Platoon

This film is pure immersion. There’s no stalling, it throws you straight in, whether it’s the incredible action set pieces, the deep dive into the psyche of a soldier in Vietnam, or, for me, the best part: the multiple and complex opposing dynamics. This film’s portrayal of the war has something that Full Metal Jacket couldn’t fully deliver, which is the rawness, the realness of the scenes. The fact that so many acts of cruelty and evil happen almost seamlessly, almost naturally, really impacted me. The horrors of war are shown not only through actions, but also through how completely broken the soldiers become. Each cadet develops their own code just to survive the war, mentally and morally. The third act was insane. Completely frenetic, with sequences that were genuinely impressive. There are so many lines and scenes that stay with me. They touched me because they weren’t just thrown in there, I truly felt like they force you to reflect on what is morally correct in specific situations.