Chris Taylor in Platoon

In the beginning of the 1986 hit film “Platoon,” Charlie Sheen’s character Chris Taylor undergoes a radical change in his lifestyle.  Taylor left college behind to volunteer for his country in the Vietnam War. At this time, he was very nervous, scared, and didn’t know exactly what to expect. Upon his arrival to this near but distant world, he would soon come to face the harsh reality of war and suffering.

Now, the initial moment in the film where Taylor began to change was when the cavalry went into the Vietnamese village. While in a home, tearing apart hiding spots, Sheen’s character began to take action. While doing so, his partner said “C’mon be cool man, they scared.” Chris Taylor’s response was, “they’re scared?! What about me huh? I’m sick of this shit!”  Minutes later, he let out a spray of bullets at the feet of a Vietnamese civilian. You were able to tell that the war was starting to get to Chris Taylor, because he wasn’t thinking clearly. His emotions were rattled due to the violence he had seen earlier. The audience was able to capture this moment through the tone of his voice, and his aggressive ways.

Near the end of the film, Chris Taylor woke up to a desolate, quiet landscape, which seemed to portray a post-apocalyptic world. This is how Vietnam felt to those who were actually there. The mental and physical trauma that was caused by the Vietnam War still lives in the heroes who served till this day. I feel as though the director and cinematographer made a conscious effort to make it feel like you were actually in the film. There were great shots of firefights in the jungle, explosions and even just the dialogue. Platoon was a film ahead of it’s time, and it truly showed us the harsh realities of Vietnam.

War in this film was a bit more gruesome than what it is today. Although we have lost thousands of military members throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hollywood films are always stretching the truth. We barely receive coverage of the war on our television sets as it is. The only channel close to the war at all is CNN, and they mostly talk stocks the rest of the time. If only there was a channel that always broadcasted the war, we would worry more about our current situation.