Don't Get Off the Boat

Rating: 8/10 (25 September 2017)

In Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, a soldier, referred to as Captain, is given a mission to "terminate" a mentally unstable officer by the name of Colonel Kurtz in 1970's Vietnam.
The film opens with on a scene of coconut trees with instrumental music accompanying this image. As the lyrics enter the song, the trees are lit into flames, the words "this is the end" being sung in the background. This effective cinematographic choice to open the films sets the overall tone and foreshadows the ultimate fall of some character or situation.
Captain Willard, or Captain, has been on tour previously, leading to symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and a divorce from his wife. Leave has led to him feeling unrest, and he seeks a mission to give him strength again. His role in the military has given him purpose in life and without it, he is lost. When given the mission to terminate Colonel Kurtz, he accepts with little hesitation. Unlike other war films, the protagonist's goal is not within the typical boundaries of war alliances. His proclaimed antagonist is a member of the United States military. Colonel Kurtz serves as a unique character, having once been a model officer of the United States, but falling from prestige due to some unknown shift toward "madness". However, he has a select following that honors him as a god, justifying his ever flaw.
As Captain travels toward the end of the Nung River, where the Colonel is said to be hidden, he is accompanied by a few soldiers, and meet many Vietnamese civilians along their travel. Each character serves toward a large social commentary of the effect of war on the psyche. When some characters meet an untimely death, the question of whether any humanity exists in war is presented.
Throughout the film, graphic wars scenes are interrupted by banter and social interaction between the soldiers. These scenes often allude to pop-culture as the soldiers seek some semblance of American life while oversees. It really highlights the unique circumstance that these individual's face daily and how home is the goal of many, though not Captain's.
At one point in the film, Captain re-iterates his mission, as though to reintroduce it. This shows how his reason in following through has changed. He had at once been seeking a mission, and accepted for that reason, but he soon comes to wish to interact with Colonel Kurtz. It is as though him and his assumed antagonist are not so different after all.
While the film was thought provoking, and had all of the aspects to make it a "good" film, I did not personally find it overly enjoyable. This may be due to its long length or my limited interest in this genre. Overall, I would rate this film an 8/10.