This weeks cinematic mission took me back into the jungles of Vietnam, with the likes of Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, and Tom Berenger at my side. Created by Oliver stone in 1986, Platoon is somewhat of an expose on the culture within the units that fought in Vietnam, and how the environment, lack of direction, and violence with the natives caused massive issues for Vietnam GI’s. The story follows Charlie Sheen, who plays a young college student named Chris who enlists in Vietnam to go and fight. Once he is there, he discovers just how sticky the relations are with the local tribes, and the severe disorganization within platoons. Clashing personalities such as the one between Dafoe’s character and the more aggressive  soldier that Berenger portrays.

 

Domestically, the film did a whopping 130 million in sales which puts it near the top of the leader board for 1986.  This film is very significant, in that it addresses the reality of the Vietnam war years after it happened. Contrary to films such as Apocalypse Now, and to my surprise, I felt like Stone did a great job during some scenes in portraying the true chaos that was Vietnam. One scene that stuck out to me very much was this :

 

 

Something about the sincerity and reason within the voice of Sheen is quite haunting. Also, his description of the day-in and day-out activities are actually very accurate based on first hand descriptions from a Vietnam veteran I have interviewed multiple times. Sheen states at the end of this scene, “I dont think I can keep this up for a year Grandma… I think I made a big mistake coming here.” This leaves a very haunting feeling in the head of the watcher. I believe that most critics were right in commending Stone for his realism within this film. Prior to watching, I had done research about how the film had been hailed as very realistic. To me, this meant another attempt at capturing some of the more horrific parts of war which shouldn’t even really be shown on camera. I realize now that Stone probably never thought he could truly capture what war is as a direct account, but he could capture emotion and thought better than had been previously done. This scene was actually really hard for me to watch as it really helps install some despair into the viewer. I do not know exactly how enlistment times worked based on the branch you were in, but I can definitely say that the initial deployment for a US Marine during that time was two years.

When the movie was released, it was hailed for its accuracy and considered to be “The first real war movie about Vietnam” as mentioned in the trailed. An interesting consideration is how these war films affect youth and their enlistment within the armed forces. Ultimately, Tony Grajeda argues in his journal that Platoon was not as accurate as it was said to be upon its release. The accurate portrayals of war in film have a lasting effect on generations and should reflect the true violence and chaos of war instead of glorifying it with bravado and extra explosions. It is an interesting take as movies are very influential in nature, all art can be in a way. However, thinking about this issue specifically, I have to agree and say that war films do have the power to affect recruitment within youth. Does this film encourage or discourage a person to join the military? I believe the answer to that questions is highly subjective and has to do with the background of the viewer and how they perceive the film.  In 1986, the US was already deep into their sticky relations with the middle-east, which would turn into war just a decade later. Specifically, the Iran-Contra affair led to us becoming even more deeply involved, when Reagan tried to do a secret arms deal with Iran. You have to wonder what kind of affect this movie and others like it had on potential recruits for the Gulf and Iraq wars.

Ultimately, Stone does an excellent job with the cinematography, language, and score of the film. The monologues by Sheen come close to breaking the fourth wall although in the specific scene I mentioned above, he is reading a letter he wrote. Stone was able to achieve making the viewer feel as though you are as close to the action as possible, without things getting to strange, as in Apocalypse Now. Like many films in the war genre, you will find ultra-violence, despair, heartbreak, and hopefully your morals will be tested.  Platoon was a successful film, and has some excellent supporting roles and appearances within it, such as Forest Whitakers appearance as Big Harold. You will find that it is one of the more sobering war films you will watch, with an extra amount of detail paid to the psychological state of the troops.