What's all the fuss about?

Rating: 4/10 (13 October 2013)

I finally got to sit down and watch this iconic film (on TV I must admit) and was mightily disappointed. Maybe - almost certainly - it was more powerful when it was made in 1979 but I didn't feel it had anything new to say for today.
Yes - the cinematography was great and the battle scenes were incredibly realistic for that time but that is not what makes a good film. The story line was pretty non-existent; the message (war is futile and dehumanising??) has been made many times before (and since) and I felt no empathy with any of the characters (with the exception, strangely, of the pilot of the boat). I really didn't care whether the Duvall character lived or died! The scene towards the end interspersing the sacrificial killing of a bullock(?) with the killing of the mad Kurtz was embarrassingly trite and the film in general - dragged....! Sorry - this film is over-hyped!!