This is a groundbreaking masterpiece of a movie.

Rating: Null/10 (8 October 2003)

Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now' is one of the most controversial movies that our world has been privileged to see. I have heard many rumours about what happened on the set of this film, causing many problems, but I believe that does not distract from how good a movie I think it is. But I warn you, Apocalypse' has a very long and confusing story that might make it hard for you to appreciate what Coppola was trying to show. There have been many war movies made by Hollywood, but none are quite like this.

Nominated for 8 academy awards, Apocalypse Now tracks the journey of Captain Willard, a US Army intelligence officer sent on a hazardous mission up river in Cambodia to terminate with extreme prejudice' an American renegade, a colonel named Kurtz' who has spun out of control (and out of his mind!), in a remote jungle compound.
Apocalypse Now was really well made by Francis Ford Coppola (as director, producer and screenwriter). Coppola had many moments in the film where he wanted to say something and that is what he did. I love the way he shot the war scenes in this film, as they were not only very dramatic, but also very funny as well. I am certain that he was trying to deliberately show the irony of war', a real highlight of the film.
Helping Coppola write the film's screenplay were Michael Herr and John Millus. They all did a fantastic job, incorporating the mind-boggling story of Hearts of Darkness', by adventurer Joseph Conrad. It is my view that this story, while being hard story to understand, is important for people to learn about. All the writers did with this story was replace the trip up the Congo Marlow has in the HOD' story, with the river trip thorough Cambodia for Captain Willard and his crew. Some people could criticise this movie's story, saying that Coppola used it for his own convenience. However I think it is good to try and learn about an old story, in a modern kind of way, in a story that has undoubtedly affected our world, for many years now.

This movie shows many characters that have gone mad (or indeed are about too end up that way!). Its main star is Willard (Martin Sheen), the captain that is given the unenviable task of trying to find the ex-army colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando). While Sheen was good in certain parts of his role, I must say that I found Willard to be a very mysterious character that lacked in dialogue. For me, this made him very hard to like.
A lot has been said about the small role taken on by legendary actor Marlon Brando. He might have been paid one million dollars for the performance, but he does show he was the right person for the job. I believe Brando comes across perfectly as this army colonel, gone insane. When Brando says The horror, the horror', it brought back some fond memories of the HOD' story for me. It is also funny to see the Photojournalist (Dennis Hopper), who is a really strange guy, harassing Willard when he finally finds Kurtz at his jungle hideaway. This character is another man that could be considered crazy', as all his actions signal that to me.
The other cast members in the film take a lot less of the limelight in the film, as that is how the story wants them to be. But they still do have an impact at certain times of the movie. At the beginning of the film we meet a few officials that give Willard his mission. One of them is a Colonel (a very young Harrison Ford). Then on the boat that is helping take Willard on his mission through the Cambodian river are Chef (Frederic Forrest), Chief (Albert Hall), the boat driver, Lance (Sam Bottoms) who has a disturbing death scenes, and Clean (an almost unrecognisable Laurence Fishburne), whose death is much more dignified than that of the chief.
When we see the war zone in Vietnam for the first time, we meet a most unusual personality, Lt. Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall). The scene with the Kilgore in it at the earlier stage of the movie, is truly great, as we see the war going on around him (with no shirt on mind you), but what is even more amazing is that he tells his officers around him, it is ok to surf, get out there or fight'. Now in any normal war film, that would be the last thing on anyone's mind, let alone an order from a top ranking official.

However, the most disturbing scene in the film happens when the navy boat crew stops, suspicious about the occupants of a Vietnamese boat. The massacre that follows is very hard to watch, but it does show what can happen, when men are trained to fight and kill in war. Willard as Captain shows absolutely no compassion to these people at all.

I am not worried if there are people out there that hate this movie, but I hope you at least gave it a chance before feeling that way. I hope that in some way my review has given you an insight into what the film is about. I must reiterate that this film has an historical story attached to it. If you are a fan of literature, I can only recommend you read the Hearts of darkness' story, but be ready for heavy bit of reading. If this movie gets a bit heavy for you, keep reminding yourself what it is trying to show - Captain Willard and his mission, which is to find this brilliant army colonel that has gone completely mad and kill him. This is a brilliantly made film, with a remarkable story, cast and direction. I can only recommend you that you see it.
CMRS gives Apocalypse Now': 4.5 (Very Good  Brilliant Film)