The Loss of Innocence

Platoon features a side of war that is less comforting to a viewer. From the very beginning of the movie, we are all introduced to the darker sides of the Vietnam War like disease, drugs, and hostility between the troops. No movie has ever really scared me of war as much as Platoon has. Oliver Stone delivers a truly powerful message in this movie. War is not pretty...we all know that, but this movie makes war down right ugly. The quote by Charlie Sheen's character at the beginning of the film explains it all: "Hell is the impossibility of reason." That's what this place feels like. Hell. " I don't know if there is a hell, but this movie depicts some truly terrifying things which may be worse than hell. The loss of innoncence is a seemingly important theme presented by Stone. First of all, when the platoon comes across the farming village, some of the soldiers commit unjust murders and rape. These soldiers probably would have never done such an act if they were not in war. Stone definitely presents some of the strong psychological effects of war. After this scene, when Elias wants Bob to be court marshalled, we see an even darker side of war...betrayal. Elias was represented as one of the better soldiers on the platoon. After the shooting of Elias by Bob, it really left me wondering... how many people have died because of situations like this? Elias was an innocent, brave soldier that lost his life because he stood up for what is truly right. I believe the loss of innocence is one of the most powerful tools of rhetoric that can be represented in war movies, and Oliver Stone uses it to the fullest extent.