10 Best Willem Dafoe Film Performances
4. Elias Gordon - Platoon (1986)
((( HEADING CHANGE: Sgt Elias - Platoon (1986) ))))
Securing his first Oscar nomination, Dafoe starred in Oliver Stone's iconic Vietnam War drama alongside Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger as Sergeant Elias, an idealistic but disillusioned soldier who has lost faith in the war but finds a friend in Sheen's innocent Chris Taylor.
Platoon is one of the most personal and powerful war movies ever made, and within it Dafoe is working at full force. Intimidating, comforting, hardened, conflicted and battle scarred, Elias is the moral centre of the film, working brilliantly to contrast with the cutthroat and cynical Sergeant Barnes (Berenger, also Oscar nominated for his role).
If that wasn't enough, Dafoe also gives audiences one of the most iconic deaths in cinema in his final moments on camera, mortally wounded and attempting to escape the enemy as the rest of the platoon watch on, unable to save him. Dafoe sells every moment, and it's a joy to see.