Don't expect laughs

Rating: 10/10 (16 March 2002)

Francis Ford Coppolla transfers Conrad's Heart of Darkness from Africa to Vietnam and brings the horror and madness of war to the screen in one of the finest anti-war movies ever made.
Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) is sent on a mission to execute a renegade Green Beret Colonel (Marlon Brando) who has set up his own native army in the jungle.
Willard's journey up river becomes a journey of self-discovery and we are witness to the insanity of war. From Army stores selling drugs to visiting troops of bunny girls we see the contrasts of war in the jungle.
This is a long but gripping film that not only can't you leave you don't even want to blink. Don't watch it with someone who keeps asking what things mean in movies - you will just get annoyed. Watch it on your own with a beer or three.
This should be compulsory viewing for anyone who thinks war can be glorious.
Brilliant.