The horror

Rating: 10/10 (23 February 2020)

Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Coppola, is an American's version of the Vietnam War. Willard, played by Martin Sheen, is sent on a top-secret mission to take out Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a rogue Colonel who has lost his mind and is dishing out the war on his own terms. The movie follows Willard and the crew of the PBR on their journey through the war-ravaged areas of Vietnam to find Kurtz.
Along the way Willard and the crew are presented with obstacles. There's a general who refuses to help unless he can see some good surfing, a battle where no one seems to know what's happening, and merciless and frenzied killing of multiple natives for no apparent reason. It seems as if Coppola is waging his own question along Willard's journey - is it just Kurtz that has lost his mind, or is the whole war itself the real absurdity? The movie seems somehow both realistic and fantastical. What kind of general would be demanding people surf as napalm strikes are dropping? What kind of battle is being waged when there's no one in charge and no clear enemy? (And yet, despite the films over-the-top-ness, for many American's, this was a version of reality.)
By the time Willard makes it to Kurtz he's lost almost all the crew of the PBR. And while it's obvious that Kurtz has definitely lost it, he's not necessarily as crazy as one would think. He poses great philosophical points (we send boys to war and expect them to kill people but tell them they can't write profanity on bombs because it's too obscene?) and, after the journey experienced throughout the film, Kurtz doesn't seem like that bad of a guy. There is excellent camera work at play during Brando's scene that keeps Kurtz shrouded in darkness, resulting in an almost mythical quality. We never really know who he is, but Willard does know who he is, and he is a man that follows through. Though he seems to take Kurtz' words to heart, he follows through with his mission and the movie ends on him reflecting on Kurtz' own words (the horror... the horror).
The cinematography is something to behold. The movie is visually stunning with sequences involving unreal aerial shots, explosions, boats, and more, there is something to be said for the production too. It all culminates into one over the top-action packed, genre bending (dark humor? Drama? Action?) must see film. 10/10