Platoon...Whoa. Definitely NOT Family Movie Night Material!

Okay, so I just watched "Platoon" and wow. It's...intense, to say the least. I know, I know, everyone's seen it, but I'm usually more into the animated stuff, ya know? But my husband was watching it and I got sucked in. It's about this young guy, Chris Taylor, basically straight out of college and thrown into the Vietnam War. He's so idealistic at the start, and then BAM! Reality hits him HARD. What really got me was the moral stuff. Like, how do you stay good when everyone around you is losing it? There's this scene where they're raiding a village, and some of the soldiers go completely off the rails. It's disturbing to watch. Willem Dafoe (Elias) is amazing at portraying him. He's trying to keep them in line, but it's a losing battle. Then there's the whole conflict between Elias and Barnes (Tom Berenger) – talk about a clash of ideologies! Honestly, Berenger kinda terrified me...he played the ruthless soldier SO well! It's definitely a powerful movie, but also incredibly depressing. And obviously, absolutely not something I'd ever watch with the kids. Way too violent and mature. It really makes you think about the impact of war on people. I probably won't be rewatching it anytime soon, but it's stuck with me. Side note: did anyone else get major flashbacks to the news footage from back then? It made it feel a lot more...real. Maybe that was the point, though!