Platoon
2026-01-03
Toronto, ON

I'm still lukewarm on this one. There's tons of Vietnam War movies to pick from, undoubtedly from some of your favourite directors. And this large selection makes sense historically speaking, those times being the perfect vacuum socially and politically to pull in these auteurs. But I'll choose to specifically compare this one to Casualties of War, since they both deal largely with in-unit conflict. I prefer the way De Palma methodically crafts the hierarchy and throws it at a more harrowing single incident. Platoon to me feels like a more throw it all at the wall and hope something sticks kind of approach — there's bound to be something horrifying enough here that'll stick on your conscience. And to be fair, this approach is probably more akin to the actual frontline experience. But to me, it just loosens the lasting impact. It's still a very well done movie though, from the sweaty and claustrophobic combat to the insanely stacked cast and performances. And Willem Dafoe has always had the sauce.

Watched on 35mm at the Revue. 40th anniversary screening — oh right, we're in 2026 now! Not sure where this print was sourced from, but I'm honestly surprised at how clean it looked. It probably would have added to the aesthetics if it looked a little more beat up, but I'm nitpicking.