Platoon 1986

The Film:

It's another 'Nam film. And one that I haven't seen (although I feel as though I should have). Whilst it would never be a genre I would automatically choose to watch, I've been pleasantly surprised and impressed by the war films we've watched so far, including the 'Nam one (The Deer Hunter).

However, from what I know about it, I'm not sure that this is going to be quite the same. First of all, it's Oliver Stone so it's going to be brutal and serious - the word "visceral" springs to mind. Secondly, I know that it all takes place actually out in Vietnam, so I'm guessing it's not going to focus on the wider back story of these men at all. That might be what makes it great, but that doesn't really appeal to me.

Other than that, I know we've got Barber's Adagio, raining bullets, lots of sweaty jungle scenes and a very young Charlie Sheen (and possibly several other soon-to-be-famous 20somethings?). I'm determined to keep an open mind!

The Ceremony:

There was continued concern this year about ratings, leading to all sorts of production interference. Probably the most significant was the attempt to reduce the running time of the ceremony by introducing a 45 second limit for acceptance speeches, much to the annoyance of several recipients then and since. The broadcast still ran to nearly three and a half hours. The ceremony was co-presented by Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan in an attempt to keep it fresh, funny and appealing to younger viewers. I'll let you be the judge:

Other Notable Winners That Night:

About time too!

Of course I'm slightly biased here - but this is the year to celebrate the fact that the lovely Mr Newman finally did get his Oscar! For playing Fast Eddie in the sequel to The Hustler, The Color of Money. He's sixty years old in this picture and still very handsome.

Best Actress went to Marlee Matlin, who I know more for her unfortunate lipreading mistakes in Seinfeld and for being a kickass politician in The West Wing. She won for Children of a Lesser God, her first acting credit. Some people cried political correctness, but I think that's unfair - she's really good.

The other big winner this year was Hannah and Her Sisters - Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest took the other acting awards and Woody Allen got Original Screenplay.


Best Song:

The thing is, I love Berlin (both the city and the band). I could give you a list of at least a dozen songs by Berlin that I much prefer  to this one. And it wasn't even the best song on the Top Gun Soundtrack (hooray for Kenny Loggins) But it was everywhere in 1986 and it was the one that won the Oscar. (Although it is now always sung along to in our house with the words to Walking On The Moon - thanks Peter Kay!)

What We Could/Should Have Been Watching:

It's an RE thing....I can't help it!

I don't really disgree that Platoon was a worthy winner, but there were so many good films released in this year. I'm finding it hard to pick a favourite out of the nominees and I may still change my mind. I've seen all the other nominees and like them all - Hannah and Her Sisters, Children of a Lesser God, A Room With a View and The Mission. I'm going to honour my roots as a Catholic and an RE teacher and go with The Mission. But it's a close call.

It was also the year of Aliens, which is arguably a better film than all five nominees put together - certainly if you consider impact, longevity and technical achievement as well as good acting, directing and storytelling. We also had Stand By Me, Blue Velvet and My Beautiful Laundrette, among others. Take your pick!

Our Verdict:

My irrational dislike of both these two really helped!

As I hoped, this film is firmly in the category of films that I rate as really good - and yet can't really say that I like. It is a great film and I'm very pleased that I finally watched it. I recommend it to others that haven't seen it yet. But I won't be in a hurry to see it again.

It's Oliver Stone - and if you know his work and know what Platoon is about then you can pretty much work out exactly what the film is going to be. Considering this was the first time I watched it, the feel of the whole thing, the storytelling, the characters and the shocking scenes were all things that I was expecting. That's not to say that it was any less impressive or shocking because of this - I was both impressed and shocked in equal measure.

It's difficult not to compare Platoon to the previous 'Nam winner, The Deerhunter. I think I still prefer the earlier film, but this one is very different and all the better for it. Unlike Deerhunter's three-act structure of home-away-home again, Platoon is just one relentless, claustrophobic trek through the jungle and the horrors within. We get to know something about our main characters, but we hear it directly from them - we never actually see them in their natural setting, just in their titular Platoon. It makes for a very different film, and I like that.

The horrors of war

There is no flinching from the reality of the brutality of war - and it is very clear that, if there is a classic "baddie", it is war itself rather than one side or the other. Our so-called heroes (and, to an American audience they would have been "our boys") do some horrific and inhuman things to innocent civilians that they come across. Stone tries to suggest some of the reasons for their actions, but never tries to excuse them.

If this image had sound, it would have
been written by Samuel Barber

Several of the characters are also ambiguous in their morals. We're left to wonder if they really are that evil and heartless - or if their fear and false bravado is the reason. Of the three main characters, two are played by actors I have an irrational dislike of. In the case of Tom Berenger (I can't get over the ending of Looking For Mr Goodbar, so he just gives me the creeps) this probably helps. He plays the psychotic war-addled Sgt Barnes brilliantly. With Willem Dafoe I feel a tad unfair - he's great as someone who shows almost the flipside reaction to that of Barnes, which leads to the epic image (and soundtrack) that most people associate with Platoon.

Charlie Sheen pre-Tiger Blood

The real revelation is 20 year old Charlie Sheen showing what a chip off the old block he had the potential to be before the sex, drugs and tiger blood got in the way. He's the real heart of the film for me and his character made all the difference. There were some great films in 1986. This one isn't my favourite, but I'm happy to agree that it might just be the best one.