Just as much a war movie as it is a film about society

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2006)

It is the height of the Vietnam war, and the burnt out Captain Willard finally has a new mission; a mission that "does not exist  nor will it ever exist". He is to travel up the Nung River into Cambodia in a U.S. Navy patrol boat and assassinate, Colonel Kurtz, a renegade Green Beret operating independently and staging hit-and-run attacks against the Viet Cong who has set himself up as a God among the Cambodian natives. The U.S. Army believes Kurtz has gone completely insane, but Willard soon discovers the Colonel's bright past. As Willard and his crewmates slowly crawl up the river, with many horrific and strange encounters, more is revealed about Kurtz and Willard slowly becomes more and more like the man he was sent to eliminate.
Martin Sheen puts up an incredible performance as Captain Willard, providing insights into the true nature of the film, but Marlon Brando (Colonel Kurtz) steals the show the minute he appears on screen. Brando is perfect for the role of the eccentric genius and is a foreboding image on the screen. Just as in The Godfather, Brando plays the ruthless patriarch figure very well.
Apocalypse Now derives its artsy, abstract feel and look from the brilliant directing of Francis Ford Coppola and the eye of academy award winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. From the lengthy cross-fades and the strategic placement of scene changes to the long dialogue shots and extreme close-ups. Coppola is a master at using lighting to create a mood. In particular, the lighting within Kurtz's "palace" creates an incredibly eerie feeling.
With the help of the money made from The Godfather and The Godfather: Part Two, Coppola was able to create some fantastic and horrifying scenes, the most prominent of which involved numerous helicopters, hundreds of extras and thousands of real explosions. It is during these scenes that the viewer becomes aware of the satirical nature of this film.
Apocalypse Now is just as much a war movie as it is a film about society. This film examines how society treats people who operate outside of what is considered the norm. Kurtz was an extremely well respected soldier who simply began doing things his own way. The Army deemed his ways unacceptable and marked him for assassination. When you watch this film, perhaps not the first time but maybe on the second or third time, you will begin to draw the parallels between the surreal story of Captain Willard and Colonel Kurtz and the realities of modern society.