Joseph Conrad and Chinua Achebe eat yer heart out

Rating: 10/10 (10 March 2004)

HEALTH WARNING: comments reflect the film in toto if you need not to know the end don't read on. I find this film to be a commentary on the dispute between Conrad-who set a meditation on the void at the heart of European society-in Africa and Achebe who found this an affront for the same reason; the Africa of the story is rather distant and the Africans shadows in the distance. Not only do the Europeans nick the continent off its rightful owners but they don't even give the locals a cameo appearance! This is reflected in the film where Vietnamese people exist to get shot or fall for Kurtz's not so crypto-fascism. By the last third of the film the action is in Willard's head-will he join Kurtz like Colby the first assassin-or do the suits' dirty work. He does neither-killing Kurtz allows Kurtz to expiate his sins and release the locals from their false God at the same time releasing Willard from his dependence on the suits for a "mission". By killing Kurtz Willard confronts his heart of darkness gaining the possibility to become older and wiser.