"This is not a film about Vietnam, this is Vietnam". So reads the infamous quote by director Francis Ford Coppola, a statement so strong that it put me off ever sitting down with the 3 hour war epic. After watching it, I see what he means.

Apocalypse Now, in its 3-hour redux form, is a complete and utter mindf*ck. There is no easier nor better way to describe it. It shines an honest light onto the Vietnam war in all its brutal, unneccesary glory. It is bleak to the point of nearly unwatchable. It is a masterpiece.

Whereas other war movies such as Saving Private Ryan briefly touch upon the horrors of war and the effect it has on its participants, Apocalypse Now focusses on nothing but those issues. We watch each and every perfectly well-rounded character lose a grip of themselves, becoming nothing more than neanderthalic lunatics resorting to their primal urges. It is incredibly satisfying to watch a war movie that is more interested in the psychological than the physical.

The only gung-ho, all-American hero we are treated to is Colonel Bill Kilgore, who in any other action-er would have slotted perfectly into the role of badass patriot, but here he is shown for exactly what he is - unsympathetic, bloodthirsty and blinded by power. Coppola maintains this unbiased approach throughout. The heroes and villains are never outlined, and even though we view the war through the eyes of protagonist Captain Willard, it becomes apparent that he is just as morally unstable as the rest of them.

However, even masterpieces are not without their faults. The screentime shared between Sheen's Willard and Brando's fascinating Colonel E. Kurtz is far too brief, and it leaves the film feeling somewhat unfinished as Kurtz' demise is brought about too quickly considering the amount of build-up and characterisation we were put through prior to the characters unveiling. My only other complaint would be that the Redux version (I have not viewed the original as it is incredibly difficult to get a hold of) is perhaps too bleak for its lengthy runtime. Even though Apocalypse Now isn't intended as light-entertainment, the point remains that it made for an incredibly tough viewing experience.

Nonetheless it is an incredible piece of work and, if in a particularly level-headed state of mind, it is absolutely essential that you sit through it.

Rating:



8 'wtf happened to Lawrence Fishburne's face's