'The horror...The horror...'

Rating: 9/10 (10 April 2016)

Apocalypse Now is a 1979 Vietnam war film, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and stars Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall. Coppola having previously made a name for himself with The Godfather and The Godfather Part II takes us into war torn Vietnam and follows the story Captain Willard (Sheen) after he is assigned a mission to hunt down a former war hero now insane madman Colonel Walter Kurtz (Brando). Apocalypse Now in reality is a story of two halves and with many different themes throughout, the first being an insight into the horrors and brutality of Vietnam, the second a psychological journey of wits and strength to find and terminate the erratic colonel. Throughout the film we are introduced to a cast of interesting and realistic characters all affected by war in their own ways. Coppola presents his film on a grand scale with masterful visuals, stunning presentation and phenomenal special affects, with possibly one of the greatest soundtracks in film history. The Doors- The End fits the opening and closing scenes perfectly with both having similarly themed lyrics and music, as well as its beautifully haunting, primitive and climactic start, middle and end. Apocalypse Now also extends beyond a regular action-filled war movie with a huge change of pace during the middle and end of the second act, with even more interesting back stories, characters and themes. Apocalypse Now has a thrilling ending perfectly completing the picture and bringing a satisfying and conclusive end to an already spectacular film. The only flaws with the film are some relatively slow moments that do little to advance the plot and some minute comedy moments that take a way slightly from the scene and distract from the atmosphere. Apocalypse Now is one of the greatest movies of all time. 9/10