Oliver Stone is a very good director/screenwriter whose material has sort of dropped off. Even though he's been making movies like Alexander recently, he used to be really good. He's written some awesome movies like Scarface and Midnight Express. He's directed a lot of great movies too, like Wall Street and JFK. Platoon is one of his great movies and possibly his best. Platoon takes place in the late 60's during the Vietnam War. The narrator and main character is Chris, played by Charlie Sheen before he became the Charlie Sheen we all know today. Chris is a volunteer soldier who realizes war isn't all it's cracked up to be after he watches his own fellow soldiers murder innocent people. Charlie Sheen is actually terrific here (surprise!). I can safely say he gives the best performance of his career. He really portrays the anguish and fear that his character is feeling. Sheen doesn't give the only good performance though. Platoon is chock full of great acting. Willem Dafoe plays Sgt. Elias, who is one of the few honest and likable characters in the movie. Although, a movie doesn't have to have likable characters to be good, villains are just as fun to watch as the good guys. Dafoe is really good here. I don't know if it's his best performance ever, but he does a great job acting in this movie. Willem Dafoe got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Platoon, and I think he deserved the win. Tom Berenger plays a crazed and scarred Sgt. named Barnes. Berenger is insanely good in his role. He also got an Oscar nod for it. Every scene he's in I was watching intently because of how crazy and intense his performance was. If you hate the rest of the film for some reason, see it at least for Tom Berenger's great performance. One of the best parts of Platoon is Oliver Stone's terrific direction. Stone uses his techniques and camerawork to show the true horrors of war. He captures the actors emotions flawlessly. The Best Director Oscar went to Oliver Stone in 1986 for Platoon and I don't can't argue against it. His direction here is great. The screenplay is also really good. Stone's writing isn't always great and can sometimes get too cheesy, like he did a little in Wall Street. Platoon is one of his much better screenplays. The whole damn movie is good. it's no wonder it won Best Picture. Platoon isn't a pretentious anti-American film. It's a gritty and realistic anti-war film. If you're turned off by war movies or violent movies, see Platoon anyway. Of course it's not a perfect film, but it comes very close. And it sticks in your mind long after you've finished watching it. I highly recommend it. Happy Viewing. You can follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and you can like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies.
No comments:
Post a Comment