A United Artists Picture, Written by Francis Ford Coppola, John Milius, Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
‘Apocalypse Now’ is one of both the most famous and infamous movies of all time, with some remarkable stories about the behind the scenes drama standing alongside the respect for the remarkable filmmaking in show.
On the back of his stunning success with two ‘Godfather’ movies, Francis Ford Coppola decided to adapt this epic Vietnam war film, and the rest was history.
The visuals, with the large setting sun, helicopters, smoke, water, and jungle all being utilised together is simply breathtaking, especially for a film made in the 1970s and you can see the major impact it has had on cinema since.
The score and sound design is also perfectly utilised to give the intense and visceral feeling that Coppola is going for, and attempts to make you feel like you are really at the heart do the warfare, and succeeds in that.
Martin Sheen is the fresh faced lead who is sent on a mysterious mission through the Vietnam jungle to find the mysterious Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando). Sheen is brilliant in the lead role, adding a real unpredictability and extra layers to the lead character to make us really interested in him.
Robert Duvall makes a very memorable extended cameo, as do Laurence Fishburne and Harrison Ford, and the presence of the legendary Marlon Brando looms very large over this film. However, the performance Brando delivers in the end is lacking in the real magic the great man was one able to bring.
As well as the stunning visuals, the effect of the war on people is explored deeply and the story really stays centre stage throughout, and the tension reaches an almost unbearable high point in the third act. This film isn’t for everyone, but for me, it’s a triumph of the highest order from Coppola.
Rating = 4.5/5
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