Fanastic movie, but enjoyment may require your undivided attention...

Rating: 10/10 (10 September 2013)

Let me start by saying I only made this account so I could write a review of Apocalypse Now.
I'm out of college now, but I remember watching this movie when I was in high school and I remember boredom and confusion and, truthfully, a lack of interest. I didn't "get" the movie. It was too slow. What was the point? What was the mission? Why weren't they getting on with it at a breakneck speed like in Bond or Bourne or ... you know what I mean.
Fast forward to college (I majored in English for the plentiful job prospects ha ha) and studied Heart of Darkness, completely forgetting about Apocalypse Now. Just as many people hate this movie or love it, many people hate the novel by Joseph Conrad or love it. It's slow going and easy to miss the point. I've learned that sometimes we just have to slow our thoughts down to match the pace of the storyteller, instead of trying to outdo him or her.
If you enjoy Heart of Darkness then you will enjoy this movie. Even though the era and location is completely different, this movie is almost an expansion on Heart of Darkness. You get more juicy bits of dialogue, you get to fall a little bit deeper into the crevasses of Kurtz's cracked mind. And if you're any bit a sane human being, you'll find yourself strangely comfortable with the violence and cruelty and language of the movie. You don't get the feeling that the screen is hiding anything from you and at the same time there're no morals getting stuffed down your throat. The characters on screen deal with the gruesome details of war in their own ways. Pick whom you agree with. Some you will pity, some you will find hilarious. One question the movie begs: what, in war, is right?
The music for this movie serves the setting excellently, at one point the bass thumping two beats like a heartbeat. Some rock and roll from the era prevails (like The Doors's "The End"). All of it to make Martin Sheen's journey utterly foreign, exotic, yet familiar.
The visuals in this movie are fantastic. So vibrant and colorful, sometimes it's like a good acid trip. You don't see colors like these in movies nowadays. Watch it and you'll know what I mean.
I don't want to say anything about the plot, but here... This movie, even though it is slow, wastes no time with dialogue. A lot of it is voice-over! If you don't pay attention, you'll miss a new development either on the mission, or on the character. (If you fail to understand the characters in this movie, then you will probably not like the movie.)
Watch This Movie!!
Slow your mind down, try to enjoy it. Give it your undivided attention. Amid all the carnage, callousness, and ruthlessness, you may find a story that is very human, and very close to your soul.