Insanity and Hell on Earth

Rating: 10/10 (30 April 1999)

APOCALYPSE NOW is not a war movie. Or at least, it's no more a war movie than Joseph Conrad's novel THE HEART OF DARKNESS, from which this movie was adapted, is about British imperialism. Therefore, nitpicking this film's military anachronisms is rather silly. Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece is instead a study of man's dark side, where the utilization of primordial instincts can lead to insanity and ultimately Hell on Earth.

Coppola's take on Conrad's vision of this dark side is absolutely brilliant. The film moves you closer and closer until finally Hell on Earth is ultimately reached, and Satan takes the form of the insane Col. Walter Kurtz, chillingly portrayed by Marlon Brando. Equally brilliant is the transformation of the film's protagonist, Capt. Willard, into a killer who in his own words "understands a thing or two about Col. Kurtz that he didn't before."
Martin Sheen's portayal of Capt. Willard is utilitarian, but he does shine, particularly in the scenes with Brando, where Willard is held captive in Kurtz's compound. Robert Duvall's all-too-brief appearance in the film as the nutty surfer-wannabe Col. Bill Kilgore is without a doubt the film's finest performance, as acknowledged by an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Other notable performances include Frederic Forrest as Chef and Lawrence Fishburne's film debut as Clean. All-in-all, this film was brilliantly acted.
APOCALYPSE NOW is not only one of the few films brave enough to tackle this controversial subject matter, but it also does so better than any other film I have ever seen. Furthermore, the haunting images: Hueys flying through the fire of Napalm Hell, Col. Kurtz lurking in the shadows, and Capt. Willard rising out of the water with machete in hand looking chillingly Kurtz-like, are the kind that stay with you forever.