Pluton

Oliver Stone is not necessarily my favorite creator, but I have to say that I do like similar war movies. Showing what war is, what madness it actually represents. And here, it was achieved so perfectly in a few scenes, as if other creators couldn't achieve it throughout the whole movie. For me, the film doesn't reach the quality of "Full Metal Jacket" or "Apocalypse Now", but it definitely belongs to the best that war movies have given us. (18.01.2016)

The best war film from Vietnam that leaves an ultradeep impact. Stone's idea to create a drama of an individual against the backdrop of a fanatical commander and a guy with a good heart is simple yet brilliant. Thanks to the atmosphere and gripping direction, I became Taylor and at the end, I wondered if I would pull the trigger. (21.01.2006)

Maybe not as hypnotizing as Apocalypse Now, but still very good. Stone decided to have a crack at the much filmed Vietnam war and built this story about a new recruit (the excellent Charlie Sheen) who arrives in that hellhole, full of idealism. What Platoon stands on are breathtaking shots, first-rate action and acting performances of all those involved. Not just Sheen, but also the excellent Willem Dafoe deserves a special mention and also the slightly twisted Tom Berenger. We even get a brief glimpse of Johnny Depp in one of his first parts, so keep your eyes peeled. (20.08.2009)

Oliver Stone experienced Vietnam first-hand, and thanks to him, so does everyone now who watches Platoon and is open minded enough to listen carefully. An endless and incomprehensible struggle with oneself, a terrifying confrontation with the flip side of humanity, which becomes as irrelevant as life itself in a place where life seemingly has no value. On one side is Willem Dafoe trying to remain human in an inhuman hell, on the other is Tom Berenger, a heartless beast in the service of life's only certainty – death – and  in between, newcomer Charlie Sheen, as well as the viewer, frightened and astonished by the conditions within a divided military unit. The reeds are just a backdrop, a necessary physical manifestation of pervasive fear, hopelessness and a sense of infinite guilt. What the music does in this film is similar to the lion's share of the long dialogues in Quentin Tarantino's films – the atmosphere engulfs you from the first seconds, and when the visual wizard Richardson is actively involved, we are in for two hours of realistic filmmaking mastery. Together with Apocalypse Now, the best and most philosophically rich war opus... (21.04.2011)

I saw Platoon for the first time during its premiere back in the late 80s during totalitarianism. Oliver Stone, known as a left-wing activist and anti-war advocate, was considered to be the guarantor of the film's ideological independence, so the otherwise vigilant censorship slept on this occasion, and perhaps it was even intentionally done by the translator, who was pushing the boundaries of what was possible during perestroika. In the middle of the screening of an otherwise serious war drama, the deafening laughter of the audience began to echo through the hall. This happened because of the memorable line after the seizure of an abandoned Vietnamese bunker when an American marine reports: "There's nothing here, just four Czechoslovak machine guns." Today, it sounds like a banality, but back then, the fact that, per capita and in terms of GDP, Czechs belonged to the largest producers and exporters of weapons was a strict social taboo. Stone had only a short but personal experience with the Vietnam conflict, and unlike his colleagues, he artistically restrained himself and aimed to present the most authentic account of the Vietnam conflict. He had his acting team run around a tropical jungle on a Pacific island for three weeks, under the guidance of a Vietnam War veteran, who also had a small role in the film. Stone was striving for the maximum depiction of the conflict and, within this effort, he downplayed the main significance of this character. Although the idealistic newcomer goes through a baptism of fire and matures over time spent with the unit, the real collective hero becomes his platoon. The darker dimension is represented by Sergeant Barnes, a skilled warrior, and his patriotic humanistic counterpart, Sergeant Elias. The film does not have a linear narrative; it is divided into several war episodes with combat engagements and marches. Stone alternates the pace, slow and strenuous movements, and stressful patrols in the middle of the nocturnal jungle, which instantly turns into a bloody night battle. Stone shows how thin the line between heroism and war crimes can be, how ideals fall apart in an intense atmosphere, and how easily a drug epidemic spreads. For me, it is one of the best war films that I am always happy to revisit. Overall impression: 95%. (16.11.2014)