Reviews of Apocalypse Now

Outstanding!

Posted : 2 months, 2 weeks ago on 9 May 2008 08:01 (A review of Apocalypse Now)

"I've seen horrors... horrors that you've seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that... but you have no right to judge me. It's impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means. Horror. Horror has a face... and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies."

Apocalypse Now is a genuinely revolutionary war movie from legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. The film is a confronting, haunting war epic that is stimulating and monumental. Not only is it a fantastic war movie but it's also the most honest account of the futility of war.

Loosely based on Joseph Conrad's classic novella 'Heart of Darkness'; Apocalypse Now is a film that tells a story set in the Vietnam battlefields. The year is 1969 and the Americans are still battling the on-going Vietnam War. U.S. Special Forces Captain Willard (Sheen) is sent on a confidential mission that officially 'does not exist - nor will it ever exist' to terminate a renegade Green Beret named Walter Kurtz (Brando) who has established himself as a God amongst a local tribe. Captain Willard travels up the Nung River in a U.S. Navy Patrol Boat into Cambodia to carry out his mission. He is accompanied by a faction of soldiers who don't have a clue about the nature of the mission due to its high level of confidentiality. As Willard descends into the jungle, he is slowly taken by the jungle's mesmerising powers. As he battles the insanity around him, the journey slowly makes Willard more and more like the man he was sent to kill.

Apocalypse Now is a harrowing war film that will always be distinguished due to its power as well as its hypnotic, virtually unsurpassed brilliance. The unnerving, unforgettable images only heighten the film's reputation as one of the most graphic war films ever made. It will take days, perhaps weeks, to get over the haunting visual images that are a prominent element of this outstanding movie.

The production was plagued with troubles; including wild weather that destroyed the sets, and the elongated production period due to unforseen consequences. Regardless of this troubled production director Francis Ford Coppola delivers an extraordinary, controversial addition to the multitude of Vietnam War movies. And of course the film was shot beautifully on location; showcasing some utterly gorgeous landscape and some eye-catching dense jungles as well.

However the film is about 150 minutes in length, and unfortunately outstays its welcome and loses the attention of the viewer at about the two hour mark. Of course, it was still tremendously well made but I felt that some trimming would have been necessary. And that's only the theatrical version - there's also a 200-minute 'Redux' cut.

Although my attention was thrown a few times as I was watching the movie, Coppola's directing always ensured there was something fascinating going on during the film. This could be a battle, an absorbing dialogue scene or some haunting voice-over narration.

Martin Sheen makes a very credible American soldier. There is always something about him that keeps the audience enthralled during the scenes of heavy drama. Marlon Brando had already made a name for himself after such films as The Godfather and On the Waterfront. Surprisingly his role is very minor in this movie. Nonetheless his performance is superb. During his final monologue it felt like he was a man on the edge; someone who is very close to insanity. His credibility is never thrown. As Brando aged he only became better. The supporting cast is a mixed bunch of now-famous actors including Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford and Dennis Hopper. All of these actors made an appearance before they became really famous. With this film they are given the opportunity to display talent while still youthful.

Apocalypse Now is a stunning film that will always be not only one of the greatest war movies, but also one of the greatest movies in cinematic history. This Vietnam tale is one that does justice to its source material. Be warned that the film is quite painfully long.

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Apocalypse Now review

Posted : 11 months, 1 week ago on 20 August 2007 04:19 (A review of Apocalypse Now)

Essentially, this is one of those war films that, in order to portray the senselessness and confusion of armed conflict, flies off on a bamboozling tangent that can only keep the most interested film viewer glued to the box. The first two acts are utterly brilliant, and there is no doubt that the end of the third act is amazingly tense, but maybe watching the redux version was a bad idea.

I think I'd have given this a much higher rating had it been more bitesized. I guess that's just personal preference though. Worth a watch to see an incredibly young Lawrence Fishburne make his acting debut, as well as for the epic Ride of the Valkyries and surfing scenes.

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El horror... el horror...

Posted : 1 year, 2 months ago on 19 May 2007 02:05 (A review of Apocalypse Now)

Antes de comenzar la reseña quiero dejar claro que la misma trata sobre la versión Redux de la película, y no sobre el montaje original.

La verdad es que da un cierto vértigo reseñar esta obra, por su calidad y profundidad, pero ahí va mi intento.

La estructura de la película podríamos compararla con una road movie. Tenemos a un personaje que realizará un largo viaje con un único objetivo, encontrar y matar al coronel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), un militar con un historial impresionante pero que se ha desviado de la linea ortodoxa del ejercito americano en la guerra de Vietnam.

Este personaje, el capitán Willard (Martin Sheen), deberá adentrarse en Vietnam a través de un río (nunca sabemos del todo si está en territorio enemigo o amigo, aunque en el fondo todo el trayecto se realiza en territorio hostil), localizar a Kurtz y eliminarlo. Durante su viaje conseguirá evolucionar en su pensamiento y conocer un poco los motivos que llevaron a su victima a desviarse de la linea recta.

Siguiendo con el símil de la road movie yo veo como partes principales del film la serie de encontronazos que tendrá el protagonista durante su viaje con distintos personajes y situaciones, y su relación con sus compañeros de viaje:

Destaco la reunión en la que se le asigna la misión, donde se nos presenta esta como algo necesario dado que Kurtz ha perdido totalmente el norte y se ha convertido en un demente, y que viene precedida por uno de mis momentos favoritos, en el hotel, donde la mezcla de helicópteros y ventiladores nos da una primera pista de la locura en la que vamos a ser sumergidos.

Como no hablar del coronel Kilgore (inolvidable Robert Duvall), que con la situación que crea y sobre todo sus diálogos nos hace comprender que hablar en la guerra de locos y cuerdos es algo muy complicado.

La doble escena con las playmates nos introduce aun más en la demencia de las situaciones y los personajes, sobre todo en la segunda escena añadida en este montaje, que es verdaderamente sobrecogedora.

Otra escena añadida en este montaje, en el campamento francés, añade matices que hacen quizás que entendamos algo mejor la película.

Por supuesto también destaco la parte final, donde por fin conoceremos a Kurtz y aparece un periodista interpretado por Dennis Hopper que nos da ciertas 'descripciones' sobre su personalidad que resultan muy interesantes.

También Willard crece en función del contacto que mantiene con sus compañeros de viaje, la tripulación del barco en el que viaja, que están tan desquiciados como él o cualquier otro personaje del film.

No he leído demasiado sobre el tema e ignoro cuales eran las intimas razones de Coppola para filmar esta historia, pero creo evidente su deseo de ofrecer una visión de la guerra como algo inhumano, donde el sentimiento es devorado por el instinto, y se 'animalizan' las conductas. Kurtz es acusado de loco y en realidad da la sensación de que ha visto claramente la situación y ha optado por hacer su propia guerra, cualitativamente no más desquiciada que la 'oficial'.

Como anécdota recordar que está interpretada por algunos actores que en su momento no eran demasiado conocidos, y que posteriormente lo serían mucho más (tenemos a Harrison Ford, Larry Fishburne o el mismo Martin Sheen, por poner algunos ejemplos)

La historia se basa en 'El corazón de las tinieblas' de Conrad, novela que he leído y que no he sido capaz de comprender. Reconozco que su lenguaje enrevesado me derrotó.

En fin una película digna de verse, no una sino varias veces, y dejarse envolver por lo hipnótico de sus imágenes y por lo profundo de sus reflexiones.

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