Platoon (movie)

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Platoon is a 1986 war film which tells the story of a young infantryman in Vietnam who is torn between two sergeants, one cynical, one idealistic. It stars Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen and Forest Whitaker. The story starts with a raw recruit Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), the narrator, recently being posted to Vietnam. There he joins his infantry unit and begins to experience warfare in the jungle. His innocence soon turns to cynicism as he experiences the harshness of the jungle and infantry life, witnessing friendly fire to illegal killings, culminating in himself taking an act of revenge against a superior.

The movie was written and directed by Oliver Stone who himself served in Vietnam. Upon his return, Stone was repulsed by John Wayne's version, The Green Berets, and set about creating the script for Platoon.

It won Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Picture and Best Sound. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Tom Berenger), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Willem Dafoe), Best Cinematography and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.