A great film just got better

Rating: Null/10 (1 October 2002)

I was a big fan of the original Apocalypse Now, and when the redux first appeared, I wasn't sure what to think. Would the new scenes be good enough, or should they have stayed cut? Thankfully, the new scenes really develop the film further.
The French plantation romance scene is a perfect example of this, as we get to see a more human side of main character Willard. "One side of him that kills, one side that loves." or words to that effect. We also get a moving funeral for Clean, who was in the old version simply left in the river. Clean in general feels more developed than the simple cannon fodder he was before. I like the fact also that the new scenes don't detract from the film's anti war themes, and the characters descent into madness, as the journey moves along.
The ending's still a bit limp, but when the rest of the movie's this brilliant, I'll forgive this problem. If you've only seen the old version, it is well worth checking the redux out, as we now get roughly three quarters of an hour extra footage, that really completes the piece. Robert Duvall's Colonel Kilgore is still the show stealer with his "Napalm in the morning" speech.