One of the Ten Best Films Ever Made

Rating: 10/10 (5 April 2004)

You can forget about THE GODFATHER, STAR WARS, or SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. This movie is one of the best there is and is only beaten by a handful of pictures. I'm not talking AFI here, but my own, more accurate scale. This wonderful film, that developed over more than ten years and nearly cost the lives of all involved ranks number 4 on my list of 100 best films, coming in behind CITIZEN KANE, THE TRIAL, and IKIRU.
APOCALYPSE NOW is not merely an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", but an improvement upon that work. This film defies genre classification. It could best be described as an epic, and as that it surpasses any epic made before or since. The scope is great, yet the atmosphere is claustrohobic. The setting is bright and beautiful but the tone is dark and disturbing. It is set in the Vietnam war, but it's not about the Vietnam war. Coppola said the movie was the war itself, but it's even more than that.
After 25 years in release and thousands of reviews, I'm sure you know the plot, but here it is again just in case. Martin Sheen (BADLANDS, THE DEAD ZONE) is Willard who does certain special covert operations in Vietnam. His latest mission is to find Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando- the greatest), who has gone mad deep in the jungle, and terminate "with extreme prejudice". He heads up river on a small navy boat with a mixed bag of men. They first encounter Robert Duval and his love of Wagner, surfing, and napalm. From there things get crazier and crazier. People die, the men lose touch with reality, and then they find Kurtz...
There are plenty of famous scenes in the film and a couple of candidates in the REDUX version (which I actually liked). The score director Coppola produced with his father adds to the already eerie atmosphere of these great scenes. Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries", The Doors's "The End", Flash Cadillac's "Suzy Q", and The Rolling Stones's "Satisfaction" are all used to perfect effect as well, and better than would ever be done again. For use of music, the Du Long bridge scene is probably the most haunting example in the film.
The visuals in APOCALYPSE NOW are at least as good as the score (or should I say, as great). Coppola hired Vittorio Storaro to photograph his masterpiece. Storaro had previously worked on Bertolucci's THE CONFORMIST and LAST TANGO IN PARIS. Like those two films, APOCALYPSE NOW is visually perfect, every shot a splendid display of color and light. I mean this movie looks good!
Saving the best for last, as the movie does, there is Brando as Kurtz himself. He gained too much weight over the course of production to be the
Kurtz Conrad described or Coppola envisioned but he is still one of the most imposing characters realized on screen. Brando delivers the famous "the Horror" speech, not as Milius wrote it, but as his on great bit of improv. His few scenes are addictive in their power. Kurtz has cinema's greatest lines. This is really where all the elements of a movie come together in a perfect blend. With Brando's performance, climaxing a film full of great acting, this becomes a perfect film.
APOCALYPSE NOW is a must see film. Whether you're a movie nut or just somebody looking for a good movie, this is the one you can't miss. This picture spent the souls and minds of all who made it; the least we can do is watch it.
"Pray for your father."