Treatment of the Vietnam War in “Apocalypse Now” Versus “Platoon” Anonymous College

During and after the Vietnam War, Hollywood studios produced several films depicting the realities of the war from different angles. The films exhibit variations in their aesthetics and even occasionally some have conflicting ideas about the war and America’s participation in it. However, they also exhibit shared aims especially on American soldiers’ response to the war and the subsequent effects on them. For instance, Francis Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, a film about Captain Willard who is on a secret mission to kill a renegade officer Colonel Kurtz alleged to have gone insane. While the film occasionally glorifies the battle sequences, its main focus is the negative effects the war has on the psychological health of American soldiers. On the other hand, Oliver Stone’s Platoon is an anti-war depiction of the brutality and violence of the war and the subsequent disillusionment of the soldiers introduced to the war. The film follows Chris Taylor who abandoned his education to enlist in the war and once in it his innocence fades. As an inexpert soldier met with the terrors of the war he faces a moral crisis from his conflicting duality. Thus, while both films exhibit similar elements they also harbor distinct attributes in their...