a surrealisticly beautiful, yet horrifying ballet of horror

Rating: Null/10 (7 May 2000)

Horror and Beauty "Horror and moral terror are your friendsÂ…" Those words from Apocalypse Now still haunt me and call to mind some of the more horrible scenes from the movie. Yet, you know sometimes when you finish watching a movie, and then feel like you must have missed some deeper meaning? This happened to me after watching Apocalypse Now, so I have decided that the ideas in this movie are simply above my very limited understanding. To me it was a movie about the horrors of war, and the inhuman strength needed to cope with these horrors. If there is more to the movie, so be it, maybe someone can explain it to me. As for the actors, the choice of Marlon Brando (Col. Kurtz) was great, as his lisp gave his otherwise frightening character somewhat of a human touch. Sheen (Capt. Willard) was very good, but somehow did not stand out as much. Finally, Duvall (Lt. Col. Killgore) was suprisingly wonderful, even in the little role he had. The movie has some of the greatest visuals I have ever seen, especially for its time. The war scenes were frighteningly brutal, and yet very surrealistic (the armada of helicopters, the burning bridge, the lit up military base). Wherein lies somewhat of a problem. Instead of the scenes of war looking totally realistic, such as in the recent Saving Private Ryan, they looked more like a well-rehearsed ballet of horror, watched through a serious acid trip. What makes these scenes so powerful, however, is the fact that when you are watching them, you realize how beautiful some of them are. But if you find depictions of war beautiful, what kind of person does that make you? This question that you ask yourself ends up being a key part in the main theme of the movie. This movie is one of images, much more than it is one of words. What the characters speak is simply a backdrop to what we are witnessing on screen. Needless to say, the cinematography and special effects are absolutely amazing. The plot however is very simple. A Vietnam veteran, Capt. Benjamin Willard (Sheen), is called back into the war to assassinate a Col. Kurtz (Brando), who has gone mad and has begun executing the locals. Willard travels there on a boat with mostly fresh recruits, and we witness as they come to grips with the horrors of war. As he reads about the general he is to kill, he slowly begins to understand him more and more. Finally, as he arrives, he has to face the reality of the madness of this man, and the strange society he has created on his base. I definitely recommend this movie to everyone, but you must be careful of watching it with preconceived notions or expectations. It is definitely an experience unlike any other, as I know of no movie that is even remotely like this one. Still, it is quite strange, and different people will take away different things from it. Vietnam was truly a horrible war, compared even to WWII. While in the later it was clear who the enemy was, in the former, the peasant you see on the street could be a simple, common man, or a someone carrying a grenade in his pocket. This movie definitely reflects this fear and uncertainty in some of the most brutal and unforgettable scenes that I have ever watched. However, a lot of the time, we do not even see the enemy that the soldiers are fighting, which is what makes many of the scenes so surrealistic. So if you are looking for a completely realistic depiction of war, this movie might not be for you. If, however, you want to see war in all its horror, and yet surrealistic beauty, then definitely rent it.