Platoon (1986)

 

Platoon

There was a period where Oliver Stone could do nothing wrong. “Platoon” was one of the highlights of that period. It was highly acclaimed by both critics and the public, but I have not watched it since those days in the eighties. To say that I have been trying to avoid it is probably too strong a wording, but I have just not been inclined to revisit this depressing bloodbath.

It is 1967 (we are not told, I think, but Wikipedia says so) and Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is arriving in Vietnam as an inexperienced rookie. Taylor is a volunteer who dropped out of college to join the infantry. New arrivals tend to die fast, so Taylor must learn the hard way to stay alive. It is brutal, dirty and distressing to say the least. Death is everywhere and if not that then rain, snakes, leeches and disease.

It is clear early on that the lieutenant (Mark Moses) is in charge of jack while the true platoon commanders are the sergeants Barnes (Tom Berenger and Elias (Willem Dafoe). Both are highly skilled and professional, the difference being that Barnes has succumbed to the brutality of the war while Elias has retained his humanity. This difference comes to a head when searching a village suspected of supporting the Vietcong. When they do find hidden weapons, parts of the platoon, led by Barnes, treat the villagers, women, children, all, as combatants and go on a killing rampage, while Elias tries to stop it. This splits the platoon in two halves, following either Barnes or Elias with Taylor clearly on Elias side. Since what Barnes and his group did was clearly illegal, murder between the two groups is in the air.

So, while the unit fights an almost invisible, but terrifying, enemy for reasons that are never discussed, the real war appears to be between the two fractions in the platoon. Humanity versus inhumanity.

That is also what I found was the larger message with the movie. It was never a war movie about conquering or even defend against an evil enemy. It is a movie about what a brutal war like the Vietnam war does to regular people. In this sense it leans up against “Apocalypse Now”, but avoid the Odyssean (or Orphean) references. The journey into hell is the human transformation, the loss of what makes us human. In this respect, Elias becomes a Christ figure, sacrificed to save the souls of his followers.

It follows from his analysis that the reasons for going to war in the end means little to those on the ground. The only higher purposes left is to stay alive and/or preserve their humanity, with the later being the first to go. This is not unique for the Vietnam war. It is my understanding this is relevant for any war with substantial fighting, whether it be WWI or Ukraine.

If you miss out on the above, the plot of the movie may feel thin. Shooting, marching, smoking, more shooting... Post-watching, it is difficult to discern the steps the movie follows, except this gradual decent into the hell of inhumanity. That does not mean it is uninteresting to watch. Stone never falls into the trap of sacrificing the movie to the underlying message. It is riveting to follow, not least because of the constant danger and tension, but also because it is technically an excellent movie on all accounts, from script and acting to cinematography and editing. Even the soundtrack is spot on. Classical music is not what you would associate the Vietnam War with, but the transcendental function of the music to lead us into hell is used to perfection.

Willem Dafoe is for some obscure reason a big thing for Gen Z according to my son, despite him being a very different generation. It was curious to see that even in 86 he looked old and worn. Tom Berenger always looks tough, but I think he takes the price in “Platoon”. That man is a demon.

“Platoon” is not a movie I enjoy watching, and I would be suspicious of anybody who do, but it is a high-quality movie that brings something important to the table and that makes it a must-see, even if it is just that one time. For me, I can wait another few decades watching this again.