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Charlie Sheen gives his best performance to date, enduring a series of increasingly large-scale and bloody battles which retrospectively make one wonder why Saving Private Ryan was hailed as so new. Against this gruelling verity the film falters over the symbolic conflict between good and evil sergeants played by Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger. Even though this was also based in real life, it strikes a too conventionally Hollywood-like note in a film which otherwise maintains much of the raw power of Stone's other film from 1986, Salvador. Johnny Depp fans should look out for an early appearance by the star. Stone would return to Vietnam with the more sophisticated Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Heaven and Earth (1993).
On the DVD: The 50-minute documentary "Tour of the Inferno" goes beyond the usual "making-of" to present a personal account both of the film and of Stone's own time in Vietnam. Likewise the two audio commentaries--one by Stone, the other by Captain Dale Dye, fellow veteran and military technical advisor--range between the making of the film and the degree to which the actors came to inhabit their parts, to their own wartime experiences. Both commentaries bring a fresh level of appreciation and understanding to the film. Also included is the original trailer and three TV commercials, together with well-presented stills galleries of behind-the-scenes photos and poster art. Following a credit sequence marred by dirt on the print, the anamorphically enhanced 1.77:1 image is sharp and clear. The many night scenes are very dark but remain easily comprehensible. The three-channel Dolby Digital sound is suitably raw and powerful, though an early sequence featuring rain in the jungle suffers from very distracting repeated drop-outs in the left channel. --Gary S Dalkin
Winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture, and based on the first-hand experience of Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, "Platoon" is powerful, intense and starkly brutal. Harrowingly realistic and completely convincing, it is a dark, unforgettable memorial to every soldier whose innocence was lost in the war-torn jungles of Vietnam.
Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is a young, naive American who, upon his arrival in Vietnam, quickly discovers that he must do battle not only with the Viet Cong, but also with the gnawing fear, physical exhaustion and intense anger growing within him. While his two commanding officers (Oscar nominated Tom Berenger and William Dafoe) draw a fine line between the war the wage against the enemy and the one they fight with each other, the conflict, chaos and hatred permeate Taylor, suffocating his realities and numbing his feelings to man's highest value...life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Platoon,
By Mike Jefferies (Beverly Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Platoon [Blu-ray] [1986] (Blu-ray)
Amazon review says: "The high definition upgrade does it real justice, too, bringing the haunting visuals vividly to life." High definition upgrade??? I don't think so. Was like watching an old DVD. Feel very let down and short-changed. Bait and switched!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good movie....but.,
By Jim Kames "JimK" (Fife Scotland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Platoon [Blu-ray] [1986] (Blu-ray)
MGM are resonsible for some of the worst transfers to DVD and Blue Ray and this is another example. Do not waste your money.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Platoon,
By
This review is from: Platoon [DVD] [1987] (DVD)
This is probably one of the best Vietnam movies out there. It has a moving soundtrack, great cinematography and you find yourself engrossed and involved when watching the development of one naive recruit as he becomes hardened by the war and his experiences. You also see him profoundly changed in his outlook, that you too will share, as the film closes. A brilliant film, that should be watched by all.
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