A modern masterpiece that basically says "war is hell".

Rating: 10/10 (26 November 1999)

Coppola's much-discussed epic Vietnam film, inspired by "Heart of Darkness", holds up great after 20 years. The new DVD version looks and sounds great, but I expected the aspect ratio to be wider. As everyone who has seen the film knows, it is an unforgettable odyssey of alternately surreal, beautiful, and at times shocking images. Many veterans have complained that the film isn't realistic, but that isn't the point. The point is in all the set pieces throughout the film, starting with Martin Sheen's drunken binge in the hotel room. The message is simply "war is hell", so it doesn't really matter that Coppola couldn't decide on an ending. Besides, "the point of the journey is not to arrive..."