Platoon

THE most politically charged and emotionally authentic of Vietnam War movies – which isn’t surprising given it’s written and directed by a veteran. Oliver Stone volunteered for service in ’Nam and won a Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his courage in combat. But he returned home haunted by the things he had seen and done. Charlie Sheen is his on-screen alter ego, a young recruit torn between the ruthless Sgt Barnes (Tom Berenger) and compassionate Sgt Elias (Willem Dafoe), as he tries to survive the ultimate rumble in the jungle. Though it won four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, Platoon isn’t a romanticised depiction of war – it’s a grubby exploration of trying to survive in an unfamiliar country. As Sheen says in voiceover: “I think now, looking back, we did not fight the enemy; we fought ourselves.”