I watched it last night because I was in the mood for an action movie, not expecting much more than a revisionist, cartoonish depiction of American soldiers in Vietnam - a la Rambo.
What I got was probably the most genuine depiction of war I've ever seen in a movie, observed through the eyes of a small unit as they traverse a combat zone near Cambodia.
It illustrates the duality of man with horrifying authenticity without resorting to dreamlike surrealism to insulate the viewer from it's reality (like The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now). It shows the brutal nature of combat as it truly is, without glory or any higher purpose than self preservation (Saving Private Ryan, other WW2 movies especially).
It's everything I ever wanted in a war movie. I regret not watching it for as long as I have. Any suggestions for other war movies like this?
Bumping this too. Great movie OP. What you wrote is exactly what I went through too.
Kevin Sanchez
You smoke this shit to escape reality? Me, I dont need this shit.. I am reality.
Jaxson Clark
I was surprised by a young Charlie Sheen playing a serious role, I didn't know he was in it.
Assembly is good, but its in Chinese (subs good) and turns into propaganda near the end. Still the first half is a pretty straight up war film focused on one dude leading his men.
Evan Howard
>white people pretending they were noble heroes and not just raping hateful genocidal fucks
everyone involved in vietnam is a fucking criminal. the precedent was even an admitted false flag
Evan Morris
Reminder that Barnes did nothing wrong. If the war was planned and led by people like him the US would have won the war.
Charles Turner
>babby's firs vietnam war movie
Christian Wood
stop crying
Xavier Morgan
I've always known it to have a reputation to be the most realistic vietnam movie.
Platoon and the vietnam section from Forest Gump both have good marks in that regard.
Robert Sanchez
...
Eli Moore
I've seen platoon at least 50 times.
James Mitchell
>It shows the brutal nature of combat as it truly is, without glory or any higher purpose than self preservation Just because you think combat has no purpose other than self-preservation doesn't mean everyone thinks the same way.
Levi Robinson
Defensive combat, like the depiction of the Tet Offensive at the film's climax, serves no objective apart from self preservation.
Blake Flores
Defensive combat is not the only combat that exists (see special forces for example).
Nathaniel Edwards
It was. Westmoreland notably wanted to commit even more forces after the Tet offensive, saying that the Oriental has no regard for human life, and the best way to win over them was to withstand their waves of unwinnable attacks to wear them down through attrition.
The public wasn't a fan fan of that, and he was reassigned to the role JSC in mid 1968.
Kevin Morales
YOU WHERE IN 'NAM WHEN VINCE WAS 7? HOW FUCKING OLD ARE YOU DRAMA
Jaxon Anderson
SOF comprises a relatively small part of the military in comparison to the infantryman of the USA/USMC. A counter insurgency (Vietnam, Gulf, Iraq, Afgahn) is definitionally a defensive war with brief offensive pushes for strategic objectives.
Jacob Bennett
SOF was an example. I didn't say all offensive operations are conducted by them. And my point from the start was simply: >Just because you think combat has no purpose other than self-preservation doesn't mean everyone thinks the same way. You are arguing just for the sake of arguing.
Samuel Carter
My dad took me to see it when I was 9. Wanted me to witness the struggle or something.
Tyler Walker
Mandarin or Cantonese?
Joshua Scott
I'm not trying to argue. I'm not effectively communicating what I'm trying to say.
I'm saying that you're right, but that the paradigm of post WW2 warfare lacks the sort of cohesion and brotherhood that earlier wars had, mainly because most contemporary conflicts take the form of a protracted counterinsurgency without any grand objectives apart from holding ground and defensive attrition. Offensive operations are mainly a function of this effort, and as a result, don't inspire grandiose ideals in our boys.
I think the movie captures this well.
Aiden Thomas
t. Charlie
Elijah Nguyen
There's a B movie from Canon studios called Platoon Leader that you would absolutely love.
It's probably the most based vietnam movie out there. I've read vets cite it as being the most accurate to their experiences online. Also the soundtrack fucking rules.
Sixth paragraph, first sentence: >Mr. Cimino has described his treatment of the three friends' war experiences as surreal, which is another way of saying that a lot of recent history is ellipsized or shaped to fit the needs of the film.
When even the director disagrees with you, it's time to stop posting and look up from your phone to pay attention in class.
Joshua Ortiz
There's also Siege of Firebase Gloria with R. Lee Emery as a super based Sargent in Vietnam.
My dad also says Platoon was the most realistic depiction of day to day life in Vietnam. He said other movies have captured the feeling of combat better, but how characters interacted with each other was dead on.
You really had to be careful who you pissed off. He knew of at least two instances of people or groups of people murdering their commanding officers. That being said, he also thinks Barnes was in the right. War is evil by its nature, and it forces men to do horrible, unspeakable things to survive. Trying to play nice or hold back will only make you vulnerable, because even if you spared Charlie in his village that morning you can bet your asshole he'll be back to ambush you that night. The communists have never shown mercy and neither should you.
Austin Richardson
The most genuine depiction of Vietnam is We Were Soldiers, so long as you skip past the cliche deaths and stupid state side scenes.
Ayden Ramirez
?
Christopher Kelly
>Why don't more people talk about Platoon? Lol what are you talking about? Stone got best director for it and it also got Best Picture. People probably don't talk about it a lot now because the 80s was a long time ago. Thin Red Line is a similar film that came too late after Full Metal Jacket to be remembered as a le great Vietnam film.
