Platoon
Platoon
In the past, I‘ve rated war films such as Apocalypse Now with a solid, but when compared to the common consensus, low 3 stars. And now I’ve committed the blasphemous act of rating Platoon higher?! Let me explain.
Both films, set in the Vietnam War, attempt to explore the ways in which the war affected and changed the men who fought in it. The reason as for why one of them succeeds, whilst the other one doesn‘t quite, does not lie in the films‘ differing interpretations of the war, but rather their respective approaches with which either of them sought to convey it.
Whereas Platoon delivers its take on the war through a character-driven narrative, and thus directly through its characters who collectively embody the film‘s message, Apocalypse Now opts for a plot-driven narrative. It depicts the soldiers inner decay visually, through the journey they embark on: An odyssey into madness.
And it is through the journey upriver, that our main character Captain Willard, played by Martin Sheen, begins to understand the war.
However, I didn‘t care for said journey. Why?
Because I did not care about the characters. Morally, no one can be considered superior nor inferior to one another, resulting in me not rooting for nor against any of them, yet the film expects one to, solely because it‘s told from their perspective.
The only reason as for why Willard is eager to succeed, is to understand the enigma that is Col. Kurtz. And yes, the viewer shares this desire, but it is not enough to relate and empathize with him.
Along comes Platoon, with its cast of morally distinct characters. Its cast of incredibly lovable aswell as dispecable, and in the case of Willem Dafoe, incredibly hot characters.
The ways in which they each navigate the war starts off as captivating and becomes utterly fascinating once you witness the drama which ensues the moment they clash.
It is safe to say, that Stone‘s sincere script, despite at times being a little overly melodramatic and on the nose, forms the most important part of the film. Meanwhile, the same cannot quite be said about his direction. Overall, it‘s well shot, featuring several great long takes and precisely shot scenes whilst never drawing attention to itself. Yet there are some scenes, mainly in the jungle, which are not as well executed, by being filmed exhaustingly close to the actors. As a result, the direction can feel inconsistent or messy.
At the end of the day, I doubt however, that these minor weaknesses can subtract all too much from the insightfully honest, at times devastating, and ultimately magnificent work, that is Oliver Stone‘s Platoon.