Apocalypse Now (1979)
RELEASEDATE 1979
Thehallucinatorymadnessdepictedin
FrancisFordCoppola’sApocalypseNow
is unlikeanyotherVietnammovie.There’s
nothingremotelynormalaboutthefilm’s
takeonwar;thisisn’ta typicaltaleof‘us
vs.them’.MartinSheen’sCaptainWillard
is sentona killmission.It’suptohimto
takeouttheseriouslyunhingedColonel
Kurtz,who’sgoneoffthedeepend.
WatchingWillardhimselftryandkeep
it togetheramidstWagnerianhelicopter
attacks,tigers,Playboybunnies,and
DennisHopper’smentalphotographer
is a purecinematicdelight.It begsthe
question;who’sreallylosingtheirmind
here?Sheenortheabsolutelymadas
a hatterMarlonBrandoasKurtz?The
casualtiesofwar shown here are the
minds of men.