"Platoon" An Approach to the Vietnam War

Title: "Platoon" An Approach to the Vietnam War
By: Jordan Evans
     Recently in one of my history classes we analyzed and watched the movie, "Platoon" by Oliver Stone. This movie has interested me in many ways from a historical point of view that I would like to give a review on it. You may be wondering what this movie is all about. "Platoon" is a drama war type movie with multiple twists and turns. It deals with the hardships of the Vietnam War.
     Chris Taylor is a young, American who gives up college and volunteers for combat in Vietnam. He discovers that his presence is nonessential, and is considered insignificant to the other soldiers, as he has not fought for as long as the rest of them and felt the effects of combat. Chris has two non-commissioned officers, the ill-tempered and indestructible Staff Sergeant Robert Barnes and the more pleasant and cooperative Sergeant Elias Grodin. A line is drawn between the two NCOs and a number of men in the platoon when an illegal killing occurs during a village raid. As the war continues, Chris himself draws towards psychological meltdown. And as he struggles for survival, he soon realizes he is fighting two battles, the conflict with the enemy and the conflict between the men within his platoon.
     Three characters stood out to me throughout the movie. Actor Tom Berenger, who plays Sergeant Barnes, actor Willem Dafoe, who plays Sergeant Elias, and actor Charlie Sheen, who plays Chris Taylor. All three of these characters played an important role throughout the movie. Barnes represented the evil side of a platoon, Elias represented the good of the platoon, and Taylor represented the mutual character who grows throughout the movie. Each character showed a side of a platoon that many people wouldn't consider. Barnes is the man veteran of the war and doesn't die. The man who doesn't follow the rules of conduct and just gets the job done at all costs. Elias is the man who follows the conduct, and leads his part of the platoon the professional way. He would always sacrifice his life for another, and carry the weight of his squad on his back. Taylor is the innocent, young man who is irrelevant to all the soldiers. He has to earn his way to gain respect and has an inner battle between what is the right thing to do or not.
     Many things occurred in this movie that opened my eyes to the realism of war. First of all, there was a lot of cursing in this movie. The "F Bomb" was dropped multiple times, but it just shows the vulgar of the men, and the stress that they were going through. In one part of the movie, the platoon raided a village in Cambodia, and brought terror to the village. They rounded up the village people like animals, and illegally killed an innocent villager to try to get answers from the leader of the village. Soldiers also raped a woman, and felt like there was nothing wrong with what they were doing. After that scene, I became thoroughly disgusted with the fact that soldiers treated other people so inhumanely. This movie really opens up the eyes to all about war.
     Overall, this movie really opened my eyes to not just the Vietnam War, but wars in general. It displays the harsh conditions of Vietnam, and what the soldiers had to go through. It shows the division between the African American soldier's and white soldier's. It shows the reality of village raids, and how difficult it was during battles because everyone looked so much alike.
       The MPAA rating of this movie is R. I would score this movie as a 5 out of 5. 5 stars compliments the entirety of the film. This movie was very interesting, and anybody who runs across this film should definitely grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy it. This movie is very enjoyable and I advise this movie to all. 
     One main lesson that "Platoon" taught me is that war is no joke. It showed me reality, and how if you are not mentally strong enough you could easily crack upon the pressure, and go insane. Another lesson it taught me is that war is a conflict with the enemy and the conflict between you and your mental.
       Jordan Evans is a junior who attends Sterling High school. He works in a movie theater at Cinemark 16 as an usher. He plays year round soccer and is interested in going to college for soccer. He keeps himself entertained with his blog spot, working out, playing soccer, and hanging out with his friends. He enjoys his life, and just loves everyone.