it is not a war film nor is it necessarily a Vietnam war film

Rating: 9/10 (25 August 2008)

Apocalypse Now (redux) 8-25-08
I'll begin this comment by saying that I don't find this film to be either of the things its often prescribed to be...that is to say that it is not a war film nor is it necessarily a Vietnam war film. Yes the film narrative takes place during a war more specifically the American conflict in Vietnam but it it about neither of those things specifically. It is to my way of thinking a film about our human tendency towards war and how utterly hypocritical said institution is viewed in our modern world. The film is hallucinatory to the point of being almost dream like. It is both pensive and insane. The narrative is more akin to a fairy story than any war film. Alice and Wonderland comes to mind...Willard following the white rabbit down the river to meet the red queen that is Kurtz all the while running into some colorful characters. Its impossible for me to think about this remarkable film with out thinking of two actors and how completely essential components they are to making this one of my all time favorite films. Martin Sheen is a miracle in this film, words cant describe how f^%$# amazing he is. On screen he is both pensive and brooding but its is his narration that is utterly brilliant and it is this narration that glues the myriad facets of this film in place. In many ways Mr. Sheen is Apocalypse Now but he is not the star. The star of this picture is a man who appears on screen only briefly towards the end but whose presence carved out a place in my conscience. That man is Marlon Brando. He is the star for so many reasons not the least of which is that the whole god d%$# thing is about his character. We spend what feels like a week hearing about this guy, the whole film is building to this climax that will surely disappoint. Not only did it exceed what I was expecting but it completely overshadowed the three plus hours that preceded it. If I were to muster any complaints about this film is would perhaps be its pace...it feels like a long film. The version of the film I viewed had it split between two discs and this is appropriate as one might want to take a break. Though I certainly prefer the film in this longer version (redux being a more recent extended cut of the film) and would not want to see anything excised from the film so take my complaint with a grain of salt.