Iconic ’80s Vietnam War Movie With Unbelievable Cast, Stream Without Netflix
As a veteran of the Vietnam War, director Oliver Stone has been able to make some of the most harrowing and realistic depictions of the conflict out of anyone in Hollywood. Out of his Vietnam War trilogy, which includes Born on the Fourth of July and Heaven & Earth, perhaps his most famous and lasting film is Platoon, which kicks off the trilogy. If you want to see this film for yourself, you can stream it now on Amazon Prime Video.
Charlie Sheen Goes To War
Platoon follows Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), a university student who decides to enlist in the Vietnam War and fight for his country, only for his idealistic views to quickly change on the battlefield. He and his fellow soldiers also face additional conflict as his commanding officers, Staff Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger) and the gentler Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe), argue over how to handle the challenges ahead of them.
The film is based on Stone’s own experiences as a US infantryman and doesn’t pull any punches on the horrors of the war and the human cost.
Written And Directed By A Vietnam Veteran
Amazingly, the film is the first Hollywood film to be written and directed by an actual veteran of the Vietnam War. As you might expect, this lends the film an extra sense of weight and realism compared to some of the more bombastic efforts from the era (Stone himself wanted the film to be a direct counter to John Wayne’s The Green Berets).
An All-Star Cast Of Future Stars
Handling the weighty material of Platoon is an all-star cast that includes the aforementioned Sheen, Berenger, and Dafoe, along with Keith David, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, Forest Whitaker, and Johnny Depp.
There isn’t much to say about Platoon that hasn’t already been said, as the film is considered one of the best war movies of all time and is certainly one of the best Vietnam War movies.
An Award-Winning Movie
While I personally prefer Apocalypse Now simply from an artistic standpoint, there’s no denying the impact that Platoon has had and how much it makes you think about what all sides of the conflict faced. The film got its flowers upon its release, too, earning $138.5 million against a budget of $6 million and winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing at the Academy Awards.
Streaming On Amazon Prime Video
REVIEW SCORE
Even the behind-the-scenes making of Platoon is pretty interesting, particularly the grueling training that Sheen, Dafoe, Depp, and Whitaker had to go through before filming. Stone’s fellow Vietnam War vet Dale Dye, who also acts in the film and serves as technical advisor, put them through an intensive 30 days of training where they had to dig foxholes, experience nighttime ambushes, and have very little food and water to drink. They also were woken up by fired blanks to keep them awake on occasion.
Needless to say, Stone has never shied away from an intense filmmaking process, and people would likely argue the film is the best for it. But you can decide for yourself by watching the film on streaming. You can now watch Platoon on Amazon Prime Video.
