Platoon

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Platoon

R

1986

2h 0m

War

Drama

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Tomatometer

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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Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

Oliver Stone's harrowing war picture was the first movie that felt like a genuine depiction of that terrible war, and brought collective catharsis for America's tragedy in Vietnam.

Rated: 5/5

May 26, 2025

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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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Jack F

I loved this movie. When you think "war movie", you think either Full Metal Jacket, or Platoon. That one part where he was dancing on one leg was sooo disturbing. You don't forget seeing that.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/19/25

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Nicholas t

platoon is the greatest war movie ever made the movie is action packed lots of war drama action tears of joy best war movie best action bestdrama best actors best director great sound best bombs best scenes and best 80s movie ever made

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/31/25

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Daniel C

rewatched this movie after not seeing it for 25 years i can gladly say after the digitilization its even better now. one of the greatest war movies ever, most of the chars came to be great actors, i guess that's says it all.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/04/25

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Daniel N

One of the greatest war movies ever made.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/23/25

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Kenneth L

I watched this as a teenager and it had a huge impact on me. Watching it again, almost 40 years later, it still delivers.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

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Mitch B

This movi made me appreciate what the Vietnam era soldiers went through. A hard to watch movie in some scenes, but it makes you realize that violence is ugly and that war is a Hell on Earth, but between the two War is worse, because innocents are in the crossfire.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/17/25

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

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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