derek-a-charette100 Review of Platoon Leader

Platoon Leader (1988)

Just a few missing elements away from becoming a Vietnam War cult classic.

[7/10 · 6 January 2019]

As another reviewer states, the producers of this movie regrettably changed it's title from ''Nam'' to ''Platoon Leader'', as it was released just a year after the epic Vietnam staple, ''Platoon''. Bad idea, for obvious reasons. One thing that does annoy the hell out of me when it comes to 99% of war movies, is that the explosions and gunfire are horribly inaccurate. I wish the visual effects people that make war movies would actually go and study real period-correct combat footage. The explosions are weak, and look like just a little puff of fire and smoke. Greatly inaccurate.... For example, when a claymore directional anti-personnel mine is detonated, there is barely any flash of light and fire given off, as dozens of small steel balls are projected forward in the enemy's direction, and the sound it makes is like a whooshing sound, followed by a BRRRRRAAAPPP as the steel balls pepper the trees and people in front of it. This is just one example of many. War movies need to learn how to get these details more accurate. Anyhow, the movie itself wasn't bad. If you like war-action movies, especially Vietnam, you'll enjoy yourself if you watch this movie, because it's actually very much full of action from start to finish. It also does better than average in depicting real Vietnam combat, and is closer to being realistic than the vast majority of Vietnam movies. The acting, while not spectacular, is still above average compared to the usual Vietnam movies, and the continuity is also slightly above average, and many of the details of uniforms, guns, weapons, speech and the compound is quite accurate. Very intense. Good movie. Worth watching.