Review of Apocalypse Now (1979) by Nikhil U — 29 Nov 2013

#11.

I had my moment of alexithymia seconds after the only credits that read " 1979 Omni Zoetrope All Rights Reserved" appeared on the bottom left of the screen. So what was Apocalypse Now really about ? What was Coppola trying to prove ?

It's something bewilderingly spectacular. Just awfully provoking and intriguing.

We start off, with what I personally believe, is one of the most beautiful and opening scene. We see a thick canopy of trees. Wilderness. Mother Nature in all it's beauty. But there's a catch, we're not here to admire it's beauty, we're here to watch it burn. 'The End' by The Doors play in the background as Mother Nature is blown up, with Martin Sheen's face inter cutting. Chaos and destruction, beautifully captured by Coppola.

All of this being , the hallucination of the protagonist, Captain Benjamin Willard (Sheen).

I'm not really a fan of destruction and chaos, but the way it has been shot, Coppola is a true genius. But this is just the beginning, the real genius of Coppola is yet to come, again and again and again.

The movie follows Captain Willard, desperate to get back into the Vietnamese jungle, now lives his life in a claustrophobic motel, descending into sudden fit of frustration from time to time. Atlast, Willard is assigned for a real mission, something he had been craving for. His mission - to exterminate the command of Col. Walter Kurtz (Brando) who is believed to have set himself up as a God among his Montagnard army inside Cambodia. The reason , well, his methods were 'unsound'.

We meet Col. Kilgore on the way, who is supposedly 'Sane', because his passion for destruction is acted upon 'orders from his superiors'. This is the moment when we get to hear the iconic line 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning' .

During the journey , we get know more and more about Kurtz, as Willard flips through his dossier. Decorated, successful and extremely efficient. Willard starts to grow a sense of admiration towards Kurtz.

Here's something about Kurtz, He is accused of being 'insane', because he took matters in his own hands and followed 'unsound' methods. But Kurtz was sharp. He knew where to hit.

Willard reaches his destination. But can he execute what he was sent for ? Can he do it, after witnessing the 'horror' and understanding it ? More importantly, the man himself, who is this mystical personality Kurtz ?

All these questions lead to a stirring and deep ending. One which is thought provoking and spectacular in all sense.

Apocalypse Now is by far THE Best Movie I have seen. The story itself is quite intriguing. The direction is marvelous. From the opening scene, the hallucinations of Willard, the airstrike on the village by Capt Kilgore and his boys, the ending scene. All of them, visual masterpieces. Not to mention the intercutting scenes which have been wonderfully used. Francis Ford Coppola's brilliance is right there, throughout the movie.

Coppola is an inarguable genius.

The cinematography, the camera, the lighting, editing. Technicality is at it's peak. Perfection has been achieved in almost every aspects.

A stellar performance by the Cast. Marlon Brando is awfully amazing. Robert Duvall's Kilgore was a great performance. Martin Sheen lags behind these two heavy weights even though he has the central role.

Apocalypse Now is not a war movie per se. It's a horrific, hypnotic and aural wonder.

Best Film Ever.