Nearly 40 Years Later, the GOATed War Movie Designed as a Rebuttal to John Wayne is a Free Streaming Hit

A critical and commercial hit upon its release in 1986, Platoon took Charlie Sheen‘s career to the next level, and was to him what Francis Ford Coppola‘s Apocalypse Now was to his father, Martin Sheen. The movie also featured Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, and a young Johnny Depp, and was the first Hollywood production about the Vietnam War to be directed by someone who had served in it: Oliver Stone. Now, nearly four decades after its release, Platoonis witnessing a surge in popularity on the free Tubi streaming service, proving just how relevant it remains in these divisive times.

According to FlixPatrol, Platoon was among the 10 most-watched titles on the domestic Tubi charts on November 3, when the streamer’s leader board was topped by the Gerard Butler vehicle Den of Thieves. Platoon was designed as an anti-war rebuttal to the 1968 John Wayne movie The Green Berets, whose pro-military stance was representative of Wayne’s controversial personal politics. Stone struggled to get the movie made, even though he’d written the acclaimed Midnight Express and Scarface already, and had directed the war film Salvador. Ultimately, Platoon went on to gross nearly $140 million worldwide against a reported budget of $6 million.

It was nominated for eight Oscars, and won four, including in the Best Picture and Best Director category for Stone. Platoon currently sits at an 89% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Informed by director Oliver Stone’s personal experiences in Vietnam, Platoon forgoes easy sermonizing in favor of a harrowing, ground-level view of war, bolstered by no-holds-barred performances from Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe.” The filmmaker went on to direct several politically themed movies in his career, including JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Nixon, W., and Snowden.

The Vietnam War Continues To Inspire Filmmakers

The Vietnam War sparked a new wave of war cinema in Hollywood, with films such as Michael Cimino‘s The Deer Hunterand Stanley Kubrick‘s Full Metal Jacket joining the ranks alongside Apocalypse Now and Platoon. More recently, Spike Lee revisited the war in Da 5 Bloods, the action-adventure epic that also served as one of the final showcases for Chadwick Boseman‘s talents. Another example is the HBO series The Sympathizer starring Robert Downey Jr.

You can watch Platoon for free at home on Tubi. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.