Mind blowing

Rating: Null/10 (27 February 2003)

What words can describe the sheer perfection of Apocalypse Now? Here are a few for starters: Awesome, sweeping, powerful, exciting, and incredibly mind blowing. Francis Ford Coppola's illustration of mankind's dark side is perhaps the best war film ever made. It's also one of the best films I have ever viewed during my existence. It succeeds on every level possible. This film will meet all of your expectations no matter what, and it doesn't fail on a single level. If Apocalypse Now isn't an example of cinematic perfection, then I don't know what is.
SPOILER WARNING
Capt. Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen), a soldier who is growing increasingly tired of his inner city surroundings in Saigon and wants to return to the Vietnamese jungles, is assigned on a mission to track down and kill renegade Colonel Walter Kurtz, a madman assassin who is rumored to have set up a hideaway in the Cambodian jungle. Willard and associates Tyrone Miller (Laurence Fishburne), Lance B. Johnson (Sam Bottoms), Jay "Chef" Hicks (Frederic Forrest), and Quartermaster Phillips (Albert Hall) journey down the jungle river in a small boat. Along the way they encounter many strange things and people, such as helicopter flight leader Lt. Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall), a boisterous, overly confident, and surf loving commander who heads a visually stunning aerial attack on a Vietnamese town while Richard Wagner's `Ride of the Valkyries' roars out from his helicopter.

As the journey through the jungle continues, Willard's assignment grates his nerves more and more, slowly causing him to become like the lunatic he has been assigned to kill. With each passing day, the crew sees wreckage and dead bodies left in the wake of Kurtz, and the tension becomes insurmountable. After several crazy events, such as a Playboy performance turned into a riot by overexcited soldiers, an accidental murder of an innocent family, and the loss of two crewmembers, the small boat makes it to Kurtz's outpost, where dead bodies hang everywhere, and the words `Apocalypse Now' are inscribed on the walls. At long last, Willard is taken to see Kurtz, who already suspects that he has arrived to kill him. Kurtz believes that Willard has the right to kill him, but that he has no right to judge him just because of his wicked personality. He then sits in silence as Kurtz reveals his tales and thoughts of the war and what caused him to go mad. During his stay, a crazed photojournalist (Dennis Hopper) also tells Willard of his target's insanity and the admiration he has received from all of his `children', and the pressure builds on him constantly. Then, one night, as the local villagers hack an ox to death during a ceremony, Willard brings Kurtz to his knees. As he walks out of the temple, the villagers all bow to him and worship him as their new leader. They then stare as he and Johnson slowly float down the river as the final words of Colonel Kurtz echo. `The horror. The horror.'
Now, I have seen a lot of great war movies. But so far this has got to be my favorite for many reasons. The first one is the visuals, which could be the best in motion picture history. Even today, with most movies relying on computer graphics, they don't look the least bit dated. The amazing technical prowess of this film is first examplified in the beginning, which has the camera resting on a shot of a palm tree forest as the low `bum, bum, bum' of passing helicopters echoes. Then the forest erupts into a napalm explosion of flames and smoke as The Doors' `The End' starts playing. After that, there are hardly any climaxes that aren't visually breathtaking. The best of these scenes is easily the aerial attack. How could you not be swept away by such a perfectly filmed climax? Wagner's roaring symphony more than perfectly aids the thrill of the attack, and it will please your ears while the awesome camerawork provides a treat for your eyes. Just the sight of the air cavalry dotting the sky as the camera moves slowly back is enough to blow you away. If you were spellbound by the cinematography of Lawrence of Arabia, then you will love this. Apocalypse Now also does a great job of mixing cold and morbid humor with the illustrations of the darkness of war. Robert Duvall, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his blisteringly brilliant role as Kilgore, is simply outrageous. I loved the scene where a bunch of villagers try to escape on a truck, which Kilgore sees and says, `Don't these people ever give up?' He then launches a missile, blowing the truck up and catapulting the riders into the river beneath the bridge they were driving across. It's scenes like this and the part when troops surf the waves while the water is bombed that will bring at least a snigger out of you no matter how morbid they are. The whole surfing thing was just hilarious too (`Charlie don't surf!').
Among all of the great elements that make Apocalypse Now perfect, I think the one thing that really stood out was the darkness. Showing the insanity and the downside of war separates this from others, and the gritty images of hell that this film portrays are in-depth. Plus, they perfectly mix together with the deep plot. Like it or not, you have to give credit to Coppola for the grittiness that he put into this movie.
Well, that was quite a mouthful. But before I catch my breath, let me also state that this is one of the best movies that your eyeballs will have the pleasure to absorb. I can guarantee that you will love it with all your heart and more. What Coppola put into this work of art is something that you will never see in a movie again. It's so great, that there isn't a single word that can sum it up. So If you're looking for a great film that illustrates the cruelty of war, then this should be first on your list. It's got great actors (including a young Laurence Fishburne), wild humor, gripping action, and a strong and gritty story. A recommendation for all.

***** out of *****