a wide range of acting skill and narrative to present war from an ordinary man’s viewpoint.

4. Acting

   Very Good 3.5

   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. Able support comes from Forest Whitaker, John C. McGinley and many others.

5. Male Stars Great 4.0

   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 (Sheen) and his soul, and it certainly appears that way throughout, as the young soldier exhibits behaviour in line with either, 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.

6. Female Stars Very Good 3.5

   None – as with many war movies. Score adjusted.

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

   As female stars above – score adjusted.

8. Male Costars Very Good 3.5

   The supporting cast would appear to many to be quite unbelievably stocked full of skill – Keith David and Forest Whitaker portray two of the more experienced black 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. Johnny Depp is even here – his small role befits his status at the time, and it’s bizarre to see him not only in a small role, but not assing around for once.

10. Film

    Very Good 3.5

    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. Not withstanding this, the action is top-notch, and some of the dialogue will be familiar – this film is more quoted than you would think. However, the repetitive use of Barber’s Adagio for Strings is a little too near overkill.

11. Direction Great 4.0

    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. 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.

12. Play Very Good 3.5

    Some of the lines here are memorable, and the narration is (thankfully) minimal in comparison to other war movies (The Thin Red Line and Apocalypse Now, take note). Berenger’s Barnes and Dafoe’s Elias have some of the more intriguing scenes in which they put across starkly different views on war, and Sheen’s naivety soon changes to hardened, despondent rage – reflected well in his anguished conversations with the other soldiers.

13. Music OK 2.5

    The problem here is, while Adagio for Strings is an amazing piece of music, it is used to the extreme in the movie. There doesn’t appear to be a score, and the first few times at which the piece is played, it resonates. But by the conclusion, it loses its impact upon the viewer. Other, more popular pieces of music appear in the socialising scenes off patrol, and the men’s relaxation is reflected in the use of the songs to good effect.

14. Visuals Great 4.0

    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.

15. Content

16. Edge

    Sordid 2.7

    There is brutal violence on display, alongside much profanity – both reflecting the harsh reality of conflict

17. Sex Innocent 1.0

18. Violence Brutal 3.5

19. Rudeness Profane 3.5

21. Reality

    Natural 1.0

    Based on the experiences of Stone, the film is entirely realistic. Whilst the events are not verbatim of Stone’s, it’s more than understandable that such things happen in war.

22. Circumstantial Natural 1.0

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0