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#232 - Platoon
Oliver Stone, 1986
Focuses on a platoon of United States Marines during the Vietnam War.
Coming to Platoon after a number of other Vietnam War did make it seem a little underwhelming. I can understand it not comparing it to the hyperrealistic allegory of Apocalypse Now or the examination of the war's effects on home life for both returning soldiers and their loved ones that was The Deer Hunter, but another film about a squad of relatively fresh soldiers trying their best to survive? Of course I was going to compare it to Full Metal Jacket at first, so that dampened my initial expectations quite a bit. Fortunately, Platoon is good enough in its own right that I definitely respect it as a film and seem to appreciate it more and more with each new viewing.
The film follows, well, a platoon of soldiers as they go through a number of misadventures as part and parcel of being just one unit in the war against the North Vietnamese. Though there is the always-looming threat of enemy soldiers, most of the film's conflict ends up being between the members of the platoon themselves as the wildly different personalities gravitate towards one of two leaders of the platoon. One half of the team sides with drugged-up idealist Elias (Willem Dafoe), while the other half sides with the incredibly harsh Barnes (Tom Berenger), and the pair's constant clashing of ideologies is put to the test during various horrific scenarios. Caught in the middle is Taylor (Charlie Sheen), a new recruit and the film's ostensible protagonist, here providing a shocked perspective into the rest of the film. The rest of the platoon consists of a mixture of characters that, admittedly, I still have a bit of trouble telling apart save for the more recognisable ones such as Forest Whitaker, Keith David, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, and so forth. I almost have to wonder if not always being able to differentiate between much of the supporting cast is a point in this film's favour or not - of course, not fully comprehending that implies that I have a lesser understanding of the film, but also it doesn't seem all that relevant in the grander scheme of things.
Being rooted in Stone's own experiences as a soldier during the Vietnam War, Platoon translates that same perspective to film with considerable aplomb. Off-duty scenes are deliberately slow-paced and give off a sense of boredom without actually being boring, while scenes involving actual combat and violence are tense and fragmented (almost to a fault, as the perhaps intentionally disorienting finale shows). Performances are strong, no matter their relevance to the plot - Sheen gives us an appropriately wounded and multi-layered protagonist, while Berenger and Dafoe both duke it out for the best performance in the film as extreme opposites whose every scene, whether together or apart, is great. The film may overdo its usage of "Adagio for Strings", but it's a powerful piece of music that earns its right to repetition. Basically, it's still a good movie and a Best Picture winner I have no real issue with, and I should probably go and get myself a copy now.
Oliver Stone, 1986
Focuses on a platoon of United States Marines during the Vietnam War.
Coming to Platoon after a number of other Vietnam War did make it seem a little underwhelming. I can understand it not comparing it to the hyperrealistic allegory of Apocalypse Now or the examination of the war's effects on home life for both returning soldiers and their loved ones that was The Deer Hunter, but another film about a squad of relatively fresh soldiers trying their best to survive? Of course I was going to compare it to Full Metal Jacket at first, so that dampened my initial expectations quite a bit. Fortunately, Platoon is good enough in its own right that I definitely respect it as a film and seem to appreciate it more and more with each new viewing.
The film follows, well, a platoon of soldiers as they go through a number of misadventures as part and parcel of being just one unit in the war against the North Vietnamese. Though there is the always-looming threat of enemy soldiers, most of the film's conflict ends up being between the members of the platoon themselves as the wildly different personalities gravitate towards one of two leaders of the platoon. One half of the team sides with drugged-up idealist Elias (Willem Dafoe), while the other half sides with the incredibly harsh Barnes (Tom Berenger), and the pair's constant clashing of ideologies is put to the test during various horrific scenarios. Caught in the middle is Taylor (Charlie Sheen), a new recruit and the film's ostensible protagonist, here providing a shocked perspective into the rest of the film. The rest of the platoon consists of a mixture of characters that, admittedly, I still have a bit of trouble telling apart save for the more recognisable ones such as Forest Whitaker, Keith David, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, and so forth. I almost have to wonder if not always being able to differentiate between much of the supporting cast is a point in this film's favour or not - of course, not fully comprehending that implies that I have a lesser understanding of the film, but also it doesn't seem all that relevant in the grander scheme of things.
Being rooted in Stone's own experiences as a soldier during the Vietnam War, Platoon translates that same perspective to film with considerable aplomb. Off-duty scenes are deliberately slow-paced and give off a sense of boredom without actually being boring, while scenes involving actual combat and violence are tense and fragmented (almost to a fault, as the perhaps intentionally disorienting finale shows). Performances are strong, no matter their relevance to the plot - Sheen gives us an appropriately wounded and multi-layered protagonist, while Berenger and Dafoe both duke it out for the best performance in the film as extreme opposites whose every scene, whether together or apart, is great. The film may overdo its usage of "Adagio for Strings", but it's a powerful piece of music that earns its right to repetition. Basically, it's still a good movie and a Best Picture winner I have no real issue with, and I should probably go and get myself a copy now.