Oliver Stone will never be accused of being too subtle

5/9/13, Platoon -  Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing 1986

I would not say I was a fan or an expert on war movies, but it seems like I have seen quite a few, and definitely have some thoughts. I think if people who make the decision to go to war (civil war, insurgence, invasion) watched any good war movie, they might opt for something less destructive. Okay, I realize that is probably the most naive thing I have ever written, but one can hope. There has been an evolution in war movies, from people being shot, but very little blood ever being shown, or bullet holes,  people dying from imaginary wounds, relying on their acting skills to convey the extent of their wounds to incredibly graphic depictions of the hell that is war, limbs being blown up and mangled, blood pooling out from wounds. The realism or neo-realism (I couldn't tell you the difference, but I think they both apply) has made watching war movies a visceral experience. Platoon is in this latter category; plenty of realistic injuries and language to go around. Oliver Stone and Charlie Sheen team up for the first time here (the second time was in Wall Street). Charlie plays Chris Taylor, a newbie to Vietnam; he's unusual because he voluntarily enlisted. The movie is mainly told from his perspective and experience. Taylor and his platoon are torn between the rivalry of Sergeant Bob Barnes (played maniacally by Tom Berenger in an Oscar-nominated performance) and Sergeant Elias (played by Willem Dafoe also in an Oscar-nominated performance, one might be able to make the observation that his portrayal of Elias presaged his role as Jesus Christ in The Last Temptation of Christ). Barnes and Elias have served in Vietnam longer than the others and have different ways of dealing with the men. I think it would be too simplistic to say Barnes was evil and Elias was good, but there is no question that the two men are antagonists and that their conflicted relationship is critical to the plot. Vietnam was a war unlike previous wars in that it was often very hard to tell who the enemy really was, was it a 12 year old villager, an old farmer or the young man taking care of his grandmother. This uncertainty, the lack of full support of the American public, and the overbearing tropical conditions helped create the chaos and almost Lord of the Flies atmosphere. The battle that takes place at the end of the movie was incredibly powerful and had me wondering who was going to survive. Platoon won for Best Picture in 1986, and when you look at the other nominees (Hannah and Her Sisters, The Mission, Children of a Lesser God, A Room with a View), I think Platoon is so different in its base, tone, characters, I'm not sure how you compare. Oliver Stone also won for Best Director. The nominees for Best Director were almost a one to one match for Best Picture. Stone also inserted himself into the movie as a commander barking orders. Again, if you're the director and writer, you can probably do that, but really, please don't (unless you're Woody Allen). It was nice to see Charlie Sheen acting, although he will never be confused for Christian Bale.