Movie Review: "Platoon"

Title: "Platoon"
By: Samantha Streahle

We've just viewed the film "Platoon" and this was definitely one of the more intense films I've seen. It depicts the Vietnam War and the soldiers struggles with the war and  themselves. The film focuses on one character in particular, Chris Taylor. He soon finds out whether his decision to volunteer for the war was such a good one or not.

"Platoon" is based off of the events that occurred in the Vietnam War. Chris Taylor, played by Charlie Sheen, is a college student that has decided to drop out and join the war effort. He felt that it was not fair that only the poor had to fight. What seems like a good idea at the time soon turns out to be more than he expected. Being the new kid he feels isolated from the rest of the group. Some of the things he witnesses he will never be able to unsee. Chris confides and highly respects one the men named Elias. He and Barnes always seem to butt heads and it is almost a portrayal of good and evil. This war tests the men and puts them in unimaginable situations.

Charlie Sheen was one of the main characters in this film that I felt did a very good job. You could see his characters growth throughout the film. He first started off as very timid and as he was exposed to more he lost all of his inhibitions. It was clear that he was almost losing his mind at some points. As time went on you could see him maturing and learning to stand up for himself about what he knew was right and what he knew was wrong. The actors who played Barnes and Elias also did a good job. They were almost symbols of good and evil.

This film had it's positives and negatives. It accurately depicted things that really occurred during the war no matter how harsh they were, The movie was very realistic. Some of the scenes were very graphic and it was hard to watch. The scene where they went into the village and completely destroyed it was one of the hardest. Watching them kill the people and do awful things to them was not easy. Whether they were helping the enemy or not they were still human and it did not make it right.

This movie showed that you really need inner-strength to be able to do these things. Being involved in this really changes you as a person. It also taught that you have to stand up for yourself and what you know is right. The character Chris was able to mature and find this out throughout the film.

I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in the Vietnam War. It gave a lot of insight to what really happened during the war and some things that might not have been shown to the public. I would forewarn people before watching that the movie can get very intense. The rating of the movie is R.

4 out of 5 stars