Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe

A young recruit in Vietnam faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.

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91% liked it

210,156 ratings

Critics

85% liked it

41 critics

R, 120

Directed by: Oliver Stone

Release Date: December 24, 1986

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DVD Release Date: December 9, 1997

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Stats: 10,798 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (10,798)


  • October 17, 2009
    I remember the first couple of times I ever saw this movie, I hated the damn thing. Maybe I just didn't understand the whole premise at the time, but after watching it again I have to say that this is an absolute classic. The cast is excellent, especially with Tom Berringer and W...( read more)illem Defoe, who you know is going to give 100% in a rol no matter what. Charlie Sheen is also really good as a young recruit who has to struggle to choose a proper moral ground between two completely different Sergeants with completely different views of how things should go in the anything-goes battleground of Vietnam. Not the greatest war movie of all-time, but at least it's not just a film of constant war scenes with shit blowing up.
  • September 17, 2009
    This is a great insight into the lives of the American soldiers serving during the Vietnam war. Oliver Stone was himself a soldiers serving in Vietnam, so you know that most of what you're seeing is authentic. Unfortunately for the very same reasons, I believe there is a lot he's...( read more) left out. It's not my favourite war film but it is entertaining.
  • March 13, 2009
    Between 1986 and 1987 three major films were released about the Vietnam War: Hamburger Hill, Full Metal Jacket, and Platoon. All were haunting, depressing films that finally gave the audience a feeling of what that war really was about. Platoon was probably the most celebrated of...( read more) this trio. The film follows Pvt. Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) and his tour in Vietnam. The Platoon he's assigned to is separated into two factions, one led by the sadistic Sgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger) and the down to earth Sgt. Elias (Willem Dafoe). As the film progresses the rivalry builds up until it finally explodes.

    Platoon is probably one of the finest acted war films ever. Director Oliver Stone had the actors go through their own basic training before shooting the film and it helped them develop what amounts to their exhaustion that all of them feel in this film. They drag you to hell with them as they travel further and further toward death. A finely acted film.

    What sets Platoon above other Vietnam war films is how personal it is. Oliver Stone wrote this film as a semi-autobiographical rebuttal to John Wayne's The Green Berets back in the mid 1970's. Stone nursed this film for a decade and his personal association with it shows on screen. What Stone shows the audience is the ideals that numerous young men went to Southeast Asia with and how all of that was flushed down the toilet as these men never knew who the enemy really was. Platoon is a chronicle of how wars with no real purpose never accomplish anything but mindless lunacy.
  • December 28, 2008
    A brilliant study of the depths of depravity to which it is so easy for humans to descend. Acting was superb all around, mostly at least. Some clichés moments and the final monologue seemed like dross. The black&white fade 10mins earlier was beautiful. Unfortunately, as with all...( read more) war films, I have trouble distinguishing each separate character, they tend to blend.
  • August 29, 2008
    Director, Oliver Stone's finest work. A masterpiece. It stands as one of the greastest and most unforgettable portraits of war ever produced. Delivers with explosive and exciting battle sequences. A incrediable powerful movie. It's as thrilling as it is exhilerating. Riveting and...( read more) electrifying. Stunning, haunting, gripping and breathtaking. Staggering, outstanding, engaging and astonishing. An excellent movie in every way. Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen are teriffic. Giving perormances that will be remembered for years.
  • November 20, 2009
    It has nowhere near the amount of emotion or depth of Apocalypse Now or Full Metal Jacket, but it is a decent war movie. There are a lot of well composed action sequences and decent acting, it's just a little to bloated for my taste. It doesn't handle the multi-story aspect well ...( read more)and there is very little convincing character development.
  • November 18, 2009
    always wanted to see it
  • November 17, 2009
    A hauntingly beautiful masterpiece.
  • November 16, 2009
    Best Directing 1986 - Best Sound editing 1986 - Best Film Editing 1986
  • November 13, 2009
    "I think now, looking back, we did not fight the enemy, we fought ourselves and the enemy was in us."

    Great take on the Vietnam War with a great cast.

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A film that says...that before you can make any vast, sweeping statements about Vietnam, you have to begin by understanding the bottom line, which is that a lot of people went over there and got kille... full review

View more Platoon reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • maddox9
    February 16, 2009
    Does anyone know what happened to Reggie Johnson the actor who played Junior in the film? He seems to have vanished from TV and cinema screens after 1988.
  • svgjen
    April 13, 2008
    Funny someone should mention Johnny Depp. I first saw this movie YEARS ago and only watched it again recently after buying it. The only scene I remembered in the movie is the one where Johnny Depp is carrying the child. That image haunted me for years. This movie exemplifies how ordinary men can lose their humanity when they are placed in situations no men should ever have to experience.
  • pavacri23
    February 23, 2008
    i had to watch this movie obligate in my history class
  • blacksnake2
    February 19, 2008
    SUX!
  • dray5032
    March 20, 2007
    Platoon is by far the greatest movie in the world. It tells the story of a man going into Vietnam. It tells the truth, it brings forth the real horror of the war and what our boys really went through. It also shows that they not only fought the Vietnamese, but themselves. Willem Dafoe is the greatest actor ever and Tom Berenger is amazing in this movie. They really make this movie. It is my favorite movie, and I hope that everyone that reads this goes out and watches this movie, and I hope that it gets more recognition than it has.
  • bluehawk2008
    March 17, 2007
    Johnny Depp shouldn't even be mentioned on the starring cast, in the final cut he has maybe 3 lines.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Platoon Trivia


  • which actor played the main character,chris taylor, in the movie platoon  Answer »
  • Keanu Reeves was offered a role in Platoon but turned it down?  Answer »
  • What film has this cast: Tom Berenger , William Defoe, Charlie Sheen, Forest Whittaker, Francesco Quinn, John C Mc Ginley, Kevin Dillion, Johnny Depp ,Tony Todd ?  Answer »
  • johnny depp had a small cameo in platoon.  Answer »

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