Throughout American history, I don't know if we can say that there's been a more controversial war than the one in Vietnam. It was seen by many as brutal, difficult and ultimately useless for the United States of America. Even President John F. Kennedy once stated that the U.S. couldn't win for the simple fact that it wasn't our war. It saw many protestors that ranged from ordinary citizens to public figures like Martin Luther King. Despite this, the war lasted nearly 20 years and claimed countless lives. Director Oliver Stone experienced this war first hand when he served in Vietnam (1967-1968). Stone's experiences during the war influenced his film Platoon, basing some of it on what he saw during his time in the service.
Platoon is set in 1967. Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) decides to drop out of college to join the military at the height of the Vietnam war. After joining up with his platoon, he meets his two leading sergaents, who are polar opposites, as well as many other soldiers in Chris' very same position, most of whom didn't any choice. After beginning his tenure, Chris starts to see how bad and devastating war could be, realizing how naive his own beliefs had been. Platoon takes a look at the men who fought these battles, and some of the events that changed their lives forever.
Some of the most crucial parts of any war film are the battles showcased. In Platoon the battles are hectic and all over the place. During the war, U.S. soldiers never knew when the Viet Cong were coming or where they were coming from, but they were pretty sure there would be a lot of them, and they would soon be out numbered. Stone really tries his best to show the audience how bad it got at times when all hell broke loose in Vietnam. I'm sure that was something he wanted to present accurately, having seen a lot of this stuff first hand.
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