Platoon by Oliver Stone highlighted and brought attention to the cruel realities of war in Vietnam, and was a testament to what the soldiers had to go through. I think one of the reasons that this film was so raw and powerful came from the fact that Oliver himself went to Vietnam, giving him a unique perspective on just how much the soldiers experienced. It also allowed him to create a tone that could be received well and was respectful towards the people who served in the war, something that goes along with the idea of respecting the soldiers even if they don’t respect the war.
One of the things that I found interesting was the lack of training that these soldiers had towards the style of warfare in Vietnam. The Guerilla Warfare was new and dangerous for the United States who was not familiar with the climate, geography, and tactics. This, combined with the soldier’s attitudes towards war made success very difficult. Chris represents a viewpoint of a lot of the soldiers, who were scared and hated that they were fighting in this war. I think that with all the hard things the soldiers had to go through, and how they did not want to be there, it is so impressive that they kept risking their lives for our country. As my stepdad is in the military, I already had so much respect for the soldiers, but this just increased it.
This movie definitely showed an unconventional portrayal of the American military. In this film, the soldiers were not always unified, not passionate about the war effort, and not properly trained in their war tactics. These characteristics are not usually lacking within war movies because America wants to be known for its strong military and well-trained soldiers. It is important to have this different perspective to allow us to understand where leaders went wrong in preparing soldiers for combat, and understanding when to step away from war.
I also thought that it made the movie even more real knowing that it was Oliver Stone’s real experiences and what he remembers from fighting in Vietnam. I thought it was an interesting choice to follow Chris from the first few days he arrived to when he finally was able to leave. It shows how much the war changed and affected him. His perspective showed the unpreparedness and the internal conflict of the U.S military which is often not shown in war movies.
I was particularly interested in the way the military culture molded and shaped Chris. At the beginning, it seemed he didn’t have the respect of his team members, but after rights of passages they became much closer. It’s crazy to think about how much the groups we associate with can change our biases and behavior. For example. Chris talked about not being able to tell the difference in wrong or right, because of his interactions in the war.