Rating: 
Summary: Epic war mythology
Review: "Apocalypse Now" is considered one of the greatest movies ever made; and for the most part, I agree. It's set during The Vietnam War as shell shocked Cpt. Willard (Martin Sheen), an Army/CIA operative, is assigned to find and kill Col. Kurtz. The mission seems rediculous, murder a highly decorated and honored American militery officer. As Willard goes along, he encounters several colorful character, like Lt. Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall), a nutty Calvery commander who orders his men to surf during a morter attack. The men in his PT boat are just regulor soldiers trying to survive and go home. Willard is seriously depressed, and his second tour is just a way not to have to deal with it. In the end, he dosn't realy believe in anything. Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) is the other side othe coin; he is a war mongerer, a psychotic version of Patton. He is totally mad, and dosn't even want to try to restrain himself. He totally believes that the atrosities he commits is the only way to win a war. When Willard finally gets to Kurtz's camp, he finds Kurtz is revered by the inigionous tribes and deserter soldiers as a god. The movie is sort of framed like the Greek myths, where the hero must decend to the underworld and face Hades, except like Pirithous, Willard dosn't quiet get out. Francis Ford Coppola's movie is wonderful, dark and gritty. Not only is war terrible, so is the warrior's mind set. The cast is amazing, Sheen's Willard broods with the best of them. Brando is thoughly insane, all that method acting really pays off here. And then there is Duvall's Kilgore, sort of the middle ground between Willard's depression and Kurtz's mania. He is gleefully cheerful as a man who loves war, loves his men, and loves a good wave. He is silly, but not to dangourous, a man who could thrive in a place like Vietnam. It's a classic war movie, maybe not totally authentic, but it's still powerful drama.
Rating:
Summary: Crawling Across That Razored Edge
Review: "I watched a snail crawl across the edge of a straightrazor. Its my dream, its my nightmare. Crawling, slithering across the edge of straightrazor and surviving." That's the voice of a man called Kurtz, an enigmatic officer that's gone "native" in the depths of Combodia. Your mission objective is simple enough, go up the river, locate Kurtz, and terminate with extreme prejudice. Unfortunately, many things are remiss in the oversimplified statement, "Go up the river and kill Kurtz." Just ask Captain Willard, who's been wanting to submerge himself within the depths of warfare once more and has now been given this onset of a message, intercepted from the prize, Wiliam Kurtz. His mission is simple enough, going up the river and finding his prey of a man, or at least that's how it seems. In the beating heart of the firestorm called Vietnam, nothing is easy, though, and Willard, submerged beneath the veins of madness and brutality as he seeks that elusive objective, begins to understand that more and more in the process. The strange thing about Apocalypse Now, set in the tinderbox of Vietnam, is that it isn't focused upon the sole event of the man forging through the jungle to go and capture the renegade named Kurtz. Instead, borrowing from its predecessor "The Heart of Darkness" - to which the film makes it clear that it pays a great deal of homage, it is about the madness of the events set into motion engulfing this one small figure and the futility of many of the actions/interactions located along the way. As Willard tells you in the beginning of the film, this is his confession on the matter, letting you know that he, too, is a guilty party in the chaotic affair that gnaws hungrily at the souls of all involved. Therefore, in a sense, he is also a party to the insanity taking root all over the feature. I found this to be an interesting affair, not only in the conceptual depiction of the insanity feeding upon the soldiers that we find ourselves focused upon, but in the questions the movie poses as it presses onward, showcasing more and more of the perversities by the same forces that label a man like Kurtz mad and yet birth asylums in their own ranks. The stellar casting accents this further, letting forces like a young Larry Fishburne and an equally young Harrison Ford play side by side with the Sheens and Brandos as they showcase a diversity of talents. All to destroy an enigmatically tormented soul. Even if you've seen the movie before, the DVD is a pristine example of restorative technology can do for movies that deserve preferential treatment. This example is one of the best I've seen, showing its viewers the wonders involved in the art of making a very dramatic example of what warring encompasses. It also has some interesting extras, including the comparisons to Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," letting someone that hasn't been inducted into the work taste some of the symbology buried within those pages. For these reasons and because of other, more addictive loves that encompass the "smells of napalm in the morning," the abnormality of the color spectrum when one chemically bends it in the middle of a battle, and because of the sheer scope of the cinematic equation, I'd have to issue directives for everyone to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Epic war mythology
Review: "Apocalypse Now" is considered one of the greatest movies ever made; and for the most part, I agree. It's set during The Vietnam War as shell shocked Cpt. Willard (Martin Sheen), an Army/CIA operative, is assigned to find and kill Col. Kurtz. The mission seems rediculous, murder a highly decorated and honored American militery officer. As Willard goes along, he encounters several colorful character, like Lt. Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall), a nutty Calvery commander who orders his men to surf during a morter attack. The men in his PT boat are just regulor soldiers trying to survive and go home. Willard is seriously depressed, and his second tour is just a way not to have to deal with it. In the end, he dosn't realy believe in anything. Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) is the other side othe coin; he is a war mongerer, a psychotic version of Patton. He is totally mad, and dosn't even want to try to restrain himself. He totally believes that the atrosities he commits is the only way to win a war. When Willard finally gets to Kurtz's camp, he finds Kurtz is revered by the inigionous tribes and deserter soldiers as a god. The movie is sort of framed like the Greek myths, where the hero must decend to the underworld and face Hades, except like Pirithous, Willard dosn't quiet get out. Francis Ford Coppola's movie is wonderful, dark and gritty. Not only is war terrible, so is the warrior's mind set. The cast is amazing, Sheen's Willard broods with the best of them. Brando is thoughly insane, all that method acting really pays off here. And then there is Duvall's Kilgore, sort of the middle ground between Willard's depression and Kurtz's mania. He is gleefully cheerful as a man who loves war, loves his men, and loves a good wave. He is silly, but not to dangourous, a man who could thrive in a place like Vietnam. It's a classic war movie, maybe not totally authentic, but it's still powerful drama.
Rating: 
Summary: This movie really deserves a special edition dvd
Review: "Apocalypse Now" is easily one of the most powerful and visually spectacular movies ever made and, to fully appreciate this film, it should definitely be seen in it's widescreen format. The presentation on this DVD is outstanding. I had never seen this movie in the theatres and had only seen the VHS version. Seeing this film widescreen for the first time made me fully realize why DVDs are so superior to VHS tapes. You will not be disappointed with the film's presentation. However, I was somewhat disappointed with the extras on this DVD, which is why I give it only 4 stars instead of 5. The "Destruction of the Kurtz Compound" segment, which is basically the filming of the Kurtz Compound sets being blown up, is an interesting extra. In the commentary track by Francis Ford Coppola that accompanies this segment, he explains how and why the segment was filmed and why it was not used at the end of the film. The only other extras are the original theatrical trailer and excerpts from the original theatrical program (which includes passages from Coppola's film log). And as far as extras go, that's it. I really wish they had included commentary from Coppola for the entire film, or had included the "Hearts of Darkness: A Film-maker's Apocalypse" documentary with this DVD (for those of you who are fans of the film and have not seen this documentary, made by Copolla's wife, you should definitely try to track down a copy of the VHS edition - you will not be disappointed). There are also some deleted scenes mentioned in the documentary (a scene where they stop at a French plantation in particular) that also would have made this DVD even better. But I guess we'll have to wait for a Special Edition to hopefully come along. Or maybe they will release "Hearts of Darkness" separately on DVD. In summary, this is definitely a film to own on DVD, and you will not be disappointed with the widescreen presentation. But the extras are disappointing. I will keep hoping for a special edition with loads of extras to come along.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Classics
Review: "Apocalypse Now", "Patton", and "Gardens of Stone" are the three must have movies in a War Buff's collection. I don't know how many times I've seen this movie (I had a copy on VHS and wore it out). The acting is top notch and the cinematography is superb. The transition from VHS to DVD was surprisingly excellent. The clarity of sound and picture, over any of the VHS copies I've seen, enrich the viewing experience 10 fold. The "lost" ending to the movie was also a pleasant surprise (a lot of explosions and implied gore, but still the perfect climax). Ditching your VHS copy of "Apocalypse Now" in favor of DVD is money well spent. If you've never seen the movie before and want to see excellent acting, and direction, the DVD version is the only way to go.
Rating:
Summary: A classic, but OH, the ruinous ending
Review: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning....it smells like....victory." Undoubtedly one of the most famous war-movie quotes ever from what is undoubtedly a great Vietnam classic. Most others have detailed this movie to a "T", so I'll just inject two points that are prominent in my head. 1) The segment of the film featuring the Air Cav is too awe inspiring for mere words. The bravado of the Lt. Col. in charge and the sounds of Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" as the choppers dance circles around the measly Viet Cong makes you want to go enlist today. There are a lot of epic war movies out there, and I've seen em' all, but this is hands-down the most goosebumps-of-thrills combat segment to date. 2) The ending sucks. A lot. I was gripped by the movie completely, right up to the point where our hero runs into Col. Kurtz...FINALLY, after an endless an exhaustive journey, the movie trails if in a major letdown of an ending. I never read the book, but SURELY it can't have had this vague and unsatisfying of a finale. But see it anyway! Ride on, 1st Cav!
Rating:
Summary: Never get out of the boat
Review: ... unless you were going all the way. APOCALYPSE NOW is a brilliant movie, and it is brilliant on many levels. It is filled with single sentences that succinctly and accurately sum up America's fears and frustrations with the Vietnam War. Sentences like: "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning ... Smells like victory." and "Charlie don't surf." are so memorable, and so metaphorically powerful, that they will remain with you for a lifetime. Based on Joseph Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS, APOCALYPSE NOW uses exceptional cinematography, music, plot, and acting to convey the ambience and ideas of Conrad's novel. Technically, this movie is outstanding. I watched it on a 1600 x 1200 pixel, 32-bit color display, and every scene was perfect. Its music, by THE DOORS, fits precisely with this movie's goals. In its special features section, director Francis Ford Coppola said: "The most important thing I wanted to do in the making of APOCALYSE NOW was to create a film experience that would give the audience a sense of the horror, the madness, the sensuousness, and the moral dilemma of the Vietnam war." You succeeded Francis; you succeeded brilliantly.
Rating:
Summary: Ten Reasons to Buy Apocalypse Now
Review: 1-Francis Ford Coppola,
At the height of his creative genuis, and with films like The Conversation, Godfather 1& 2 to his credit, he was considered to be one of the few directors/auteurs,one responsible for enriching American Cinema and lifting it to new artistic heights to this day
2-Brando..Brando..Brando..
He was paid millions to appear just for a short time at the end of the movie, and he is worth every single penny/cent and more. Forget his speech in the opening of Godfather, as great and classic as it is, the 'Horror' speech still gives me a chill down my spine, one of the most haunting speeches in cinema history.
3-Vietnam
With Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now is the best film that dealt with the Vietnam war, and how it slowly affected the hearts and minds of some of its soldiers, pushing them into the darkest recesses of the human soul.
4-Scenes
There are many memorable scenes in Apocalypse Now, but few have forever stuck in my mind, the Helicopters attack with Wagner's music playing, and the tiger jumping out of nowhere in the dense jungle, though short was totally unexpected and scary.
5-Actors
Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Dennis Hopper, Larry Fishburn,all giving 100% and more for Coppola.
6-Joseph Conrad
John Milius and Coppola adapted Conrad's novel, and though Africa became Vietnam, the spirit of the book was not compromised in any way, one of the very few who devled into the darkness of the human soul.
7-The making of Apocalypse Now, appropriately named 'Heart Of Darkness' is the most interesting making of documentary ever filmed. Done by Coppola's wife Eleanor, it brilliantly manages to be personal yet detached and objective, and captures in intimate details the creative process and the difficulties that it encountered with the heart attack (Martin Sheen), near nervous breakdown (Coppola),and logistic problems (with Phillipines army).
8-DVD
Though short on Extras, it is of excellent quality
9-Music
With a combination of classical and original score, the music expresses and complements perfectly each scene.The soundtrack CD is a must buy too, since it also includes extracts from dialogue (including the 'Horror' speech)
10-Movie Library
If you are serious about starting a movie collection or enhancing your present one, then Apocalypse Now is what a 'movie collection' is meant for, a rich and rare film, the product of a time when directors and actors had personal visions great talent, and the free hand to translate it on screen and share it with cinema lovers worldwide.
Rating:
Summary: Ten Reasons to Buy Apocalypse Now
Review: 1-Francis Ford Coppola,
At the height of his creative genuis, and with films like The Conversation, Godfather 1& 2 to his credit, he was considered to be one of the few directors/auteurs,one responsible for enriching American Cinema and lifting it to new artistic heights to this day
2-Brando..Brando..Brando..
He was paid millions to appear just for a short time at the end of the movie, and he is worth every single penny/cent and more. Forget his speech in the opening of Godfather, as great and classic as it is, the 'Horror' speech still gives me a chill down my spine, one of the most haunting speeches in cinema history.
3-Vietnam
With Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now is the best film that dealt with the Vietnam war, and how it slowly affected the hearts and minds of some of its soldiers, pushing them into the darkest recesses of the human soul.
4-Scenes
There are many memorable scenes in Apocalypse Now, but few have forever stuck in my mind, the Helicopters attack with Wagner's music playing, and the tiger jumping out of nowhere in the dense jungle, though short was totally unexpected and scary.
5-Actors
Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Dennis Hopper, Larry Fishburn,all giving 100% and more for Coppola.
6-Joseph Conrad
John Milius and Coppola adapted Conrad's novel, and though Africa became Vietnam, the spirit of the book was not compromised in any way, one of the very few who devled into the darkness of the human soul.
7-The making of Apocalypse Now, appropriately named 'Heart Of Darkness' is the most interesting making of documentary ever filmed. Done by Coppola's wife Eleanor, it brilliantly manages to be personal yet detached and objective, and captures in intimate details the creative process and the difficulties that it encountered with the heart attack (Martin Sheen), near nervous breakdown (Coppola),and logistic problems (with Phillipines army).
8-DVD
Though short on Extras, it is of excellent quality
9-Music
With a combination of classical and original score, the music expresses and complements perfectly each scene.The soundtrack CD is a must buy too, since it also includes extracts from dialogue (including the 'Horror' speech)
10-Movie Library
If you are serious about starting a movie collection or enhancing your present one, then Apocalypse Now is what a 'movie collection' is meant for, a rich and rare film, the product of a time when directors and actors had personal visions great talent, and the free hand to translate it on screen and share it with cinema lovers worldwide.
Rating:
Summary: How much can man handle?
Review: 1979 film by Francis Ford Coppola, inspired by the book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Great cast staring: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duval, Lawrence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, and Dennis Hoper. This film was nominated for both Best Picture and Directing. This is an epic tale of a man (Willard) with a mission to kill an ex-military leader (Kurtz), who has gone insane, from the reality of wars, and has killed three officials, with his own army of followers. At the start you see how ill Willard feels from this War, and he accepts the mission, but does not realize how terrifying it will be. By the end of the film you could say Willard has taken on the role that Kurtz had filled.
The closer he gets to Kurtz, the more absurd his situation gets. The film is very well made, and can be analyzed for hours. Every shot and scene, the music that plays, the narration, adds to the idea of what the War is doing to these men. Being in a distant land away from home, away from loved ones, needing to kill. This film can be seen as an existential crisis, with all the absurdities and brutality Willard sees on his mission to execute Kurtz. See this film, for the inspiration, and epic story telling it contains. There are so many memorable characters, and moments. If you like war films, you have to see this, and anyone who likes an interesting story would enjoy this. But beware this film contains strong themes of horror and insanity. Be glad you are not in war. 5 stars. Check it out.
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