a mission into moral terror: not the average war adventure

Rating: Null/10 (15 June 2001)

Vittorio Storaro (Il Conformista, Reds, Last Emperor) here did his best cinematography ever. The atmosphere he created with Coppola will stay with you forever. Not to forget the integration of music: it's like a ballet on experimental sounds and contemporary rock. That's what makes this more of a hallucinating adventure into a darkened heart ('Horror and moral terror are your friends.') than an a fast-pace war-movie about some horrifying experiences or. This is art.
I liked Martin Sheen in Catch-22 as Dobbs, but this is the most intriguing part he ever did. He himself seems to be hallucinating (apart from the booze) as he learns about what's going on around him and what his mission is about: 'The bulls..t piled up so fast in Viet-Nam, you needed wings to stay above it.' Marlon Brando wasn't great (although his character is terrifying and he looks great) in this film, but I felt Laurence Fishburne (Cotton Club, Matrix) was more interesting with his disarming performance. Surprisingly, Robert Duvall is the comic (hilarious?) relief as the virtually untouchable Kilgore.
I don't think Orson Welles could have done greater work directing this one (novel by Joseph Conrad) than Coppola. Zoetrope rules. And I haven't even seen the extra 53 minutes yet!
Why o why can't we vote 11 :(