Platoon

Maybe not as hypnotizing as Apocalypse Now, but still very good. Stone decided to have a crack at the much filmed Vietnam war and built this story about a new recruit (the excellent Charlie Sheen) who arrives in that hellhole, full of idealism. What Platoon stands on are breathtaking shots, first-rate action and acting performances of all those involved. Not just Sheen, but also the excellent Willem Dafoe deserves a special mention and also the slightly twisted Tom Berenger. We even get a brief glimpse of Johnny Depp in one of his first parts, so keep your eyes peeled. (08/19/2009)

The best war film from Vietnam that leaves an ultradeep impact. Stone's idea to create a drama of an individual against the backdrop of a fanatical commander and a guy with a good heart is simple yet brilliant. Thanks to the atmosphere and gripping direction, I became Taylor and at the end, I wondered if I would pull the trigger. (01/21/2006)

Oliver Stone isn't exactly one of my favorite filmmakers, but I have to say, I do enjoy similar war films. To show what war really is, what madness it actually represents. And here it was achieved so perfectly in just a few scenes, as if other filmmakers hadn't managed it throughout an entire movie. For me, the film doesn't reach the quality of Full Metal Jacket or Apocalypse Now, but it certainly belongs among the very best that war cinema has given us. (01/18/2016)

Oliver Stone experienced Vietnam first-hand, and thanks to him, so does everyone now who watches Platoon and is open minded enough to listen carefully. An endless and incomprehensible struggle with oneself, a terrifying confrontation with the flip side of humanity, which becomes as irrelevant as life itself in a place where life seemingly has no value. On one side is Willem Dafoe trying to remain human in an inhuman hell, on the other is Tom Berenger, a heartless beast in the service of life's only certainty – death – and  in between, newcomer Charlie Sheen, as well as the viewer, frightened and astonished by the conditions within a divided military unit. The reeds are just a backdrop, a necessary physical manifestation of pervasive fear, hopelessness and a sense of infinite guilt. What the music does in this film is similar to the lion's share of the long dialogues in Quentin Tarantino's films – the atmosphere engulfs you from the first seconds, and when the visual wizard Richardson is actively involved, we are in for two hours of realistic filmmaking mastery. Together with Apocalypse Now, the best and most philosophically rich war opus... (04/21/2011)

*An absolutely gripping film that focuses more on the internal conflicts within a single platoon than on the Vietnam War itself. Oliver Stone, drawing from his personal experiences in Vietnam, offers no Hollywood heroics. Instead, he exposes the raw, brutal reality of war in all its horror. The film is saturated with a sense of despair, fear, and madness that will consume you. The scene where the platoon ravages a Vietnamese village is especially harrowing and emotionally draining. Chris's internal monologue captures the chaos perfectly: "Day by day, I struggle to maintain not only my strength but my sanity. It's all a blur. I don't know what's right and what's wrong anymore..." The film boasts a stellar cast, many of whom went on to become major stars, like Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, and Forest Whitaker. Willem Dafoe's portrayal of Sgt. Elias left a particularly strong impression on me. My favorite scene is the one where Sgt. Elias, after being shot multiple times, desperately runs from a swarm of Viet Cong, refusing to give up. It's an incredibly powerful moment. I rank Platoon as my second favorite war film, right after Apocalypse Now. (05/20/2018)