A brutal, bloody masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (16 May 2020)

Some people argue that Apocalypse Now is one of the greatest movies ever made. After watching this film, I can understand their side of the argument. After further research into this film, I have only learned to love this film even more.
Watching Apocalypse Now is like observing a slow descent into madness. More than observing, the audience is actively descending into this madness itself. Martin Sheen as Captain Willard lets the audience get into the mind of a soldier slowly losing it. His performance in this film is unmatchable. As Captain Willard gets closer to his goal, we can see how things begin to unravel piece-by-piece. The river itself as a metaphor of the slow descent.
Marlon Brando, for his brief appearance in the film as Colonel Kurtz, shows the other side of the madness. The soldier who actually lost his mind and let the war consume him. Chilling and provocative.
And I couldn't help but notice that Harrison Ford and Laurence Fishburne made appearances in this film. Truly an AAA+ cast all around.
The set pieces used in this film are unmatchable. In a world of pre-CGI, practical effects were the way to go. And this film is far from short of that. Explosions, gunfire, the gore is on full display. The war itself is an unforgiving meat grinder that doesn't differentiate between American or Vietnamese.
Francis Ford Coppola made a masterpiece with this film. Very few war films will be able to match the bar set by Apocalypse Now.
5/5.