Platoon

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Platoon

R

Released Dec 19, 1986

2h 0m

War

Drama

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Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

122 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) leaves his university studies to enlist in combat duty in Vietnam in 1967. Once he's on the ground in the middle of battle, his idealism fades. Infighting in his unit between Staff Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), who believes nearby villagers are harboring Viet Cong soldiers, and Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe), who has a more sympathetic view of the locals, ends up pitting the soldiers against each other as well as against the enemy.

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Critics Consensus

Informed by director Oliver Stone's personal experiences in Vietnam, Platoon forgoes easy sermonizing in favor of a harrowing, ground-level view of war, bolstered by no-holds-barred performances from Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe.

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

This is a great American movie -- easily the most powerful film of the year.

Aug 23, 2022

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Marsha McCreadie

Arizona Republic

I didn't take a single note during the screening of Platoon: It's that engrossing, that overwhelming.

Aug 23, 2022

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Eleanor Ringel Cater

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It's a powerful, painful, must-see film -- an impassioned and riveting dispatch from the front that's at once a battle cry and a lamentation.

Aug 23, 2022

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Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

One of the most visceral and authentic war films ever made.

Jun 14, 2023

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Platoon may not be the best Vietnam war film ever made -- I still prefer both Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket by a healthy margin -- but I wouldn't care to argue with any veteran who states that it's the most honest depiction of that insane skirmish.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 11, 2022

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

In terms of the day-to-day madness of combat, Stone’s vision is horrifyingly realistic, the reportage of someone who was there.

Rated: A-

Aug 31, 2022

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Fep o

Excellent narration of the wise man to whom the western world still had learned to listen. The movie should be watched by everyone willing to support war efforts of any world power.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

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Gorptholemew T

🍅 9.2/10 I love seeing a young Willem Defoe dude he’s always been oddly attractive. Platoon is a Great War film that isn’t one sided showing the dark side of the American troops, and the small community divided with in the platoon. The sets are great it’s entertaining and stratifying.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/06/24

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Ori S

The most honest take on the horror of soldiers thrown into a war they cannot understand. The rapture between the convictions from home and absolute brutal reality and the torment it brings is captured and depicted through incredible cast, acting, shooting and directing. Platoon has remained in my personal top ten since it came out. It is a great movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/16/24

Full Review

marcos o

Talvez seja um dos melhores filmes com Willem Dafoe. Não é perfeito, mas conta muito bem um pouco da história.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/27/24

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Sams K

Oliver Stone is a genius. A very important piece of cinema history.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/23/24

Full Review

Audience Member

This antiwar film depicts the atrocities of Vietnam, the struggle between good and evil, and the fine line that existed between them with the morality of the soldiers there. Overall this was one of the few times where a movie was technically excellent but I did not enjoy it and this was because this movie felt as confusing and pointless as the war itself.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/10/24

Full Review

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Oliver Stone

Director

Tom Berenger

Staff Sgt. Bob Barnes

Willem Dafoe

Sgt. Elias Grodin

Charlie Sheen

Pvt. Chris Taylor

Forest Whitaker

Big Harold

Francesco Quinn

Rhah

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Platoon: Official Clip - Pecker Hard, Powder Dry

3:02

Platoon: Official Clip - Retribution

4:16

Platoon: Official Clip - I Am Reality

2:06

Platoon: Official Clip - The Death of Sgt. Elias

3:09

Platoon: Official Clip - Elias is Betrayed

2:09

Platoon: Official Clip - Burning the Village

3:05

Platoon: Official Clip - We're Gonna Lose This War

1:13

Platoon: Official Clip - Barnes Crosses the Line

2:40

Platoon: Official Clip - Hell Is the Impossibility of Reason

1:30

Platoon: Official Clip - Dance!

2:04

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Synopsis

Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) leaves his university studies to enlist in combat duty in Vietnam in 1967. Once he's on the ground in the middle of battle, his idealism fades. Infighting in his unit between Staff Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), who believes nearby villagers are harboring Viet Cong soldiers, and Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe), who has a more sympathetic view of the locals, ends up pitting the soldiers against each other as well as against the enemy.

Director: Oliver Stone
Producer: Arnold Kopelson
Screenwriter: Oliver Stone
Distributor: Orion Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Hemdale Film Corporation [us]
Rating: R
Genre: War, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 19, 1986, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $138.5M
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Surround

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