Platoon (1986)
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Directed by: Oliver Stone
Starring: Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Forest Whitaker
Platoon ranked # 83 on the American Film Institute's Top 100 American Films list.
Platoon is a 1986 Vietnam war film, written and directed by Oliver Stone and starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe. The story is loosely based on Stone's experiences as an Army combat infantryman in Vietnam, and was written by him upon his return as a counter to the vision of the war portrayed in John Wayne's The Green Berets.
Critics both praised and criticized Platoon for its uncompromising presentation of the brutal violence seen in the war and moral ambiguity created by the realities of guerilla war, when unit leaders have to make a choice between saving the lives of their own men and taking those of suspected guerilla sympathizers.
Platoon, while not the first film about the USA's involvement in the Vietnam Conflict, was probably the first to devote its entire storyline to the effect of the war on the common soldier. Chris Taylor arrives in Vietnam with a patriotic sense of serving his country but quickly becomes disillusioned when he sees fellow soldiers being brutally killed, how dangerous patrol missions are, the elusiveness of the Viet Cong and witnessing Barnes' deplorable behavior.
Platoon's release was timely; during the mid-80s there was a softening of attitudes towards Vietnam veterans that had taken over ten years since the war had officially ended in 1973 with the pullout of the last American soldiers. Perhaps sparked by the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, in 1982, Hollywood suddenly saw a small surge in films related to the war. Platoon is generally considered to be the most famous.
Winner of the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound.
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