86. Platoon (1986)

Running Time: 120 Minutes
Director: Oliver Stone
Date Watched: 4/1/2011 Medium: DVD

Summary (from imdb.com): "Chris Taylor is a young, naive American who gives up college and volunteers for combat in Vietnam. Upon arrival, he quickly discovers that his presence is quite nonessential, and is considered insignificant to the other soldiers, as he has not fought for as long as the rest of them and felt the effects of combat. Chris has two non-commissioned officers, the ill-tempered and indestructible Staff Sergeant Robert Barnes and the more pleasant and cooperative Sergeant Elias Grodin. A line is drawn between the two NCOs and a number of men in the platoon when an illegal killing occurs during a village raid. As the war continues, Chris himself draws towards psychological meltdown. And as he struggles for survival, he soon realizes he is fighting two battles, the conflict with the enemy and the conflict between the men within his platoon. "

Molly: (1 out of 5 stars): "Awful. War movies are sometimes great and inspirational. This one was mediocre at best. Hated it. And it stars a crazy person and I couldn't stop thinking about the crazy while watching it."

Nick (3 out of 5 stars): "The acting was impressive and it was neat to see a lot of stars when they were 25 years younger."

Random Movie Facts (from IMDb.com):

• All of the actors had to endure a harsh 14-day boot camp in the Philippines before the shooting of the film commenced. The actors were given military haircuts, were required to stay in character throughout the camp, ate only military rations, were not allowed to shower, slept in the jungle, and even had rotations for night watch.
• Based on Oliver Stone's personal experience during the war in Vietnam based on a screenplay he finished around 1976. Numerous studios passed on it until he finally got approval and starting filming in early 1986.
• The movie was filmed nearly sequentially; as soon as their characters were killed in the movie, the actors returned home. The emotion that Charlie Sheen shows in the closing helicopter scene was largely real, knowing that he was finally going home.