Overview
A gripping portrayal of the Vietnam War that delves into the human psyche amidst chaos.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- visceral
- paranoid
- serious film night
- historical drama viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Oliver Stone’s Vietnam film as a harrowing, vividly realized, and morally serious ground-level portrayal of combat, strengthened by Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe’s performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Chris Taylor experiences patrols, ambushes, village raids, and exhaustion from the infantryman's immediate perspective.
The platoon divides between the brutal Staff Sergeant Barnes and the more humane Sergeant Elias after an illegal village killing.
Jungle battles, filtered light, helicopter assaults, and disorienting nighttime action create a psychologically pressured battlefield experience.
Oliver Stone draws on his own Vietnam experience to depict American soldiers' alienation, moral injury, and conflicted war memory.
Films like Platoon, and why
Full Metal Jacket
shares a harrowing, ground-level anti-war perspective, combat realism, and psychological trauma among soldiers
Apocalypse Now
shares Vietnam War setting, morally compromised military institutions, hallucinatory combat atmosphere, and anti-war themes
The Thin Red Line
shares intimate infantry combat, battlefield terror, moral injury, and intense ensemble drama
Casualties of War
shares a disillusioned soldier's perspective, jungle warfare, and the corrosive effects of combat
Movie Details
- Director
- Oliver Stone
- Release Date
- 1986-12-19
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Rating
- 7.7 / 10 (5303)
Cast
- Charlie Sheen
- Willem Dafoe
- Tom Berenger
- Kevin Dillon
- Forest Whitaker
- Mark Moses
- Keith David
- Richard Edson
- Francesco Quinn
- John C. McGinley
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Platoon about?
- A young infantryman’s idealism collapses amid jungle combat and a bitter moral struggle between rival sergeants in Vietnam.
- What is Platoon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Platoon as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Platoon violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Platoon as graphic.
- What did critics think of Platoon?
- Critics broadly regard Oliver Stone’s Vietnam film as a harrowing, vividly realized, and morally serious ground-level portrayal of combat, strengthened by Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe’s performances.
- Which films are like Platoon?
- Films with a similar feel include Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, The Thin Red Line, and Casualties of War.
- How long is Platoon?
- Platoon runs 120 minutes.
- Where can I watch Platoon?
- In United States, Platoon streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
