Director Oliver Stone’s 1986 breakout tracks the journey of young volunteer Chris Taylor from innocence to brutal adulthood at the height of the Vietnam War in 1967. The 25th infantry is divided between the idealistic Sergeant Elias and the hardened Staff Sergeant Barnes. As the weeks pass and Barnes becomes more unhinged and more dangerous, Taylor faces a moral crisis, culminating during a massive NVA offensive and reconciling when Taylor sees the full impact of the battle in the clear light of day the next morning. Platoon remains a harrowing, ground level film unlike anything about Vietnam that came before it from the United States, which continues to grapple with the legacy of its role in the conflict decades later. Star Charlie Sheen delivers a nuanced performance in his first major role, as do veterans Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger as representations of the dual nature of man; of the idealism or cynicism the war destroyed or nurtured. Stone won an Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe and the Silver Bear for his work.