Apocalypse Now
Directed by Francis Ford CoppolaAt the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.
Cast of Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now Ratings & Reviews
- Alex Swinge5d agoGreatest movie of all time. Ever. Of all time.
- 匚卂尺ㄥFebruary 23, 2025Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 Classic - Apocalypse Now, is a dark, ambiguous reflection on the insanity inflicted by the Vietnam War. Having been fortunate enough to have watched the final cut in cinemas, I have to say Apocalypse Now is truly an experience like none other. Its hard to pin down what makes the movie so extraordinary; whether its the impressively put together sets (particularly during the flight of the Valkyries), the breathtaking shots of silhouetted figures in the dark of the jungle, or even the phenomenal use of 'The End' by The Doors at both the beginning and the end of the film. Roughly six months after initial viewing I decided to watch 'Hearts of Darkness', a documentary on the infamous shooting of the movie shot by Coppola's wife Eleanor. It gave me some insight into the chaos that occurred during filming, and the madness that ensued. Martin Sheen, who played Captain Willard, badly wounded his hand upon accidentally breaking the mirror upon shooting the first scene. Drunk and drenched his blood, he then continued to act out the scene in a much more convincing manner that brought out the insanity and misery the of actor and character alike. This is one of the many examples of how each of the members of the cast gradually completely lost their minds, and as a result, were absolutely phenomenal. Even Marlon Brando and Dennis Hopper, who are only introduced in the final act of the film, really give it their all. The dialogue in the film (and also the monologues from Sheen), is also fantastic and really gives you a solid understanding of each of the characters. For example; Lt. Colonel Kilgore (played by Robert Duvall), is an insane, reckless warmongering leader who amongst the screams of dying Vietnamese innocents, can only think about whether or not the waves are suitable for surfing. His heartless insensitive attitude is summed up really well by the line "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning", although to my understanding Duvall came up with that line himself. Unfortunately there are a few issues I find with film. The most recent cuts of the movie have added a notable amount of new footage, most of which is great, but I find issue with the whole French family sequence. The idea was to show that despite the fact the war is going on, some people still refuse to accept it, and due to their stubborn nature, dismiss the idea of leaving the country. I understand the sentiment, and that Coppola put a lot of effort into creating these scenes (which is probably why he added it back), but the fact is that they aren't that interesting and completely break up the pacing. However I won't let that detract from the overall score, as this issue isn't present in the theatrical release. Apocalypse Now, is in my opinion nothing short of a masterpiece. Thanks to its haunting narrative, exceptional acting, impressive sets, extraordinary pacing, fantastic use of music and beautiful cinematography, it has become one of if not my favorite move of all time.
- gatsby808April 20, 2025An instant classic which gets better with time!
- .LAGApril 28, 2025The horror of a man descending into the heart of madness, in order for him to kill someone who's already arrived there is sad and depressing, but shot beautifully.
- Oliver ReznikApril 27, 2025Original Cut The beginning is so outstandingly good. It really contrasts with the rest of the movie that takes place out in the field. I find the jungle setting a bit monotonous. It's a long movie, with a lot of chaos and horror. The chaos + horror has a subtly changing flavor as you go along, but it can still be a bit trying on the nerves after a while. This is an adventure movie, structured into a number of vignettes. Like I said, each has its own flavor, but the prevailing ideas remain the same. Outstanding work was done with layering the chaos throughout these scenes. Extremely textured environments. A lot of the weapons look like fireworks though. Lots of quotable lines too. Obviously, a major factor of this movie is the anticipation it's building up in the confrontation with Kurtz. Done masterfully by the catalyst scene as well as the entrancing voice over by Willard, and of course the various recordings, photographs, and newspaper clippings that Willard pours over on the approach. It's interesting, I've seen this movie twice before, both a long time ago, and I didn't quite remember the true nature of Kurtz's aura that I took away from those viewings. Again, I've watched it, and I still don't want to take anything specific away, or try to describe it in a constricting way. It's intentionally nebulous, I think. Certainly, extremely powerful. It's one of the things that's lasted in my mind all these years. And I think the in-exactness of it is part of the charm. I think about the annoying, psychotic photographer sycophant that exists prominently at Kurtz's compound. That's a real, obviously crazy, goofy clown of a character. But his brain worm ramblings exist in contrast to Kurtz's much more authoritative ramblings, giving them a feeling of weight and credence. Kurtz even displays disgust in the photographer. Maybe the mystical weird things he says actually mean something? I don't know. But it's outstanding theatrics. The photography of Kurtz is ridiculously outstanding. This is a war movie. I have a distaste for war movies. I think it's partially due to the temporary, and constrained nature of these liminal civilizations that pop up to support the war effort. You got entertainment, you got work, you got food. But it's not as rich as a big a city or a cabin in the woods. Two thirds of the population (women and children) are excluded for one. There's only so many different things that can happen in a war zone, right? This really is a firing on all cylinders, virtuosic masterpiece. I really recommend watching Little Dieter Needs to Fly to get a more firsthand account of what it was like in the jungle. Apocalypse Now feels like particularly high effort Herzog movie, interestingly.
- sKRxPTidMarch 2, 2025As someone who considers myself an amateur film aficionado it's incredibly rare and even more refreshing to get an opportunity to watch a film of this caliber for the first time at my age. Somehow this film slipped through the cracks and took almost 40 years to make it to my television screen. Like a piece of your favorite discontinued candy lost to the back of your freezer only to turn up ten years later and defrost back to a perfectly preserved piece of time, I savored every moment in watching this knowing the rarity of this unprecedented occurrence. Chock full of some of the artforms greatest contributors in their prime and at their best. These icons act out a historical film of historical relevance yet still manage to stay free of bounds to any particular format. The storyline is unpredictably satisfying with unforgettable scenery and moments. Something like Forest Gump with a bad batch of psychedelic mushrooms 🍄. One of the best films I have every watched. A True American Classic ,Bravo! 👏 9.3/10
- Lucas CraparottaApril 19, 2025I did not enjoy this film. Not for me.
- tellumApril 10, 2025There are many great Vietnam war movies, but even with very stiff competition in the genre this stands out. There are scenes that will be burned in your brain, for better or worse, so at the very least this movie is an experience.
- mike veederDecember 23, 2024Great movie. Too many commercials
