Review of Apocalypse Now (1979) by Diego T — 03 Sep 2013

One word: WOW. Very few movies can expertly blend action, dark humor, great dialogue, and spectacular acting as well as Apocalypse Now does. Although it's critically acclaimed, I find it to be underrated (even at 99%). It's Francis Ford Coppola's best film, and features the director at both his most unrestrained and imaginative. The cinematography is both memorable and chilling, and some of the scenes are downright biblical. Make no mistake, this is an incredible experience for film buffs-- But it's not pretentious or boring. Even for viewers who value explosions and one-liners the most, this will entertain. Unless you're looking for a romantic comedy, this movie will have something for you.

In case you've been living under a rock since the 70s, I'll clue you in: Apocalypse Now is the story of a young special forces agent (Martin Sheen before he became president) who is assigned to kill a rogue colonel in the field (Marlon Brando) at the height of the Vietnam War. Sheen is perfect for the role, and for those of you who thought he was too much of a goody two-shoes in The West Wing (myself included), this is the movie to watch. He clearly has fun with the role, and uses it to show off his wide range of acting skills. He's both a sympathetic and cynical character who doesn't really know what to believe after seeing some horrible shit in Nam. Also, it features Harrison Ford cameo. So that gets bonus points.

Now on to the cinematography: GOOD HOLY GOD. This movie was made more than thirty years ago, and it still has better and more imaginative visuals than Avatar, The Avengers, or any of the other visual-reliant movies these days. Apocalypse Now doesn't completely lean on visuals to carry the movie, but if it did, they would just about carry it. Coppola has crafted some seriously mesmerizing visuals here, and they capture the anus of the world that is Vietnam in a nutshell. One scene, in which a USO performance involving scantily clad dancers goes awry, is particularly memorable. It's both visually haunting and absolutely fucking genius in creating an atmosphere of immorality and chaos. It's not particularly subtle, but it really doesn't need to be-- the movie hits you with blunt force from the beginning and never lets up.

Essentially every scene of this movie is memorable, but I'll pick the one that I personally loved the most: Flight of the Valkyries. In this scene, a lieutenant colonel aptly named Kilgore (Robert Duvall) wants to inspire his troops before storming a North Vietnamese stronghold from helicopters. And so he blasts the epic Flight of the Valkyries over the radio system, blaring it for all the world to hear and creating one of the most incredible scenes in cinematic history. The juxtaposition of the Americans flying in trumpeting their imminent victory and the destitute, war-weary Vietnamese soldiers on the ground trying to prepare for their imminent loss is enough to send chills up your spine.

This movie is also insanely quotable. From "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" to "The horror... the horror," this movie has more than a couple of entries on the top 100 best movie quotes of all time. But the best lines, as always, are spoken by Brando, who gives the performance of a lifetime. His poet warlord character is both despicable and spellbinding, and although you know you're supposed(?) to want him dead, you can't help but feel that he knows more about the world than those around him. His exchanges with Sheen are legendary, including "You're an errand boy... send by grocery clerks to collect a bill," and one of my favorites: "Are my methods... unsound?" "I don't believe there is method, sir." Absolutely classic.

The action is spectacular and awesome to watch, but it never detracts from the story. In a way, the minimal special effects of the era in which this movie was made adds to it. There's no slow-motion bullshit or ridiculous stunts. It's a reality-based, powerful movie with fittingly realistic action. Not only that, but it's got psychedelic visuals and an ethereal, enchanting musical score. This isn't just a movie for the ages, it's a movie for ETERNITY-- Because no matter whether it's viewed 100, 1,000, or a million years from now, the truths it exposes about humanity's tolerance and capacity for cruelty will still ring true.

Final Score for Apocalypse Now: I award this movie the rare and distinguished Tut 10/10 stars. Even if it is a little long, there's not a second I would edit out. It's visually grand, enthralling, and is basically just a massive stroke of cinematic genius. It's a bummer that the production of this movie almost bankrupted Coppola, as it's hard to shoot a Vietnam War epic of this scale with a low budget. But after a few decades, the movie speaks for itself. I rarely say this, but if you don't like this movie, you need to go out and buy some better taste. Or stop watching Scary Movie and its sequels. Because after seeing Apocalypse Now, you will have a much greater appreciation of cinema. Coppola has waged a psychological war with the audience, and he won. This is the film for people who are serious about being movie buffs.