Review of Apocalypse Now (1979) by Liam Neeson T — 09 Jun 2013

Apocalypse Now is a Vietnam War masterpiece by Francis Ford Coppola.

The good. This is an other one of those movie you could list everything here. Once again, I'll just mention what makes it special. The impeccable photography, the viscerally poignant visuals, and the incredible score perfectly emphasize the dark chilling gloom of the situation, the sense of impending doom. The story is a solid tale that exposes the twisted nature of the conflict. The long and slow scenario really lets you sink into the morass faced by the main character, like feeling a centipede crawl across your skin. Unexpected events popup all the time.

The actors. Martin Sheen shines and quietly shows his talent as the tortured special force soldier sent on a mission of a lifetime. Robert Duvall is the perfect blustery unshakable commander. Marlon Brando displays all his talent as he portrays a genius commander gone mad. An extremely young and unrecognizable Laurence Fishburne already shows us his potential. And finally, Harrison Ford, fresh from Star Wars, plays a small role as a colonel.

The bad. Nothing.

The ugly. Nothing.

The result. A difficult movie to watch, but a must for anyone with enough fortitude. The redux version should be seen to really understand the whole story. The shorter original version should only be watched by those who want to be exposed to this masterpiece, but are not certain to like it.