Platoon

Platoon is a 1986 war film written and directed by Oliver Stone. The film is loosely based on Oliver Stone's experiences in Vietnam. The film stars Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, Keith David, Forest Whitaker and a young Johnny Depp.

Plot
Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) goes through multiple experiences in the Vietnam War including the burning of a village, learns about the harsh reality of war, makes a ton of friends with other soldiers including Elias Grodin (Willem Dafoe) and follows orders from Sergeant Bob Barnes (Tom Berenger) until he finds out that Barnes left Elias behind in the jungle and have him be killed by NVA soldiers.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Well written story.
 * 2) Nice re-enactment scenes of the Vietnam War.
 * 3) Great characters.
 * 4) Well composed dramatic music (especially Adagio for Strings).
 * 5) The costumes are authentic.
 * 6) Amazing acting especially by Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger

Reception
Platoon was released on December 19, 1986 with positive reviews from critics and audiences. The film currently holds an 88% "Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with a critic consensus stating "Informed by director Oliver Stone's personal experiences in Vietnam, Platoon forgoes easy sermonizing in favor of a harrowing, ground-level view of war, bolstered by no-holds-barred performances from Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe." Film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert awarded the film with a "two thumbs up" and both awarded the film four star reviews. Roger named Platoon his best film of 1986 while Gene named Hannah and her Sisters his best film of that same year.

Box Office
Platoon grossed $241,080 on its limited opening weekend of December 19, 1986. On its wide release of February 6, 1987, it opened up at #1 making a domestic gross of $8,179,149. The film later made a total domestic gross of $138,530,565. The film made $66,469,440 internationally. Overall, Platoon made a worldwide gross of $204,999,993 against its $6 million budget.

Awards and nominations
Platoon was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Sound Mixing, Best Editing and Best Director.

Trivia

 * Oliver Stone actually served in the Vietnam War from September 1967 to April 1968.
 * When the film was released, it was banned in Vietnam.
 * Oliver Stone makes a cameo as a soldier in the film.

Videos
>fOijaZZCeXg