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I hate Platoon (1986)

🕑 Added 2024-11-10 10:32:18 +0000 UTC

Comments

Shawn Goforth

I did the same thing. I'll take the short edit for this one. I don't find this entertaining.

Catchermag

Seen this at least ten times, half of those in the theater when it came out. I was a senior in high school. Perspective is key. Vietnam felt as far away from my teenaged self as World War 2 did. In reality the Vietnam War ended only a decade before this movie was released, which is of course insane to me now since it felt so far away. What this movie did, though, was open up a public dialogue on the war and it’s casualties, both living and dead. The veterans that returned were ostracized by some, and their mental wounds left open and unhealed by the government that sent children to fight their fight for them. But Platoon helped the general public recognize these issues and for the most part treat the veterans with a more respectful and empathetic manner. The same can be said for movies like Dances With Wolves and the Native American history, Philadelphia and the AIDS epidemic, The Day After and the Nuclear threat, Schindlers List and the Holocaust, Roots and America’s stain of slavery. These may not be the first movies to deal with their respective subjects, and they may not be perfect movies, but they served to further important discussions. When a movie can do that, even through a difficult watch, it elevates us.