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Platoon
- Review Date: May 27, 2011
- R
- Genre: Drama
- 1986
Common Sense Media says
Top war movie is intensely violent, full of strong language.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this Oscar-winning war drama -- one of the most highly regarded Vietnam War movies -- is highly violent, powerful, and devastating. The violence is intense, with almost constant guns, blood, and dead bodies; soldiers also shoot and rape (mostly implied) Vietnamese characters, and burn a village. Language is likewise very strong, with almost constant use of "f--k," as well as heavy uses of words like "s--t" and "c--ksucker."
What's the story?
In 1967, wet-behind-the-ears solider Chris (Charlie Sheen) arrives in Vietnam, assigned to ground combat. He narrates his experiences in letters to his grandmother. In unrelated incidents, he faces many horrific situations, including exhaustion, fear, ennui, and the presence of constant death. He meets several other soldiers, including outcasts and misfits from every walk of life. Most notably, he meets two sergeants, the grizzled Barnes (Tom Berenger), who believes in the war and in victory and will stop at nothing to get it, and the more kindly Elias (Willem Dafoe), who sees things a little less simply. Eventually these two inspire fighting within the ranks. Will Chris survive both the inner and outer conflicts?
Is it any good?
Writer/director Oliver Stone based his movie on his own experiences and attempted to make a more realistic Vietnam movie, simpler and more grounded than things like Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter (and more ambitious than the Rambo movies), and he succeeds, truly making this war look like hell.
But at the same time he can't resist some of his more bombastic, operatic touches, such as the famous slow-motion death scene that was featured on the poster and in all the clips; and it's clear that Elias and Barnes represent something deeper and more timeless than mere sergeants in a specific war; they are the battle between good and evil, angels and devils. What's more, some of the climactic combat footage, lit by falling flares, is sublimely beautiful, and not as horrific as it wants to be. No war movie is truly an anti-war movie, but PLATOON comes close, and it's still as powerful as it was decades ago.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the movie's extreme violence. How did it make you feel? How did the movie achieve this effect? How is this movie's violence different from other war movies?
What kind of statement is this movie making about war? Do you think this movie's message could translate to more modern wars?
What role do women play in this movie? Do you see any space where female characters could have played a larger role? Why do you think they are not there?
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Parent
July 13, 2011
AGE
Alright
Very violent Rude language and more MA15+Strong violence coarse language and sexual content
What other families should know:
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Parent
May 5, 2012
AGE
Intense but a must see
Very very strong language not terrible violence but everyone should know our history and this is a good movie to go to
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Kid, 12 years old
March 5, 2012
AGE
Amazing movie
This movie is very powerful. I had watched Full Metal Jacket in the morning I saw it, so was expecting another gory but excellent
movie. I got more than I bargained for. It was haunting, excellent, and unlike most war movies, it really made war look bad. Excellent acting, too.
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Teen, 14 years old
October 21, 2012
AGE
Platoon Review
This is a powerful story of learning, conflict and war. It shows an inner conflict between Elias, a thoughtful sergeant, and Barnes, a scarred, cruel man. Chris learns that war is an ugly thing, but meets friends and becomes a man along the way. Lots of shooting, stabbing, cruelty,drugs,racism, and implied rape of a little Vietnamese girl. Also a mentally challenged Vietnamese teen is clubbed to death. Aside from these it has a meaningful theme, directed by a Vietnam veteran, and is my favorite war movie.
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Teen, 14 years old
January 5, 2013
AGE
a powerful, gripping, and ultra-violent Vietnam tale has constant swearing, drugs, sex talk, and atrocities
this violent, loud, and powerful war film is one of the best i have ever seen, but is also one of the most violent. it does have steely performances from Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, and Tom Berenger, this Vietnam battle movie is way to explicit and graphic, even for older teens. the violence in this film is mostly bloodless, but is still strong, powerful, and intense. people, including innocent civilians, are shot, blown up, burned, and have limbs blasted off. one innocent boy in smashed in the skull, resulting in spattering blood. there are lots of grisly wounds seen for long periods of time, explosions, and gross bugs and bug wounds. but all that is childs play to what comes next. the disturbing scene where the soldiers destroy a village and attempt to rape and kill a child would have parents and even mature teens looking away. to go long with the films realistic depiction of war is non-stop language, including frequent uses of f**k, s**t, d**k, a*s, c**k, and their derivitives. soldiers also use crass sexual inuendo throughout the film. the soldiers also smoke and drink as much as they swear.
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| Studios: | MGM/UA, Orion |
| Director: | Oliver Stone |
| Cast: | Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 120 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 24, 1986 |
| DVD release date: | May 24, 2011 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
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