Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Premise: Based on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart
of Darkness, an army captain (Martin Sheen) is given a secret mission to
assassinate an American colonel who has gone insane deep within the Vietnamese
jungle. “The Compete Dossier” edition includes both the original release and
the extended cut, Apocalypse Now Redux.
What Works: Apocalypse Now is an
unconventional war film. There are none of the typical war film clichés; no
taking the hill, no waving flags, no Rambo-style heroics, no buddies in combat.
What the film does include is a fusion of the politics of films like Patton with the visceral nature of later war films like Platoon.
The result is a picture that is a commentary on war, the way they are fought and
why they are fought, and on war stories, how they are told and the values and
themes they reflect. The picture is structured to take its protagonist through
the Vietnam War, but also through civilization, gradually stripping away social
and technological signs of human advancement and returning man to a primal state
of nature. By doing this the film is able to take a look into the origins of
violence and the nature of warfare, making Apocalypse Now a deeper
exploration of the Thanatos drive. As a technical exercise, Apocalypse Now has some great examples of visuals and sound working together. The helicopter
attack is an iconic piece of film history with a sensory overload of explosions,
camerawork, and music that satirizes the contemporary war film (and is quite
clearly referenced—without irony—in Rambo:
First Blood – Part II). There are also some great performances in the
film. Marlon Brando gives the last great performance of his career as Colonel
Kurtz, a tortured soul burdened with terrifying insight into the truth of war
and the worst elements of human existence. Martin Sheen stars as Willard, a
conflicted army captain who has lost his way in the amoral nature of warfare.
Willard’s narration of the tale provides the film with direction and shapes
the themes of the story, making them much clearer than if they were just
presented visually and Sheen’s performance is the glue that holds the film
together. Apocalypse Now also has some terrific supporting performances
by Robert Duvall as the reckless Colonel Kilgore and Dennis Hopper as an
eccentric photojournalist. The two add some insanity of piece, but just as
importantly they contribute a wicked sense of humor. Apocalypse Now Redux,
the extended cut of the film, adds to these performances and unlike some other
director’s cuts that add a few seconds of footage here or there, Redux alters the entire layout of the film, moving sequences around and adding
entirely new sequences that build upon the themes and further develop the
characters. The most interesting addition is a sequence on a French plantation
in Vietnam. It furthers the links the film to its literary source and gives the
film a chance to lighten its tone before going to the Kurtz compound.
What Doesn’t: Although additions like the
plantation scene expand the scope and deepen the themes of Apocalypse Now
Redux, they also grind the narrative to a halt. It’s disrupting to the
flow of the film and many of the new sequences overstay their welcome,
especially a scene in which the PBR crew encounters Playboy bunnies at a chaotic
army base. Apocalypse Now is not a flag waving patriotism fest and those
expecting reverence and traditional depictions of national pride and noble
self-sacrifice will not find it here. Apocalypse Now is an intellectual
film with an emotional style and an art film on a blockbuster scale, and those
contradictions may confuse or frustrate the viewer. Also, Apocalypse Now completists will note the absence of the documentary Hearts
of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse from this set.
DVD Extras: "The Complete Dossier"
edition includes both versions of the film, an introduction and commentary track
by Francis Ford Coppola, complete reading of “The Hollow Men” by Marlon
Brando, deleted scenes, featurettes on the sound and cinematography of the film,
retrospectives by the cast and crew, and a Redux marker.
Bottom Line: While Apocalypse Now is one of
the most controversial war films of all time, it’s also one of best, a film
that mixes art house style with Hollywood spectacle to create an engaging and
sophisticated portrait of modern warfare set against the primeval barbarity of
human nature.