Apocalypse Wow!

Rating: 10/10 (25 May 2010)

Terminate with Extreme prejudice.
Apocalypse Now begins with no opening credits, just a shot of trees and some helicopters. Then, the forest erupts into flames as the song "The End" begins. I can think of no better way to begin such a film with. It sets the mood perfectly for what is about to happen. The, it transitions straight into a voice-over from Captain Millard, masterfully played by Martin Sheen. In the first five minutes, you go deeper into Willard's character than some films can take you in 3 hours. Willard is given a mission to go up river and kill the renegade Col. Kurtz.
I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
Willard is taken down the Nung river by PBR Streetgang, a crew consisting completely of strange characters. They take him right to the front lines, where they are met by Lt. Col. Kilgore, played by Robert DuVall. Though his screen time is brief, about 25 min. of the 2 1/2 hour film, he makes each minute count, giving an astoundingly believable performance. His character is also somewhat frightening, as he gives you the first glimpse of the horror of the war.
Don't get out of the boat. Absolutely godd*nm right. Unless you were going' all the way.
After departing into the river, the crew enters what seems like another world. Throughout the journey, it slowly gets darker and further from reality. Sheen's voice-overs give the viewer a terrifying picture of Kurtz, and you also learn about the true characters of all the men. Even Willard himself, you see, has a very dark side to him. As they get closer to Kurtz, the insanity builds, both around them and in them. Then the deaths begin, and they are some of the most terrifying on-screen deaths ever.
You're and errand boy sent by grocery clerks to collect the bill.
Willard and the survivors of the crew arrive at the compound in Cambodia, where Kurtz has been set up as a god by the local tribe and a group of Americans that live there. Kurtz, played by THE Marlon Brando, is very obviously insane...or is he? They were gonna make me a major for this, and I wasn't even in their f*cking army anymore.
When Willard meets Kurtz, he finds he has no clue what to do. He questions Kutz's mental state as well as his own. The difference between right and wrong, good and evil, and life and death is blurred.
The horror..The horror.
In the end, Willard kills Kurtz during the natives' highly symbolic caribou sacrifice. As Kutz dies he utters those famous, resounding final words. Willard and the only survivor of PBR Streetgang depart without a word.
The entire film is a descent to madness and to hell. From the very start, it is terrifying, and it only intensifies as it goes. It never lets up. Just when you think it can't get any scarier, it goes off the deep end, and especially so with the ending.
Apocalypse Now is quite simply a brilliant piece of film-making and tied for my favorite movie of all time (see review for The Godfather) and it may perhaps be even superior to that masterwork. Coppola, who directed both films, is a genius. The acting was flawless. The cinematography, sound, visual effects, music, etc. are some of the best that film has ever produced. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone who loves film. It is an experience that should never be missed. The descent of the human soul is one of my favorite themes, and it has never been portrayed better than in Apocalypse Now.
To describe this film curtly, "Wow" almost does it justice.