It's the Vietnam war and Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) is sent on a mission to kill a crazed ex-colonel named Kurtz(Marlon Brandon). Our hero goes on a adventure to find this crazed Colonel with some troops, but their adventure leads them into the horrors and the insanity of war. Just like most of my war reviews, I'm gonna review the film by sections, but don't worry I'll try not to spoil too much for you.
Let's start with our main character Captain Willard played by Martin Sheen. Martin Sheen gives a very heroic and haunting performance as Captain Willard. His performance and his character is mesmerizing in every scene he's in, especially when giving haunting narrations about the war, his journey and reading about Colonel Kurtz. I also can feel his insanity about the war. His best scene is the opening when he's flashing back to the war while the song "The End" by "The Doors" plays. We're looking around at things in his apartment from his past; see the fan blade symbolizing a chopper; he talks about how he felt when he was sent home; and we see him go insane, making it a very intense scene.
The mission briefing scene is the what gives our film it's plot, but I just want to talk about a few things in the scene. First off, two of the men that give our character the mission is played by G. D. Spradlin and Harrison Ford. G.D. Spradlin played Senator Pat Geary in Coppola's "Godfather Part 2" and in here he's playing a General named after director Roger Corman. He's defiantly the political figure in the world of 70s Coppola. As for Harrison Ford, he looks badass and he's named after George Lucas as reference to his performances in "American Graffiti" and "Star Wars". We also get to hear a recording of Brando's voice which sounds just as haunting and insane as Martin Sheen's character. I also like the men that accompany him on his mission because they resemble the type of young men who were in the war.
In their first part of the journey, they join Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall) to napalm an area. This whole sequence is the best sequence in the whole movie. We see great shots of helicopters going to attack an innocent village while the song "Ride of the Valkyries" plays; see innocent villagers get injured or killed; places getting destroyed; and we see Robert Duvall laughing and enjoying every minute of it. Robert Duvall gives a very fun performance as Kilgore and there are moments where he has his soldiers do over the top things as he tries to make Vietnam like home for his troops. He even has the best line in the film "I love the smell of napalm in the morning...Smells like victory". Oh, and be sure to look for a cameo of Francis Ford Coppola in this sequence.
Their next part of the journey is when they leave the boat to search for a fruit called a Mangoe. This whole walk through the jungle scene gives the film its nightmarish vision of being in the Jungle during the war. I won't spoil the rest for you, but there's really good suspense. Be careful something also lurks in the Jungle.
In this surreal and colorful sequence, as our main characters get a few supplies from a warehouse, there's a night time show of the "Playboy Bunnies" performing in front of American soldiers. This sequence shows how badly soldiers miss American woman, while some Vietnamese men watch in amazement, but are puzzled at the same time. We then see soldiers go from acting horny, to a mob of lustful perverts trying to get laid.
One of the most shocking and horrifying moments in the film is when the crew sees a Sampan boat and hold the Vietnamese civilians on the boat hostage, checking to if they're carrying any weapons. This sequence is so brutal, so disturbing, so well acted that I will not spoil it for you. However, this part of the journey represents how nasty and brutal we were to civilians during the Vietnam War, and while we didn't know they were civilian, we didn't know who was innocent or who was the enemy. This scene deferentially shows the monsters we were to the civilians at war.
Our last part of the journey before they head to where the Brando character is, there's a war going on on a bridge at night time. This whole sequence is shot as great as all the previous scenes. During this sequence we see soldiers jumping in the water with suitcases begging to go home; terrified soldiers shooting recklessly; injured soldiers; and flairs and bombs being fired. It's overall a well directed sequence. I will admit there's one more part of the journey where they're reading letters, but I won't spoil it for you.
I talked a lot about the great scenes and events in this movie, now I'm gonna talk about Marlon Brando and his character in the film. The build up to Brando's character is really, really great and as we learn how great of a soldier he was, we understand why he became crazy, but are puzzled at the same time. When we finally go to Brando's tribe land, we see thousands of heads and decaying dead bodies; people are worshiping him; and if that's not enough for you we have a crazy photographer who resembles Charles Manson played by Dennis Hopper. Brando is always kept in the shadows; speaking in a haunting voice as we hear this bald and over weight tribe leader reciting quotes and poems; and every time you see him you get nervous and know he's gone mad, but at the same time you feel sympathy for him for some strange reason. The climax with him and Sheen is one of the best edited and shot climaxes I have ever seen on film, but I won't give it away.
"Apocalypse Now" is not only one of Coppola's best, but is sadly his last epic movie before he started directing horrible and mediocre films. It's one of the best war films ever made by showing the insanity of war as we take this voyage with Sheen.
RATING 5/5
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