OK - I had never seen this one, and it won best picture and director (Oliver Stone) in 1987. It stars Charlie Sheen! The time felt right and I popped it in.
I was not that impressed. Oliver Stone wrote it, and he's pretty fond of heavy handed drama. This one has trite dialog and a Vietnam-plot that I believe I first saw on Magnum P.I. I recently saw it on a Law & Order episode. It's the story about how war attracts people who like to kill and messes with the other guys so much that they end up liking to kill as well. Then that group ends up in a village and starts killing locals. These soldiers are animals, and Platoon makes the point with just a bit too much force for me. Like I was hit over the head with a club. Most characters are easily identified as pure evil or pure good, with the rest too scared to make a noise about it. The script even tells you who the good guys are by calling them water-walkers. They must be killed. Which brings me to another problem. This was an incredibly predictable movie.
The best part is watching all the actors. There are non-stop famous faces here, and it's fun to watch. Johnny Depp is in it, but I missed him. Willem Dafoe is fantastic; probably my favorite performance of his. Charlie is mediocre. I would pass on this one. What's a good war movie? Bridge Over the River Kwai. Das Boot. Try those.
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