A descent into madness...

Rating: 10/10 (8 November 2005)

Masterful. How do you tell who's sane and who isn't when the troops and the officials are all in the war for the wrong reasons? It's a giant cover-up, like the whole affair tried to be and should have been, for the good of the ordinary person's conscience. It's not a movie, it's an experience. They weren't just goofing off in front of the camera, they lived this; and the arduous shoot became a reference point for future troubled productions. The sacrifices were worth it, though; because the end results are nothing short of stunning...
I never understood all the hype around Marlon Brando before I saw this. In "The Godfather" he didn't seem to be stretching himself; but he blew me away here. He's not alone; as an acclaimed cast and director joined together to make not just the finest Vietnam movie ever made; but a work that is easily one of the best films of all time, in its own right.