Review of Apocalypse Now (1979) by William C — 21 Nov 2015

Masterful, precise and trippy, Apocalypse Now is one movie that only after it's over do you fully appreciate the astounding work on show. With Francis Ford Coppola in the directors chair and a cast that just seem to all mould together beautifully, there is no doubt in my mind that this movie is just purely a masterpiece. The film see's Captain Benjamin, L. Willard (Martin Sheen) who is tasked with finding out the whereabouts of a US army Colonel who has gone rogue and is apparently leading a small devout army of locals. Marlon Brando is Colonel Kurtz the man who Willard is after, but before we ever get even near Kurtz, first we go through a series of insanely bright and colourful battles, live shows, a tiger and some fantastically chosen music to accompany you as well.

The majority of the movie is spent on the deck of a Navy Patrol Boat led by a man only known as "Chief", the crew are a good mix of personalities, some miss home, some want to just get the trip over with and some just want to kill some Viet Cong. Throughout the trip down the vast networks of rivers in Vietnam, we encounter brutality and truly come to see war from two perspectives, some say this is Pro-war, and some the opposite and that for me is what makes this so perfect, it never condones or condemns, it just shows normal people in a war. The true human cost is on full show, all the way through I didn't want people to die, I know in some action movies death can seem basic and just common place, but here we see a world where you don't feel anyone really deserves for their life to be ended in such ways.

Coppola draws inspirations and my word do they work for him, he works this movie like a true war film should be, raw but intelligent, thunderous but ultimately horrific in equal measure. As the story goes along you just get to delve into his mind even more and what he was trying to do with each scene, for me the thing that stands out most from him directing is the rich light and textures that show not only the beautiful locations picked, but also the trippy way in which he makes you feel. Seriously after finishing this it gave me a headache but it wasn't so much because the lights hurt you're eyes no, it was the ending which really only after makes you feel kind of weird.

As for the cast in this we have of course as mentioned Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen, both doing undeniably great jobs in their roles respectively. Other cast members include Robert Duvall as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore whose reference to napalm is one the best and most remembered in cinema history. A young Laurence Fishburne appears on Willard's boat as the young solider from the Bronx Tyrone, whose cocky approach to the way in which war works makes Sheen's observations of the things around him even more compelling.

If I could recommend one film about War, then this is one I could not leave behind because it's just so damn flawless, this kind of movie is a rare thing. I think all concluding praise really has to go to Coppola for his work and tireless dedication to it, plagued by troubles throughout filming and Sheen suffering a heart attack this is one film where hard work truly applies. So all in all an unflinching look into the minds of a soldier, the darkness of fighting a battle and the way in which beautiful lands can be ravaged by war.