Apocalypse Now 1979
8.4 / 10
Apocalypse Now
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.
Videos & Photos
All 7 Videos & 156 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Captain Benjamin Willard
... Jay 'Chef' Hicks
... Chief Phillips
... Tyrone 'Clean' Miller
... Lance B. Johnson
... Colonel Walter Kurtz
User reviews
See All 5 Reviews23 Jun 2021 by Ian Beale
**Ponderous, meandering epic with a few bright spots.** This film is about a soldiers quest to find a renegade and insane Colonel (a bald Brando in an extended cameo) who has hidden himself away in the depths of the jungle and is causing all manner of commotion. Quite what it was - I can't remember, but it _was_ important enough to go down stream in search of him. Sheen's character decides to head down river with his fellow soldiers and seek out the bald lunatic before its too late. Robert Duvall is hilarious as a war immune soldier - especially when a shell explodes near him and he merely gives it a disinterested glance. Amusing! On the whole, though, this is a ponderous trip - the film seems to meander aimlessly with little to keep this viewer interested. - Ian Beale
Release Date:
May 19, 1979 (United States)
Run Time:
2hr 27`
MMPA Rating:
R
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
Apocalypse Now
**Ponderous, meandering epic with a few bright spots.** This film is about a soldiers quest to find a renegade and insane Colonel (a bald Brando in an extended cameo) who has hidden himself away in the depths of the jungle and is causing all manner of commotion. Quite what it was - I can't remember, but it _was_ important enough to go down stream in search of him. Sheen's character decides to head down river with his fellow soldiers and seek out the bald lunatic before its too late. Robert Duvall is hilarious as a war immune soldier - especially when a shell explodes near him and he merely gives it a disinterested glance. Amusing! On the whole, though, this is a ponderous trip - the film seems to meander aimlessly with little to keep this viewer interested. - Ian Beale
I think a lot of people who think this film is a classic are deranged, the only memorable scene in the film is when they drop exploding napalm and the guy in the hat says "I love the smell of napalm in the morning", the rest of the film is a completely boring bombshell and it's like the film was high on drugs as there's this one part where people are butchering a cow in the most grotesque way possible... poor cow, now I'm offended by this film. This film is just weird, the characters are not memorable at all not even Marlon Brando's character, the story is non-existent and the ending just sucks. Overall this film is absolutely terrible and I don't care what others think, I did not enjoy this film at all.
***One of the greatest films ever made*** The original "Apocalypse Now" is an awe-inspiring masterpiece and is my all-time favorite film. Memorable scenes abound, starting with the mind-blowing opening with Willard (Martin Sheen) having a mental breakdown in his sweltering Saigon hotel room to the tune of The Doors' "The End." Speaking of Sheen, people overlook the fact that he expertly carries the film. His haunting commentary is one of the most effective narrations in cinematic history and hooks the viewer into the nightmare-adventure. I could go on and on about the noteworthy scenes, but I'll resist, except to comment on Col. Kurtz: Was he really insane or actually a bold genius? General Corman informs Willard: "He's out there operating without any decent restraint, totally beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct. And he is still in the field commanding troops." And, yet, Kurtz was accomplishing what the US military couldn't or wouldn't do because of political complications and niceties. I bring this up because, as I've aged, I've come to see that I'M Kurtz in some ways -- operating "out there" beyond the parameters and restrictions typically linked to my work. The script was written by John Milius with alterations by Coppola as he shot the film whilst the narration was written by Michael Herr. The meaning of the story is obvious: The trip up the river led by Capt. Willard exposes him to two extreme viewpoints of war represented by the two colonels he encounters on his long journey, both of whose names start with 'K,' which is no accident: Lt. COL. KILGORE (Duvall) is a romantic who embraces war as a lifestyle and even feeds off it, i.e. glorifies it. The fact that he's a romantic can be observed in the air-raid on the village where he literally plays Wagner as a prologue. He feeds off the war to the extent that he "loves the smell of napalm in the morning." War is just another day to him so why not go surfing? Since he lives off of the war there's no way it can kill him or even give him a scratch. Kilgore naturally has the support of the top brass because he's part of the system and plays the game of war. COL. KURTZ (Brando), by contrast, sees through this hypocrisy. He realizes that being in a state of war is humanity gone mad. It's living horror and therefore must be ended through the quickest means possible at whatever cost. He refuses to play the game of war as he expertly takes out double agents, etc. Of course the brass can't have this so they put out a hit on Kurtz via Willard. The existential Kurtz becomes increasingly disillusioned -- even crazy -- after jumping ship from the system and now has no sanctuary. Death is the only way out. His consolation is that Willard will tell his son the truth. The "Redux" version was put together by Coppola and released in 2001 with the addition of 49 minutes of material that he originally cut, not to mention placing Clean's surfing scene later in the story. Coppola made the right decisions with his original 1979 edit of the film (2 hours, 33 minutes) since the extra footage of "Redux" tends to drag the film down with 1 or 2 scenes being dubiously scripted, e.g. the theft of Kilgore's surf board. Not every idea that is birthed during the creative process is worthy of the final product and "Redux" illustrates this. Thus the new footage of "Redux" should've arguably been relegated to the "deleted scenes" section. That said, I've warmed up to "Redux" and feel it's a worthy version of the film, but only _if_ you've watched the Theatrical Cut and **want more**. "Redux" successfully fleshes out the characters and gives them more dimension, especially Willard and Kurtz. Plus the sequence involving Kurtz reading a couple of TIME magazine articles illustrates beyond any shadow of doubt that he _wasn't_ insane and that the brass simply slandered him as crazy in order to justify the assassination of a decorated American officer. Coppola's preferred cut of the film is the "Final Cut," released in 2019, which runs a half hour longer than the Theatrical Cut. In other words, it trims the fat off of "Redux." There's also a "First Assembly" version, a bootleg, that runs 4 hours, 49 minutes. The film was shot in the Philippines. GRADE: A+
It wasn't just insanity and murder, there was enough of that to go around for everyone. Apocalypse Now is directed by Francis Ford Coppola who also co-adapts the screenplay with John Milius from Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad. It stars Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper, Harrison Ford, Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms and Albert Hall. Cinematography is by Vittorio Storaro and the music is primarily arranged by Carmine Coppola. The Vietnam War and Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Sheen) is approached by American intelligence to go on a secret assignment: he's to follow the Nung River into the remote Cambodian jungle to find and assassinate Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a member of the US Army Special Forces who has gone insane. One of the most talked and written about films of all time, Apocalypse Now remains to this day a harrowing and haunting experience to first time viewers. With a production shoot that has in itself become legendary, Coppola's flawed masterpiece has been dissected and argued over to within an inch of its magnificent life. People will continue to write about it for ever more it seems, perhaps there might even be the odd new confrontational spin on what resides within? But ultimately it's what the individual takes away from the film that matters, our own interpretations key to the enjoyment of such a disturbing vision of war and violence. Many of the set-pieces, dialogue and characters have long since passed into folklore, and rightly so. The Ride of the Valkyries helicopter assault, Kurtz's surreal death camp, the boat people massacre, purple haze, the playmates, Kilgore, and of course the horror, the horror..indeed. The performances match the quality of Storaro's sumptuous Philippines photography, Sheen is fiercely committed and Duvall and Hopper in turn are powerhouse and edgy. While Brando, doing his own bizzaro thing in the last third, brings a little chaos unintentionally in keeping with the madness at the heart of this particular darkness. Personally that last draggy third does stop it from being a complete genius type whole, but everything up to it is so damn good it's arguably churlish to expect perfection? But as near perfection movies go, Apocalypse Now proudly sits with the best of them, sitting there with a harrowed look upon its face. 9/10
This is, I think, the definitive Vietnam war movie. Martin Sheen is "Capt. Willard", a war weary veteran who is sent on a top secret mission to track down and stop the rogue Colonel 'Kurtz" (Marlon Brando) who is operating independently from Cambodia. With only a small crew of rookie squaddies, he sets off along the treacherous Nung River where, along the way, they alight on "Kilgore" (Robert Duvall) and face all sorts of dangers against both man and nature as they seek their quarry. The sheer intensity of the journey, and of the challenges it throws up cause "Willard" to re-evaluate his whole perspective, and not just on the war, as the horrors of this conflict manifest before him. It's a stunningly strong depiction of war; the humanity and vulnerability of the characters - even those who are outwardly strong - and the casting is inspired. It's bloody and gory at times, but never gratuitously and the closely shorn Brando is in a class of his own as the megalomaniac "Kurtz". Though fictional in fact, it doesn't pull it's punches and leaves us all with a bitter taste in our mouth and some seriously thought-provoking questions.
Cast & Crew of
Apocalypse Now
Directors & Credit Writers
Cast
... Captain Benjamin Willard
... Jay 'Chef' Hicks
... Chief Phillips
... Tyrone 'Clean' Miller
... Lance B. Johnson
... Colonel Walter Kurtz
... Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore
... Photojournalist
... General Corman
... Colonel Lucas
... Jerry, Civilian
... Lieutenant Richard M. Colby
... Kilgore's Gunner
... Mike from San Diego
... Supply Sergeant
... Playmate of the Year
... Miss May
... Playmate
... Roxanne Sarrault
... Soldier in Trench
Produced By
Videos & Photos of
Apocalypse Now
Videos ( 7)
Apocalypse Now ≣ 1979 ≣ Trailer
YouTube
Apocalypse Now ≣ 1979 ≣ Trailer
YouTube
Photos ( 156 )
Related Movies To
Apocalypse Now
Gladiator II (2024)
0 /10
Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Run Time: 2hr 28` . MMPA: R / PG-13 . Release: 05 Nov 2024
Director: Oana Ene , Nick Thomas , Eamonn Cawley
Producer: Michael A. Pruss , Saïd Aamoum , Taha Drissi
Stars: Paul Mescal , Fred Hechinger , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Joseph Quinn , Pedro Pascal
Wicked (2024)
0 /10
In the land of Oz, ostracized and misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba is forced to share a room with the popular aristocrat Glinda at Shiz University, and the two's unlikely friendship is tested as they begin to fulfill their respective destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Run Time: 2hr 42` . MMPA: PG . Release: 20 Nov 2024
Director: Jon M. Chu , Lisa Vick
Producer: Jared LeBoff , Bernard Telsey , David Nicksay
Stars: Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Jonathan Bailey , Jeff Goldblum , Michelle Yeoh , Ethan Slater
Dirty Angels (2024)
0 /10
During the United States' 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, a group of female soldiers posing as medical relief are sent back in to rescue a group of kidnapped teenagers caught between ISIS and the Taliban.
Run Time: 1hr 44` . MMPA: R . Release: 11 Dec 2024
Director: Teodora Petrova , Antony Tanev , Martin Campbell
Producer: Gabrielle Whyte Hart , Darina Pavlova , Jeffrey Greenstein
Stars: Eva Green , Ruby Rose , Maria Bakalova , Reza Brojerdi , Christopher Backus , Jojo T. Gibbs
Nosferatu (2024)
0 /10
A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.
Run Time: 2hr 13` . MMPA: R . Release: 25 Dec 2024
Director: Jan Cajzl , Giulia Patanè , Robert Eggers
Producer: David Minkowski , Miroslav Tupý , John Graham
Stars: Bill Skarsgård , Lily-Rose Depp , Nicholas Hoult , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Emma Corrin , Willem Dafoe
Battle for the Western Front (2022)
8 /10
Inspired by Canuck WWI flying ace Billy Bishop, two young soldiers crash the front lines in August 1918. With the Allies detained, their platoon must desperately hold out alongside legendary Anishinaabe sniper Francis "Peggy" Pegahmagabow.
Run Time: 1hr 30` . MMPA: . Release: 06 Oct 2022
Director: Aaron Huggett
Producer: Rosemary Travis , Holly Huggett , Aaron Huggett
Stars: Christopher Cordell , Michael Lake , Michael Lake , Sylvain Plasse , Somerville Black , Aaron Huggett
Memoir of a Snail (2024)
0 /10
Forcibly separated from her twin brother when they are orphaned, a melancholic misfit learns how to find confidence within herself amid the clutter of misfortunes and everyday life.
Run Time: 1hr 34` . MMPA: R . Release: 17 Oct 2024
Director: Adam Elliot
Producer: Yohann Comte , Ricky Taing , Shaun Miller
Stars: Eric Bana , Sarah Snook , Jacki Weaver , Kodi Smit-McPhee , Dominique Pinon , Magda Szubanski
Interstellar (2014)
8.7 /10
The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
Run Time: 2hr 49` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 05 Nov 2014
Director: Jason Z. Kemp , Brandon Lambdin , Gregory J. Pawlik Jr.
Producer: Jordan Goldberg , Evan Godfrey , Inga Bjork Solnes
Stars: Matthew McConaughey , Anne Hathaway , Jessica Chastain , Bill Irwin , Ellen Burstyn , Michael Caine
Wicked Minds (2003)
5.3 /10
Holden returns home from college and is surprised to find his overpowering competitive father married to a much younger woman Lana. Holden quickly falls for the beauty and charisma of his step mother. A passionate affair begins between son and stepmother.
Run Time: 1hr 33` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 01 Mar 2003
Director: Jason Hreno
Producer: Vera Miller , Josée Mauffette , Nadia Rona
Stars: Angie Everhart , Andrew W. Walker , Winston Rekert , Amy Sloan , Frank Schorpion , Ellen David
Anora (2024)
0 /10
A young sex worker from Brooklyn gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as his parents set out to get the marriage annulled.
Run Time: 2hr 19` . MMPA: R . Release: 14 Oct 2024
Director: Sofía Blanco , Liza Mann , Sean Baker
Producer: Glen Basner , Jared Greenberg , Olivia Kavanaugh
Stars: Ivy Wolk , Mark Eydelstein , Mikey Madison , Yuriy Borisov , Karren Karagulian , Vache Tovmasyan
The Moor (2024)
0 /10
Claire is approached by the father of her murdered childhood friend to help investigate the haunted moor he believes is his son's final resting place.
Run Time: 2hr . MMPA: . Release: 14 Jun 2024
Director: Lisa Collins , Chris Cronin , Kaitlin Michaels
Producer: Benjamin Newsome , Jordan Fleming , Georgia Padfield
Stars: Sophia La Porta , David Edward-Robertson , Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips , Mark Peachey , Vicki Hackett , Bernard Hill
Queer (2024)
0 /10
1950. William Lee, an American expat in Mexico City, spends his days almost entirely alone, except for a few contacts with other members of the small American community. His encounter with Eugene Allerton, an expat former soldier, new to the city, shows him, for the first time, that it might be finally possible to establish an intimate connection with somebody.
Run Time: 2hr 16` . MMPA: R . Release: 27 Nov 2024
Director: Aldo Verde , Greta Silvestri , Beatrice Marcone
Producer: James Grauerholz , Luis Ángel Vázquez , Riccardo Oliva
Stars: Daniel Craig , Daan de Wit , Drew Starkey , Lesley Manville , Jason Schwartzman , Henry Zaga
A Real Pain (2024)
0 /10
Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
Run Time: 1hr 30` . MMPA: R . Release: 01 Nov 2024
Director: Mieszko Falana , Jesse Eisenberg , Gniewko Falana
Producer: Jennifer Westin , Kevin Kelly , Jesse Eisenberg
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg , Kieran Culkin , Ellora Torchia , Will Sharpe , Jennifer Grey , Kurt Egyiawan