Review of Apocalypse Now (1979) by Eero V — 29 Dec 2014

Not only the greatest of war films, but one of the greatest films of all time, Apocalypse Now is arguably the finest moment of Francis Ford Coppola's career (even beating The Godfather films, though they aren't really comparable) and an unforgettable journey through the chaos of war and the deepest and darkest corners of the human mind.

The film has a countless amount of flaws: very little character development, inconsistent pacing and bloated running time, but it's the journey itself that really matters, overcomes these flaws and makes the film so unique.

As Coppola himself perfectly described: "My film is not about Vietnam, it is Vietnam." It puts you in the middle of the war, you go through all the madness, chaos and carnage with the soldiers, and when it reaches its climax at Kurtz's temple, it is immensely rewarding.

The entire cast (Martin Sheen, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall and Dennis Hopper, among others) is terrific, even Marlon Brando, who famously shocked Coppola by arriving to the set overweight and unprepared for his role, and improvised all his scenes and dialogue.

But it is Robert Duvall who steals the show here with his Oscar-nominated performance as the lunatic Lt. Kilgore. There are many great war films out there, most notably Paths of Glory, Full Metal Jacket and Platoon, but they are no challenge for this mesmerizing cinematic leviathan.

If there's one war film everyone should see, it is definitely this one.