These two really are the driving force behind the film. Chris sees his platoon fragmented into two halves, each aligned with one of two men - Sgt. Quickly we're introduced to the well-known facets of the Vietnam War: The lack of sense of purpose, the wraith-like enemies, the obvious prevalence of the uneducated and poor among the fighting grunts - and, soon, we see how these factors combine to cause widespread low morale and some actions of more than questionable ethical value. In the first ten minutes, Chris is shown in the uncomfortable jungle, struggling just to survive in the natural environment, let alone do any actual damage to the enemy. The story is told from the point of view of Chris Taylor (solidly played by Charlie Sheen), a middle class kid who goes to Vietnam to do what he thinks is his patriotic duty.
No doubt, Platoon shows the Vietnam War was a big mistake, but being a fictional documentary on Vietnam is far from its purpose. Satan, and the war is there to set a perilous backdrop. While this is certainly true, what's often overlooked - at least after only one run through the film - is that it's chiefly a tale of God vs. Platoon is generally regarded as one of the strongest anti-war films of all time.
