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. (2009-08-19)

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. (2006-01-21)

Breathtaking film, which is not so much about the Vietnam War itself, as it is about the war between members of one platoon fighting under the same flag. Oliver Stone is not a Hollywood follower, so do not expect any celebration of heroic Americans fighting against evil communists in Vietnam, quite the opposite. Stone incorporated his personal experiences into the film, experiences he personally felt in Vietnam and shows all the horror of war in all its disgust. The pervasive despair, fear, and madness from the film radiate directly and completely captivate you. Especially the passage where the platoon ravages a Vietnamese village will surely strike you and emotionally drain you. Chris perfectly captures the whole issue of this war in his inner monologue when he says: "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 offers a truly quality array of actors, many of whom have become big stars and joined the acting elite - Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, and Forest Whitaker. Above all, the character of Sgt. Elias, played by Willem Dafoe, left the strongest impression on me. My favorite scene is the one where the repeatedly shot Sgt. Elias desperately flees from a pile of Vietnamese and just can't give up and fall, a truly powerful moment. I rank Platoon second on my personal list of favorite war films right after Apocalypse Now. (2018-05-20)

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. (2016-01-18)

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... (2011-04-21)