It'll take you out there.

Rating: 10/10 (4 May 2002)

Capt. Willard: "They told me that you had gone... totally insane... and that your methods were unsound."
Col. Kurtz: "Are my methods unsound?"
Capt. Willard: "I don't see... any methods... at all, sir."
Ah, Apocalypse Now. Probably my favorite war film of all time.
Coming from the huge success of The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II, Francis Coppola was offered the possibility to direct a big-budget epic about the Vietnam war. Did I say big-budget and about the Vietnam war? Ok, I have come up with only a couple of statements and there is something to say already. While the planned budget for the film was undoubtedly large, the process of filming it was a true Odyssey; endless problems, including but not limited to a typhoon that destroyed most of the sets, difficulties with the authorities of the Philippines (where the film was shot), and personal problems with the actors and the crew, brought the costs sky high, and the shooting process from the scheduled six weeks up to 16 months. In case you are interested, there is a 1991 documentary titled Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse that is said to narrate the incredible adventure that the making of the film was, and how Coppola himself at the end was almost physically, financially and psychologically devastated. Sadly, I have not been able to see the aforementioned documentary, but it must be definitely worth a look if you are a fan of Coppola or filmmaking in general.
While Apocalypse Now's context is strongly related to the Vietnam war, its ambitions are higher and its implications much broader: it is not simply an opera about Vietnam, it is an adventure in human insanity where war is only part of it. Perhaps the most interesting quality of the film is that, far more than any other war movies I have seen, it works perfectly on multiple levels; on a more immediate level, it is a depiction of the struggles, the bad judgments, and the madness of the battlefield. On further analysis, it is a metaphorical, visceral adventure into the depths of the darkest side of the human mind, a trip that's most definitely open to many different interpretations and opinions. Of course, like in every masterpiece, the two layers complement each other perfectly and reflect one another, building a memorable picture of intense emotional power. Simply put, Apocalypse Now successfully goes where other popular war movies such as Saving Private Ryan or Full Metal Jacket fail to go, or more realistically (pun somewhat intended) just don't have the ambition to go.
Apocalypse Now liberally adapts Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, transplanting it into the chaos of the Vietnam war circa 1969. The main character is Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Martin Sheen) of US Army Intelligence. Willard has already carried out "assassinations" for the Government and is, his own way, almost a war victim; he is alive, but he feels soulless, and his perspective for a regular life seems lost forever -- especially after the divorce from his wife, which he blames for the greater part on himself. In Saigon, he is handed a mission. Out there in Cambodia, the former outstanding officer Col. Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) has stopped following the orders and is now conducting his own personal, ferocious war with his own army, who apparently worship him like a god; he is operating "beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct" and, as General R. Corman (G.D. Spradlin) informs Willard, his command must be terminated. Kurtz must be terminated. With extreme prejudice. Willard will have to track the Colonel by riding a small boat upriver with a few soldiers, then kill him. A long dossier on Kurtz is handed to Willard so that he'll be able to understand what is going on in Kurtz's mind.
Perhaps one of the most memorable characters in Apocalypse Now is William Kilgore (Robert Duvall), the loud-mouthed Colonel whose orders are to transport and escort Willard and his boat crew for a brief period. Kilgore is just about the complete opposite of Kurtz, but he is almost as scary. The famous sequence where he orders to play Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries during an air raid is without a doubt an immortal piece of cinema, and the same can be said about his infamous quote, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning... It smells like... victory."
Speaking of memorable scenes, there are so many that I just don't know where to begin; the film is visually a real tour de force. The opening, with The Door's "The End" playing while we are witnessing the destruction of a portion of jungle, sets the mood with apocalyptic undertones that will only grow stronger as the movie progresses; the near-riot caused by a Playboy show plays like a dream sequence, and seems to underline the progressive detachment from sanity and rational thoughts; the tragic consequences of the boat's crew incompetence in dealing with a simple canoe is a heartbreaking moment where personal regret and the horror of amoral choices come stronger than ever. Probably most riveting of all are the shocking images of an army without commanding officer and completely on the loose in a remote outpost.
The pacing is perfect. As we crawl along the river, we experience an ever-deepening spiral into darkness, madness, and seemingly unreal events; the conduction of war is taking wrong turns on all parts and Willard is progressively descending into mental instability. Like Kurtz, Willard is appalled by the incompetence and the horror surrounding him; the boat crew is slowly killed off one by one.
Col. Kurtz's compound is, quite literally, the end of the river: the last stage of madness, or the ultimate bowel of hell on Earth. And yet, it is strangely fascinating. Kurtz is part demon, part prophet. He has, quite simply, stopped questioning the morality of his choices and now lives and acts following the rules of the jungle. In many ways, Kurtz represents Willard's inner demon, and the final scene where Willard has to become Kurtz to get rid of him and what he represents is, in my opinion, absolutely outstanding.
The acting is excellent on all parts. Martin Sheen's restrained performance perfectly fits the emotionally disrupted Capt. Willard, and his voice-over does not feel obtrusive or grow boring. Marlon Brando is great as the man whose soul has hit rock bottom, Kurtz, and Robert Duvall offers what is possibly his best performance to date (ok, together with The Godfather). The supporting cast (that includes Frederic Forrest, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, and Sam Bottoms) never fails.
One particular mention goes to the soundtrack. The mix of rock tunes and atmospheric sounds works in a magnificent way creating a mix of real/surreal that's been rarely matched in the history of cinema.