Review of Apocalypse Now (1979) by Compi24 — 23 Aug 2019

Part inspired successor to Joseph Conrad's classic novella "Heart Of Darkness," part pulse-pounding portrait of an era/place all too rife with chaos, and part expressionist fever dream of all the worst, yet still somehow beautiful looking imagery you could possibly imagine baring witness to, Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" really needs no academic, film fan, or Joe Shmoe to confirm its resonance as a cinematic classic.

But, if I were to try my hand at doing so, I'd say that it really, truly is all of the aforementioned. It's nightmarish, eerie, undeniably well-performed, incredibly well-staged, and featuring some supremely keen set piece design.

There's almost nothing about this movie that doesn't feel like it could have been made yesterday. Except for the music. Yes, I'm going to be that guy. And, no, I'm not talking about the brilliant, temporally evocative usage of The Doors' classic hit, "The End.

" I'm mostly just talking about the synth-heavy score, which -- although ahead of its time as per the film's release -- simply isn't as timeless as everything else on display. Still though, the overall experience is nothing short of revelatory.

If you've been busy being a fool like I've been for the past two decades and haven't seen this; get to work. You won't soon forget any of it.