Review of Apocalypse Now (1979) by Minh V — 28 Sep 2013
Not sure what's so great about this movie. It rambles on and on and on. I thought it was going to be an interesting journey into Capt. Ben Willard's mind but it felt flat after his drunken failing in the hotel with weird kung fu stances.
Sheen, who portrayed Willard, has like 2 expressions: 1 is indifference and emotionless, this expression occupied almost 99% the length of the film and 2, very briefly, near the end when the severed Chef's head was dropped onto his lap.
Perhaps the brutality of the war has desensitized his emotion but still, 3 hours of him mumbling on some nonsense with the same facial expression gets old really quickly. I like Duvall's character - Kilgore - crazy, electric, energetic, charismatic.
Duvall's performance was memorable. Still don't understand what's the big deal about his famous quote regarding the smell of napalm in the morning though. Colonel Kurtz is just sad, pretentious, and pathetic.
Don't know why they need to eliminate him, he just wanted to be in the cave with his indigenous posse and recite rubbish poems. Leave the man alone, he just wanted to get with the nature. By the end of the film, the plot has led me to believe that this film was completely unnecessary.
2 stars for Capt. Kilgore, the mango picking scene in the forest with the tiger, and the ritual killing of the water buffalo.
This review of Apocalypse Now (1979) was written by Minh V on 28 Sep 2013.
Apocalypse Now has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
