The quintessential american movie

Rating: 10/10 (13 May 2000)

The great film, Apocalypse Now, although certainly not the greatest American Film ever made, plays much like America herself (himself?). Coppola said during the film's premier that the film isn't about Vietnam, that is is Vietnam. He certianly could be talking about the native country he hails from as his creation almost perfectly captures the glorious imperfections that is The United States.Since I am only limited to 1000 words, I'll try and be brief. Like America, Apocalypse Now is: frequently pretentious and obnoxious, overbearing and white male dominated, carthartic and broad, bold and imperialistic, beautiful and yet unforgiving, mad, violent, loud and sloppy, over running with great ideas (some fullfilled-others half baked), exhilerating and mortifying, haunting and sentimental, holy and evil, deadly and vibrant, rough and cultured, exploitive and exposing, terrifying and harrowing, reverant and still extremely defiant, plentiful and thoughougly wasteful, independant and slavish, liberal and yet somehow conservative in its worldview, and therefore, ultimately consistently fascinating and stunning. There has never been anything like it before or since. It is an experiment that no film maker will ever be willing to gamble with again in creating. Like a true work of art, this film is unique and one of a kind.Coppola's film reaches the hallmark of many great works of art- it refuses to allow the viewer to sit on a philosophical fence. Because the film is pure cinema in its use of visual and sonic images to tell a story, Coppola forces the viewer to react firstly emotionally to his narrative (the intellectual side can be engaged later if need be). One will either hate it or love it- there is no middle ground. This is much like the world's image of America as a country. Based upon the many mult-national contributors to this outstanding sight, my native country is viewed in those devisive terms. Based too on the many views of this film, the world is split as to whether or not this film is the work of a mad genius or an ugly prententious waste of time. In that respect, the only other film that comes close to Now is in fact Kubrick's 2001. For I can think of no other film that has split so many viewers. For this reviewer, Apocalypse Now is the film 2001 wants so desperately to be. Whereas, I find that film distant and cold, Now is exactly that: immediate and captivating.Now is not the work of a cold visual genius, it is instead the work of a fevered madman desperately holding on to his camera in an effort to keep himself from falling into the abyss. Based upon his career since, Coppola didn't stick to the high ground- he fell.Much like America herself in oh so many examples.Although not a perfect film, Apocalypse Now is a great film. It is the quintessential American Movie. A 10 out of 10.