
It is the height of the war in Vietnam, and U.S. Army Captain Willard is sent by Colonel Lucas and a General to carry out a mission that, officially, 'does not exist - nor will it ever exist'. The mission: To seek out a mysterious Green Beret Colonel, Walter Kurtz, whose army has crossed the border into Cambodia and is conducting hit-and-run missions against the Viet Cong and NVA. The army believes Kurtz has gone completely insane and Willard's job is to eliminate him. Willar... (Full plot summary below)
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It is the height of the war in Vietnam, and U.S. Army Captain Willard is sent by Colonel Lucas and a General to carry out a mission that, officially, 'does not exist - nor will it ever exist'. The mission: To seek out a mysterious Green Beret Colonel, Walter Kurtz, whose army has crossed the border into Cambodia and is conducting hit-and-run missions against the Viet Cong and NVA. The army believes Kurtz has gone completely insane and Willard's job is to eliminate him. Willard, sent up the Nung River on a U.S. Navy patrol boat, discovers that his target is one of the most decorated officers in the U.S. Army. His crew meets up with surfer-type Lt-Colonel Kilgore, head of a U.S Army helicopter cavalry group which eliminates a Viet Cong outpost to provide an entry point into the Nung River. After some hair-raising encounters, in which some of his crew are killed, Willard, Lance and Chef reach Colonel Kurtz's outpost, beyond the Do Lung Bridge. Now, after becoming prisoners of Kurtz, will Willard & the others be able to fulfill their mission?
Leave your thoughts about Apocalypse Now.
| Film ThreatChris GoreI remember leaving the theater feeling shocked, bewildered, confused and, though I was amazed and thrilled by the action, the ending somehow left me unsettled. |
| Salon.comAllen BarraWhat the excitement was about was the unspoken belief that this film would put a cap on the most exciting decade in American film, that it would sum up everything that had come before and influence everything that came after... |
| Film Journal InternationalKevin Lally...no matter what you may think of Brando's eccentric interpretation of the demented Kurtz, you can't take your eyes off him. |
| Shadows on the WallRich ClineCoppola's direction is impeccable, capturing both the intimate detail, overarching spectacle and layered depth of meaning, often all in one shot. |
| Combustible CelluloidJeffrey M. AndersonA loony, foolhardy, giant-sized masterpiece. |
| Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertRemember the weird beauty of the massed helicopters lifting over the trees in the long shot, and the insane power of Wagner's music, played loudly during the attack, and you feel what Coppola was getting at: Those moments as common in life as art, when the whole huge grand mystery of the world, so terrible, so beautiful, seems to hang in the balance. |
| BBC.comAli BarclayThe power of this film cannot be denied, and once seen, it is not easily forgotten. |
| Scott Mantz' Movie ReviewsScott A. MantzUndoubtedly one of the greatest, most intensely provocative, mesmerizing, and haunting movies ever made. |
| Greenwich Village GazetteEric LurioCoppola has made a major mistake by this re-edit. |
| Rochester Democrat and ChronicleJack GarnerIt is more clear than ever that Coppola and company created a profound metaphor for the entire Vietnam experience -- but were ahead of their time. |