By the time he emerged in the '80s, Oliver Stone was already part of a dying line of American directors with a knack for shrink-wrapping important messages in a tight Hollywood package. Vietnam's quicksand war—and its impact on those who fought—was the message of his 1986 film Platoon, which took home Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Sound and Editing. The story of a unit of G.I.s on patrol in the remote jungle near the Cambodian border excels not only for depicting the tension of waiting for an enemy who could be anywhere and anyone, but of the intense peer pressure that can push soldiers from brutality to murder. Platoon was the breakout movie for young Charlie Sheen, playing the middle-class novice among lower-class veterans, and featured an outstanding performance by Willem Dafoe as a decent sergeant in an indecent war.
Platoon has been reissued for its 25th anniversary in a Blu-ray/DVD package.
