Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now, is probably one of the greatest films I've every seen. Not only is it a amazing war film, it is just an sick movie. Francis Ford Coppola, who is known for directing The Godfather and its sequel, directed this the movie and it was released in 1979 after years of development hell. It stars Martin Sheen as Captain Benjamin L. Willard, a Green Beret sent to assassinate the insane Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, who is played by Marlon Brando.  Laurence Fishburne, Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms, Albert Hall, Dennis Hopper, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford and R. Lee Ermey are in the movie as well.
Plot

In the year 1969, during the Vietnam War, Captain Benjamin L. Willard is sent to assassinate a rogue U.S. Army Colonel named Walter E. Kurtz, who has gone insane and is fighting his own personal war against the Viet Cong in Cambodia. Willard joins a naval patrol boat whose crew is made out of Engine man Jay Chef Hicks, Gunner's Mate Lance B. Johnson, Gunner's MateTyrone "Mr. Clean" Miller and Chief Quartermaster George Phillips who runs the boat. The crew is suppose to take Willard down a long river to Cambodia where Kurtz based.   Along the way they hitch a ride with the First of Ninth Air Calvary, who is led by Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, Robert Duvall, who attacks a Viet Cong village by helicopter before bombing a near by hill with napalm. Throughout the rest of the movie events happen that slow Willard down such as a USO show with Playboy Bunnies, and attacks from the Viet Cong, the North Vietnamese and Kurtz's people. By the time Willard reaches Kurtz's camp Miller has been shot and killed, Phillips killed by a spear and Johnson all messed by LSD the situation goes from bad to worse. Kurtz's people kill Hicks, capture Willard and let Johnson walk around camp cuz he's messed up and no threat. Kurtz then explains Willard his view on the war and shares some of the horrors he witnessed. Kurtz has completely lost his mind from the horrors of war and wants to die. Some time later Willard is released and aloud to walk around the camp freely. One night when the natives are ceremonial killing a buffalo, Willard sneaks into Kurtz room and kills him with a machete. Right before Kurtz dies he whispers,"The Horror, the Horror." Willard then leaves the camp with the Lance, the only surviving member of the crew, and sails away while Kurtz last words are heard again as the screen fades to black.



Review

The plot of Apocalypse Now, is based off the 1902 novel Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad. The novel differs much from the movie, but the tone and theme are very similar. The movie has a very dark atmosphere which is normal in a war movie, but not usually this dark. The lighting of the film is also dark as well as the tone, and camera angles are usually from a higher angle since there on a boat.  The battle scenes are raw and realistic for the time the movie was filmed even through the film isn't really about the battles as much the horrors and psychological affects of war. The casting in this film is great and includes cameos from Coppola himself as well as from real Playboy Playmates. The film has many quotes and scenes which are now present in pop culture now. During the helicopter attack on the village the music Ride of the Valkyries is played which has parodied a lot. Later in this scene Robert Duvall's character call in a napalm strike on a near by hill and say, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." That's not the whole quote but that's the part that usually is quoted in movies and stuff. One of the things present in the novel and the movie is that right before dieing Kurtz say, "The Horror, the Horror," which is probably the second most famous line that come out of the movie.  This film reminds me of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, cuz of the satire in both films.  For example during the helicopter attack scene U.S. troops are surfing while being fired upon.  In 2001, Coppola released an extended version of the film called Apocalypse Now Redux. This version includes 49 extra minutes of film that were not on the original film. This is a bad ass version but it is around three and a half hours long which makes it almost impossible to watch in one session.  Beside the Playboy Bunnies the only other women in the film are Vietnamese which isn't uncommon in a war film.  One of the interesting things in this film is how much gets in the way of Willard's mission, especially in the Redux version.  This film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama and the Academy Award for Best Picture but it lost to Kramer vs. Kramer. All together it is one of my favorite films and one of the best movies out there and everyone who likes epic films should watch it. My Rating System is handgun cartridge. Lowest to highest .22LR, .9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP.   I give this film a .45 ACP.