Apocalypse Now released in 1979 and directed by Francis Coppola is more than just a war film

Rating: 6/10 (4 March 2012)

On the surface of the film, it is directly about a crew of American soldiers who are travelling during the Vietnam War down a dangerous river leading to Cambodia, in order to escort the commanding officer, Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen), on a classified mission. He must find a man who was once a great American fighter who was in the Special Forces, but unfortunately began to lose his mind and became the leader of a murderous colony. The commanding officer is clearly distraught by the fact that he must slaughter one of his own people, and not just an American, but a former soldier. Benjamin Willard and his group of men are forced to deal with many situations as they arise and not everyone makes it out alive. Many scenes show the disturbing factors of the war and utter insanity. Underneath the general story line is an intense transformation of the men over the duration of the film. It provides an inside look at the journey into darkness the men must face. It has a contrast in moods through the movie because at some points it shows the chaos and the torment caused by the war, and other times the setting is bright and everyone is smiling and joking. The film establishes many moods and settings through montages and long shot pictures. The film can be extremely difficult to follow however because scenes jump around often and there are tons of characters, some of which are only around for a scene or two and then never reappear. It is the sort of movie you need to focus on and pay attention to or else following the plot may be impossible.