An Oscar-winning drama has been hailed “the best war film of all time” by viewers. Platoon, released in 1986 and directed by Oliver Stone, provides a harrowing depiction of the psychological and physical impacts of war. Set in 1967, Platoon follows Chris Taylor (played by Charlie Sheen), a young and naive American soldier who volunteers for service in Vietnam.
Once in the field, he swiftly comes face-to-face with the brutal realities of war. The film also stars Tom Berenger, who plays the ruthless and battle-hardened veteran Sergeant Barnes and Willem Dafoe, who portrays Sergeant Elias, a principled and empathetic officer. Platoon draws heavily from Stone’s own experiences as a soldier and was the first Hollywood film to be written and directed by a veteran of the Vietnam War.
Both Berenger and Dafoe earned Academy Award nominations for their compelling performances, while the film itself bagged four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Stone.
The star-studded cast also features Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Dillon and Samuel Barber.
The synopsis reads: “A young American volunteer deals with the horrors of warfare and morally ambiguous politics when he watches the soldiers in his platoon patrol, fight and die in the jungles of Vietnam.”
Platoon was lauded by critics and has a rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 8.1 on IMDB. The film, available on Amazon Prime, has now been branded “the best of all time” by emotional viewers.
“Platoon is pretty much impossible to beat. I still think it’s the best war film ever made,” one wrote on X as a second agreed: “Regarding the best war films: I think Platoon is the best, most visceral depiction of warfare from the POV of the soldiers.”
Another simply declared: “Platoon. The Best war film,” as a fourth echoed: “PLATOON! I’ve not watched this film in over 20 years. Was my best war film of all time.”
A fifth chimed in: “I think PLATOON is the best war film for capturing the grit, turmoil,internal politics,& horrors of war. It just seemed so real. It worked so well because they made it about a normal infantry platoon & not an elite regiment.”
Also heaping praise on the film, another added: “Platoon (1986) this biographical documentary film has an astonishing practicality. It literally brought tears to my eyes.”