Platoon Leader (1988)

Expected more

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

American war movies were ten a penny in the 1980s and this low budget addition to the genre doesn't really achieve all that much. It was made by Aaron Norris - his only film not to feature his brother Chuck - and put out by Cannon Films, but it's one of their less entertaining products. Michael Dudikoff is the restrained hero, a young lieutenant striving to win the respect of his men, but for an action star he gets very little to do, physically. The emphasis is on his acting which really isn't all that special. The plot is cliched and predictable and the action scenes are anything but exciting; this is one of those films that's content to go through the motions rather than offering up anything decent in terms of entertainment.

I guess to capitalize on the critical and financial success of Oliver Stone's Platoon, this other film Platoon Leader was made. Though hardly a classic, Platoon Leader is a film with grit and guts like it took to be in Vietnam and never knowing who to trust.Michael Dudikoff is the newly minted lieutenant straight from West Point where classes on classic military theory don't prepare you for jungle warfare in Vietnam. But he's a quick learner and not eager to breakdown and spend the war in the dugout the way his predecessor did.Like Platoon the men don't respect the newby until he's bloodied. Once he is and shows willingness to learn he earns the respect of platoon sergeant Robert F. Lyons on down.In addition to Platoon some aspects of John Wayne's Green Berets are seen in Platoon Leader. The night attack on the base by the Viet Cong scene is almost a copy of one from Green Berets.I should also single out Michael DeLorenzo who gets through his days in Vietnam with a little help from illegal pharmaceuticals. He's a most unmilitary soldier and his is a tragic end.The best war films are usually with lots of historical perspective after the conflict. Platoon Leader is no exception.

A Vietnam veteran who has been in the bush and actually experienced combat will tell you that this film is very close to actually being there. Having viewed almost every film made about the "Nam" this film was very well written and directed. I viewed the film with some of the guys I was with in country with and we pointed out a number of small technical flaws, such as the 173rd Airborne patch on some of the uniforms did not have the Airborne tab over it and the lack of jump wings over the US Army patch stood out. The "LT" should be taking direct orders from his company commander the captain who shows up later in the film not from a major at the battalion headquarters. Other from that the film rates high marks and we were glad to see that the military adviser was Airborne.

This is an above average war film, that's intense and well made, with an excellent lead performance from Dudikoff!. It's got lots of great war action, and all the characters were great, plus i really enjoyed the musical score!. It did take a little while to get going, and some of the dialog was bad, however Dudikoff is quite intense as the lead, flick, however it is quite entertaining, and even exciting at times, plus the ending was cool and very emotional. The character development wasn't too bad, and the story is pretty interesting, plus it had it's shocking moments. This is an above average war film, that's at times intense, and well made, with an excellent lead performance from as he carried the film, it also helped that the rest of the supporting cast was solid as well!. Granted it's your typical low budget War Dudikoff!. The Direction is good. Aaron Norris does a good job here, with good camera work, during the war scenes, good angles, and keeping the film at an interesting pace!. There is a bit of blood. We get lots of very gory wounds, and some gunshot wounds. The Acting is very good. Michael Dudikoff is FANTASTIC as always, and is fantastic here, he is extremely likable and intense, had good chemistry with Robert F. Lyons, and was just tons of fun to watch! (Dudikoff Rules!). Robert F. Lyons is great here, as the Sarge, he is very likable, and had good chemistry with Dudikoff i liked him lots. Michael DeLorenzo is good as the weasel. Rest of the cast do fine. Overall well worth a watch!. *** out of 5