PLATOON

Despite the critical acclaim and the Oscars it received (Best Picture and Best Director) this isn't the best Vietnam film (obviously) but it can claim to offer the best account of what it was like to be an ordinary soldier caught up in the middle of this conflict. 

This is down to the writer and director Oliver Stone being a decorated veteran of the war who wanted to make a film based on his combat experience.

The film is told from the point of view of a newly arrived volunteer, Taylor (played by Charlie Sheen) who clearly represents Stone to some extent.  

The other two main characters are Sergeants Barnes and Elias (Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe respectively).  

Barnes comes across initially as just your bog standard no-nonsense military type who doesn't put up with anything that might be construed as weakness, because when all's said and done  you do need to be tough to survive, but as the film progresses it becomes more and more apparent that he has well and truly lost his moral compass.   

In a pivotal scene in a Vietnamese village Barnes very much crosses a line when he shoots a villager's wife stone dead as part of his interrogation.  

Elias is too late to stop this but intervenes to avert any further bloodshed.  He's determined to testify against Barnes in his forthcoming court martial although it is clear that Barnes' commanding officers aren't as outraged by what happened as Elias is.

But then again Elias comes across as an exceptional person, a courageous and inspiring soldier who has somehow managed to not lose sight of the difference between right and wrong. 

Later on the platoon is ambushed and when Elias becomes separated from the rest when he embarks on a solo mission to help the platoon retreat, Barnes is happy to volunteer to rescue him. 

It's a chilling moment when Barnes locates Elias and cold-bloodedly shoots him and leaves him for dead.  Subsequently Elias, wounded but not dead, is killed by the Vietnamese but not before striking a Christ-like pose which I didn't much care for - it's too over the top for my taste.

By this point Taylor is determined that Barnes should be brought to justice one way or another, and in a final prolonged and horrific battle in which the platoon is overwhelmed Taylor gets to kill Barnes.

Although it's a fine film there were a couple of things that took me out of the film.  One is Taylor's voiceover which isn't Stone's finest bit of writing and which doesn't really add much.

The other is the use of Barber's Adagio on the soundtrack.  Using such a profoundly moving piece of music strikes me as a cheap and lazy way to manipulate the audience's emotions. 

Other than that though it's easy to see why this film is so admired.  

The combat sequences are very well staged, the final battle in particular being a tour-de-force. 

All three of the lead actors deliver fine performances, and this must surely be a career-high for Berenger (who along with Dafoe received an Oscar nomination).

But the real strength of the film is the skilful way in which Stone gets us familiar with many other members of the platoon, from the inexperienced Lieutenant downwards, each of whom gets a little story arc.  John C McGinley in particular plays a memorable character.  Forest Whitaker and Johnny Depp are also among the supporting actors although I can't say I noticed the latter at all. 

RATING: ✓✓ Good Times