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PLATOON
(directed by Oliver Stone, 1986)
I just watched Platoon -- first time in my life. Out of all of the war movies I have ever seen (which is not many), Platoon is now my favorite. I tell ya, I was skeptical that it would even do anything for me, but I knew right away that it was going to do plenty. This was not the best experience I've ever had with a movie, but it certainly took me to a whole new level. I thought Platoon was deeply poetic, very intense and very brilliant.
I haven't seen many Oliver Stone movies, either, and I always sort of figured he wasn't for me. World Trade Center and even Natural Born Killers (which I haven't seen in years, though) did nothing for me. But his Platoon is beautiful. Charlie Sheen was beautiful and definitely monumental in this film. The tiger blood was pumping at full force. Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, John C. McGinley, Forest Whitaker and several other guys whose names I'm not sure of were also memorable and powerful.
The movie concerns a bunch of young guys in the Vietnam war in 1968. It is not really plot heavy, it is just various experiences that these guys have as they travel about Vietnam, dealing with war, death, fighting, corpses, the Vietnamese people, bugs, bossy sergeants, you name it. Charlie Sheen plays a more sensitive soldier, but he soon unleashes that tiger blood.
Although my mind may have wandered during some less intense moments, I am ecstatic to say that for the most part, Platoon is not boring. Platoon kicked ass and delivered many powerful moments that will rock your emotions. You get to see anger here like nothing else. You see savagery, cruelty, dominance, hate, frustration, annoyance and people who think they're Gods. You also see a lot of love and spiritual kinship.
Platoon speeds by at a reasonable two hours -- Thank God it's not some longass three hour movie or something. Although, I bet it still could have been good at that length. So, get yourself in your foxhole, turn off your walkie talkie, throw a grenade at your kids or whoever might interrupt you and turn on Platoon -- THAT'S AN ORDER!
(directed by Oliver Stone, 1986)
I just watched Platoon -- first time in my life. Out of all of the war movies I have ever seen (which is not many), Platoon is now my favorite. I tell ya, I was skeptical that it would even do anything for me, but I knew right away that it was going to do plenty. This was not the best experience I've ever had with a movie, but it certainly took me to a whole new level. I thought Platoon was deeply poetic, very intense and very brilliant.
I haven't seen many Oliver Stone movies, either, and I always sort of figured he wasn't for me. World Trade Center and even Natural Born Killers (which I haven't seen in years, though) did nothing for me. But his Platoon is beautiful. Charlie Sheen was beautiful and definitely monumental in this film. The tiger blood was pumping at full force. Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, John C. McGinley, Forest Whitaker and several other guys whose names I'm not sure of were also memorable and powerful.
The movie concerns a bunch of young guys in the Vietnam war in 1968. It is not really plot heavy, it is just various experiences that these guys have as they travel about Vietnam, dealing with war, death, fighting, corpses, the Vietnamese people, bugs, bossy sergeants, you name it. Charlie Sheen plays a more sensitive soldier, but he soon unleashes that tiger blood.
Although my mind may have wandered during some less intense moments, I am ecstatic to say that for the most part, Platoon is not boring. Platoon kicked ass and delivered many powerful moments that will rock your emotions. You get to see anger here like nothing else. You see savagery, cruelty, dominance, hate, frustration, annoyance and people who think they're Gods. You also see a lot of love and spiritual kinship.
Platoon speeds by at a reasonable two hours -- Thank God it's not some longass three hour movie or something. Although, I bet it still could have been good at that length. So, get yourself in your foxhole, turn off your walkie talkie, throw a grenade at your kids or whoever might interrupt you and turn on Platoon -- THAT'S AN ORDER!