A Truly Amazing Film and One of My Favorites

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 2010)

Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam epic stands out as one of my absolute favorite movies of all time. I regret that it wasn't until 2005 that I finally made an effort to see this film but I'm eternally grateful that I eventually did. I am personally a fan of the 2001 extended REDUX re-release though the original is still an amazing piece of work. The film follows Captain Benjamin Willard as he embarks on a classified mission into the jungles of Cambodia to hunt down the estranged Colonel Walter Kurtz, who has broken off from the military and embedded himself deep in the jungle. He has established himself as a deity over a native tribe and the military has deemed his methods "unsound". Over the course of the journey down the river, we witness how the horrors of the war affect Captain Willard and the crew of the PBR Street Gang.
I've seen this film countless times at this point and, even at it's over three hour run-time (for the REDUX version), it never ceases to amaze me. I really can't say enough about this film, as I truly loved everything about it: the perfect casting, the beautiful cinematography, the interesting characters, and the feeling it gives as I watch these characters slowly change over the course of the movie. Vittorio Storaro did an amazing job with this film; I loved his use of light and shadow (especially in the final act) and his use of color throughout the film. His Academy Award for this film was well-deserved. Coppola shot this entire film in the Philippines and the story of the film's creation is just as enthralling as the film itself; if you are able, I highly recommend listening to Coppola's commentary on the DVD or, if you can find it, do yourself a favor and watch his wife's documentary HEART OF DARKNESS.
The heart of this film lies in the intriguing characters. From the start, the character of Willard (Martin Sheen) has had his life ruined by Vietnam. His wife divorced him and all he can focus on is the next mission. As he traverses the river, reading Kurtz's dossier and witnessing travesty after travesty of the war, we witness changes in him and we begin to wonder if he's beginning to understand the "madness" of Kurtz. Colonel Kurtz is infamously portrayed by Marlon Brando and, despite the notorious problems on-set with the actor, I loved the cold, strong demeanor Brando brings to the character. We see what Kurtz has become through his time in the jungle and we may even begin to sympathize with him (or at least see what he meant to accomplish).
The supporting characters in the film are equally as impressive as the main players with Dennis Hopper as the tripped-out photo-journalist at Kurtz's compound (one of my favorite characters) and Robert Duvall's Oscar-nominated performance as surf-enthusiast Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore of the Air Cavalry in one of the film's most memorable (and often imitated) sequences. Accompanying Willard on his mission is the crew of the PBR Street Gang, including a young Laurence Fishburne his first major film role. I loved the character of Lance Johnson (Sam Bottoms), California surf pro turn Vietnam soldier. He starts the film as your average young soldier but drugs and stress nearly make him a jungle native by the end.
I truly adore this film and I hope the negativity surrounding it from some won't affect the decisions of those who may not have seen the film yet. I do recommend starting with the original theatrical and, if you find yourself wanting more, move on to the REDUX version. Every time I watch the film, I'm blown away and I hope those who are just now watching it for the first time feel the same. Enjoy.