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Oliver Stone’s Platoon was one of the first major motion pictures to deal with the Vietnam war. Charlie Sheen stars as an infantry volunteer who finds himself in a moral quandry, torn between two sergeants of differing philosophies. Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe give solid, Oscar-nominated performances as the two sergeants, but it’s the director’s voice that comes through most strikingly in Platoon. As a Vietnam veteran, Stone paints a picture of war where loss of one’s humanity is worse than dying.

Stone’s not known for subtlety, and Platoon often feels like poetry jackhammered into rock. The death of a major character plays almost like The Crucifixion, and the whole movie is marinated in Samuel Barber’s emotionally manipulative Adagio for Strings. It may be a little overbearing at times, but Stone’s heart is in the right place. Platoon won Oscars for Best Picture and Director.

With Keith David, Forest Whitaker, Francesco Quinn, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, Johnny Depp, Tony Todd, and Reggie Johnson.

Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Sound, Film Editing

Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Tom Berenger, Willem DaFoe), Original Screenplay, Cinematography