Platoon - Directed by Oliver Stone and released in 1986. Approx 120 minutes runtime.

Platoon is one of Oliver Stones classic Vietnam War movies, one which won 4 Oscars and another 18 different awards whilst being nominated for 9 others.

The Cast

Charlie Sheen (Chris)
Johnny Depp (Lerner)
Keith David (King)
Forest Whitaker (Big Harold)
Willem Dafoe (Sgt. Elias)
Tom Berenger (Sgt. Barnes)
John C. McGinley (Sgt. O'Neill)
Francesco Quinn (Rhah)
Kevin Dillon (Bunny)
Reggie Johnson (Junior)
Mark Moses (Lt. Wolfe)
Chris Pedersen (Crawford)


The Story


Chris Taylor (Sheen) is fresh from basic training when he arrives in Vietnam. After dropping out of college to join the infantry he soon realizes that being the new recruit get him little respect from the other more experienced soldiers. He has a lot to learn and it takes some close call's and various enemy ambushes for the rest of the troop to start bonding with him.

Barnes (Tom Berenger) and Elias (Willem Dafoe) are Taylor's two sergeants and they couldn't be two more different characters. Barnes is a tough talking veteran soldiers, who thinks it is right to inflict pain and suffering upon both the enemy and the innocent. Elias on the other hand is, despite also being a veteran soldier, more in touch with reality and the war has not had the effect on him as it has Barnes.

The differences between the two are the cause of a rift in the ranks and results in a power struggle which splits the platoon in two.

My Thoughts

There are enough battle scenes in this film to keep your juices flowing. With both Berenger & Dafoe playing such strong characters you will find yourself admiring both the level headedness of Dafoe and the no-nonsense nature of Berenger.

I enjoyed this film so much I have seen it over 5 times and never get tired of watching it. You can really picture how a new recruit entering a platoon of more experiences men would struggle to cope with the pressure and make mistakes that, in war, could prove costly.


It is easy to see why there were so many American casualties through 'Blue-on-Blue' or 'Friendly Fire' as the camera gets right into the thick of the actions making it feel like you are there watching a magnificent scene evolve in to an enormous fire fight. Sometimes without knowing who is shooting at whom and where your men are on the ground.


Platoon is the first of three Vietnam War movies by Stone, following this were 'Born on the Fourth of July' (starring Tom Cruise and in which Tom Berenger also appeared) and Heaven and Earth. However having seen both of these films I feel neither is as good as Platoon and Stone, who despite having made numerous other hit films since, will struggle to direct a more stunning and impacting film.


This is one film you will not regret buying and one you will not forget in a hurry!