Blu-ray Review
Platoon
Directed by: Oliver Stone Cast: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Keith David, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Depp, John C. McGinley Running Time: 2 hrs Rating: R Due Out: May 24, 2011
PLOT: A young soldier (Sheen) learns about the dark side of morality when he signs up to serve a year-long stint in Vietnam.
WHO'S IT FOR?: Collectivists of films that have won "Best Picture," or those who can enjoy a gritty character study about American soldiers in Vietnam.
MOVIE:
Platoon champions itself as the one of the “first honest films about Vietnam,” and there’s certainly some merit to that. Writer/director Oliver Stone takes some very personal experiences he had while in service in Vietnam and melds them into a captivating character study. Whilst doing this, he strips away any glorification of war, and also in some way or the other, a sense of immediate patriotism. On either side of “good guys” or “bad guys,” Platoon posits soldiers as men fighting one another for the simple sake of survival. Stone’s surrogate, played by an impressive young Charlie Sheen, eventually changes his goal from fighting for his country, to simply being able to get out of there alive.
Ever the flag carrier of the liberal party, Oliver Stone’s politics in Platoon don’t seem to be about whether Vietnam should have happened or not. Instead, it’s more about the emotional politics each soldier faces as they navigate through a section of the world where morals seem to be scarce, and when the lines that cry out “war crime” become even more difficult to fall back on. The debate of Platoon is not about understanding the actions of whole governments, but instead the souls of the expendable men who gave their innocence for an ultimate cause American history may never agree on. However meandering Platoon may be in its ruminations, it still carries along our full attention.
As for the Blu-ray itself, although Platoon won an Oscar for “Best Sound,” no one is going to be praising the sound quality of this Blu-ray transfer. In certain moments, the audio quality can sound a bit scratchy, which is distracting from enjoying the other aesthetics of the film. Georges Delerue's haunting score sounds great in this Blu-ray, but the same can’t be said for a few scenes of conversation that can sound a little rough.
MOVIE SCORE: 7/10
EXTRAS
Audio Commentary by Director Oliver Stone Audio Commentary by Military Advisor Dale Dye Deleted and Extended Scenes with Optional Commentary by Oliver Stone Flashback to Platoon - Snapshot in Time 1967 - 1968; Creating the 'Nam; Raw Wounds: The Legacy of Platoon Documentaries: One War, Many Stories; Preparing for 'Nam Vignettes: Caputo & the 7th Fleet, Dye Training Method, Gordon Gekko Theatrical Trailer and TV Spots DVD Copy of Platoon