You too will love the smell of napalm in the morning

Rating: 9/10 (23 October 2008)

Wow. After seeing Apocalypse Now (redux version) i was left amazed. Shocked in a good way. What i'd heard about the 'Nam war epic led me to believe this film would be Napalm strikes and Huey's ahoy. Actually, i wouldn't have minded that.
But everything changed after viewing the opening credits. The brilliant treeline shot couldn't have had more atmosphere. The Doors 'The End' has since become one of favorites. And then we're hit with an excellent monologue by Martin Sheen, brilliant but disturbing. As soon as Capt. Willard is given his mission to terminate Kurtz, the film destroys all war-film convention; spearheading the viewer down a river of madness. The fighting sequences are far and few between, but all were visions of perfection. When the VC aren't shooting, the film still doesn't lose any of its tone. The haunting scenery leaves nothing to be desired in the cinematography department. The script is near perfection. And the acting is second to none. Sheen remains solid throughout, perfectly depicting his gradual descent into madness. Robert Duvall's portrayal of Kilgoare is brilliant for the time he is on. From the second he hits play on the 'Ride of the Valkyries' you know your in for a treat. The Pibber crew all put in great solid performances. A real standout is Marlon Brando. I can't help but picture the look on Francis Ford Cuppola's face when Brando showed up 40kgs overweight and without knowing his lines. Despite the apparent lack of preparedness by Brando, he still does a wonderful job as Kurtz, the insane military prodigy.
Now for the unfortunate cons. Some of the redux additions are great, whilst there are some very cringe worthy new scenes. The addition of the Playboy bunnies scene at the abandoned medical camp is useless. It adds nothing to anything, and almost completely destroys the wonderful mood set up by the film entirely. Another useless input is the French plantation sequence. Not that bad if you think about it, but half an hour crapping on about the French position on the war is ridiculous. Cut in half, then squeezed further, it may have worked. But it does a similar job of letting the films atmosphere slip at an important moment.
Despite some shaky scenes, and the useless crap shoved in by Cuppola for the redux version, Apocalypse Now delivers on every front. Everything just seems right about it. It is an emotional struggle at the best of times, but i will no doubt leave you thinking long after you've seen it. If you want to watch this expecting a die hard action film, think again. YES the action is brilliant. But this film is oh so much more than a war film. It will toy with your mind, screw it up, and ship it home in a body bag. But you HAVE to see it. And once you do, i guarantee, you too will love the smell of napalm in the morning.