Member review

The year is 1967. An American platoon of soldiers are sent on various missions to eliminate the Viet-Cong within the vast jungle. Among those soldiers is a Vietnam newbie "Chris" played by Charlie Sheen. Chris has to deal with the horror of war, trying to keep himself sane and above all else, staying alive. Within the jungle, being shot is seen as something somewhat of a ticket to comfort, whether that be death or a helicopter back to the medical center. Chris finds time within his dangerous schedule to write letters to his Grandma, describing the situation he is in, how the men of his platoon treat him and how much he regrets joining the Military. He finds himself in a bit of a tough situation when descending upon a town of Vietnamese villagers where him and his men are ordered to search for weapons and potential dangers to the Americans. Chris discovers a whole new, darker side to himself when his colleagues are brutally murdering innocent village dwellers, including a disabled man that was unable to respond to the threats. Danger looms as there is word of a massive attack from the Viet-Cong..and he is put on the front line.

"Platoon" deals with many issues within it's 115 mins of pure carnage. Some of these include the disturbing effects war can have on the mind, the darker side of humanity, friendship, leadership, emotional blackmail and trying to fit in with the crowd. Oliver Stone does not hesitate to show the mistakes America had made within the American war on Vietnam, and did also not hesitate to show the true horror of war.