Apocalypse Now

Francis Ford Coppola, USA 1979, 139 minutes

This film comes across with one basic premise - War Is Hell. Both the main characters also fight their own personal war outside the American cause and thus the hell is internalised driving one and all close to insanity.

The story is taken from Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", although much poetic license is taken, and as such it follows the same focused plot line. Martin Sheen as Captain Willard is sent upriver, to deepest jungle to find and kill Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a man fighting his own personal war is, literally, the heart of darkness. Sheen's mission becomes one of survival rather than assassination. His journey into hell becomes one of temptation, lured towards the same fate as Kurtz.

Loaded with Oscar nominations, Apocalypse Now won only one, the one it most deserved, cinematography. The scenes of black and white, of shadows reinforce the nightmarish feel of Sheen's journey and the gunship attack on the village, accompanied by Wagner's "The Ride of the Valkyries" will remain in your mind forever.

Brando is said to have `motives unsound' and this phrase sums up the entire film. It is unsound in the way good and evil are never defined, right and wrong are questionable. The only fact of the film is killing takes place. As an action adventure it works well, as surrealist symbolism it works well, as a combination it works disturbingly well.

"A modern classic *****" - Empire

Review by Andrew Hesketh
Taken from EUFS Programme 1996-97