![\"Film:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/PRI_2578790-bf04-e1772304491855.jpg\")
\n\t\tAn all-time war classic is about to leave Netflix (Picture: Moviestore\/Rex\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tAn all-time war classic is about to leave Netflix (Picture: Moviestore\/Rex\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n
In the age of streaming, we\u2019re spoiled with both brand-new releases and established classics when it comes to choosing which films to pick from.<\/p>\n
But if putting a deadline on availability helps then a title dubbed \u2018excellent beyond words\u2019 and possibly the \u2018best war movie ever made\u2019<\/a> is to leave Netflix<\/a> in a matter of days.<\/p>\n So if you\u2019ve not seen it before then this weekend is the perfect time to sit down and fill that gap in your cinematic knowledge by watching Platoon.<\/p>\n From filmmaker Oliver Stone, the 1986 movie is famous for its anti-war message, inspired by Stone\u2019s own experiences as a US soldier who had served in Vietnam.<\/p>\n Platoon follows idealistic student Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen<\/a>), who volunteers for combat duty in Vietnam in 1967 only to find the reality of a war zone far tougher and more brutal<\/a> than he could ever even have imagined.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tGet personalised updates on all things Netflix\t\t\t<\/p>\n Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro\u2019s TV Newsletter.<\/p>\n Sign up to our newsletter<\/a> and then select your show in the link we\u2019ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.<\/p>\n Infighting between the unit\u2019s two wilful sergeants, who hold opposing views of local villagers and approaches to the conflict, ultimately ends up pitting the American soldiers against each other as well as their enemy.<\/p>\n \t\t Platoon also starred Willem Dafoe<\/a> and Tom Berenger as Sgt Elias and Staff Sgt Barnes respectively, as well as Keith David, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Dillon, Scrubs star John C. McGinley and a young Johnny Depp<\/a>.<\/p>\n Multiple audience members have taken to Rotten Tomatoes<\/a> to celebrate Platoon as the greatest war film in cinema history, giving it a towering 93% score 40 years after its release, with Jack F adding: \u2018When you think \u201cwar movie\u201d, you think either Full Metal Jacket or Platoon.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018An absolute tour de force in cinema. We become fully invested in each character and find ourselves immersed in their world as if we were drafted as well,\u2019 praised another fan, while Lobo T called it \u2018a powerful, painful, must-see film\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018I watched this as a teenager and it had a huge impact on me. Watching it again, almost 40 years later, it still delivers,\u2019 insisted Kenneth L, while Shane O called it \u2018a harrowing watch from beginning to end\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018Some scenes in this film will haunt me for life. It\u2019s what I feel realistic depictions of the horrors of war are,\u2019 they added, while another audience member announced: \u2018Best war film ever made in my opinion. Excellent beyond words!\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t Esteemed critic Roger Ebert<\/a> called Platoon the best film of 1986 in a full-mark review and later included it in his top 10 list of the best films from the decade.<\/p>\n \u2018Platoon is filled with one fine performance after another, and one can only wish that every person who saw the cartoonish war fantasy that was Rambo would buy a ticket to Platoon and bear witness to something closer to the truth,\u2019 wrote the Chicago Tribune<\/a>\u2019s critic Gene Siskel at the time of its release.<\/p>\n \u2018Stone\u2019s eye-blistering images possess an awesome power, which sets the senses reeling and leaves the mind disturbed,\u2019 read Time Out\u2019<\/a>s retrospective review while Total Film<\/a> called it \u2018a still-resonant classic\u2019.<\/p>\n If this has whetted your appetite, you need to be quick about it as Platoon\u2019s final day on Netflix in the UK is March 3.<\/p>\n Stone initially faced great difficulty in getting Platoon made as it was about a now deeply unpopular conflict among Americans, with studios also then arguing that the success of other films about Vietnam, The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now<\/a>, represented a pinnacle of the genre that couldn\u2019t be topped.<\/p>\n \t\t However, it went on to be a major box office hit, earning $137.9million (\u00a3109.6m) on a budget of just $6m (\u00a34.5m) which made it one of the highest-grossing films of the year in the US.<\/p>\n Platoon was also nominated for eight Academy Awards<\/a>, winning four, which included best film and best director for Stone; it has also been preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in America for being \u2018culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\u2019.<\/p>\n The film did receive backlash alongside the praise though, with some Vietnam veterans taking exception to the film showing drug use among soldiers, the killing of civilians and portraying officers as ineffectual, which they saw as misrepresentative and trading on stereotypes.<\/p>\n There was also criticism of its depiction of African-American troops due to Platoon\u2019s lack of Black officers and three key Black soldiers being portrayed as cowards.<\/p>\n Platoon is streaming in the UK on Netflix until March 3, 2026.<\/p>\n Got a story?<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Film:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/PRI_46126455-ca68-e1772304581406.jpg\")
\n\t\tPlatoon was based on director Oliver Stone\u2019s real-life experience in Vietnam (Picture: Moviestore\/Rex\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"Film](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/PRI_37953590-fe44-e1772304597656.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe film stars Charlie Sheen as well as Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger and Forest Whitaker (Picture: Orion\/Rex\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"No](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/PRI_2578785-ac67-e1772304615343.jpg\")
\n\t\tIt has been recognised as a \u2018must-see\u2019 movie and an \u2018absolute tour de force\u2019 (Picture: Moviestore\/Rex\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"1986](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IP_450691-6d86-e1772304883573.jpg\")
\n\t\tPlatoon is considered one of the greatest war films \u2013 and films \u2013 of all time (Picture: Warner Bros)<\/p>\n
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