oddbodd
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PlatoonThe Vietnam war was arguably one of the most pointless wars in which the USA ever became involved. Said to be an attempt to halt the spread of communism, all it achieved was around 1,500,000 military deaths and up to 4,000,000 civilian deaths, as well as leaving an entire generation of Americans disillusioned at its government and at war in general.
As such, any film about this war cannot glorify it. Much is said on this side of the Atlantic of Hollywood's insistence that the USA won World War II, but such dramatic licence cannot be granted in this case. Oliver Stone, himself a Vietnam veteran, knows this, and it shows in this film.
The film is based around Charlie Sheen's character, a young man who drops out of his schooling to go and fight for his country, unaware of what he will eventually face - poor living conditions become unimportant as his colleagues are killed in action, his superiors turn against one another for the sake of personal vendettas, and he witnesses terrible attrocities against innocent Vietnamese with no political agenda.
It is very well written and acted. As mentioned Oliver Stone was a Vietnam veteran, and to aid method acting on a grand scale, the actors - who included Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, Forest Whittaker and Tom Berenger, were treat like soldiers for a time before filming, with similar physical training schedules and cold meals that would have been served to the actual soldiers.
The film paints a stark picture of the horrors of this war, for a generation who have not been able to witness war or loss of life on such a scale. The war in Iraq is not a good thing, if you'll allow such an understatement. But we can at least be grateful that, up to now at least, it has not come close to Vietnam.
Rating out of 5: 
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