Not your typical war movie.

Rating: 8/10 (8 March 2010)

If you are looking for a film with a huge, muscular topless guy with a chain gun mowing down hundreds of men, then this movie is not for you, I would recommend that you watch Rambo instead.
Anyway, the only other war films that I have seen that I would believe relate to 'Apocalypse Now' would be 'Full Metal Jacket' (1987) and 'Platoon' (1986).
Firstly, what struck me about this film is the lack of the typical exaggerated, ultra-violent battle scenes which have become the norm for many war films. Instead, to capture the viewer, the mental effects of the war are highlighted by showing how the war in Vietnam has mentally broken and damaged the soldiers, and we can see how they almost deteriorate during the progression of the film, the two scenes that especially capture that are the first five or ten minutes were we can see Martin Sheen, pacing around his room in Saigon, and the scene where Colonel Kurtz speaks of the mutilation of Vietnamese children. This film is truly chilling and allows you to see the Vietnam War from a more realistic, dark perspective. This film is certainly worth a watch, but if your idea of a war film is two hours of violence, you may not appreciate 'Apocalypse Now'and what it aims to get across to you, the viewer.