cricketbat Apocalypse Now is not your average Vietnam war film. It isn't about all the politics behind the war, it focuses on the individuals in the war. The plot, adapted from Heart of Darkness, is somber and intriguing. At times this movie drags, and, at other times, it is too mad for its own good. However, you can't deny it's a wonder of filmmaking.

DannyTarantino8 Coppola's greatest work. The incredibly stunning cinematography along with the unforgettable performances from Duvall, Sheen and a stand out performance from Brando, makes this film one of the greatest to hit the screen.The legendary scene featuring The Ride of the Valkyries can also not go unmentioned.A cinematic masterpiece.The Horror... The Horror

somebodyyy Being in my twenties and never seen this movie, I decided it was time to do so since its high rating on IMDB. The pace starts good and soon the squad is on its way to take out a rogue soldier. They team up with another group that needs to help them out on the river. They do so and their journey continues. What follows are unnecessary scenes and slow pacing. Most shocking was that they arrive at some base with a huge show. At that moment I was thinking: What the heck was all that stuff about travelling with their boat and that big fight in that village when they could just have flown to that military base with the show??? Afterwards they came in some half deserted base where to those Miss july's etc. are holed up. What are such national celebrities doing in run down base that do not even have normal tents? More funny was that they apparently offer intercourse for oil. Like what? I guess I try that next time I go out as well.So far I did not continue with the movie yet but I do plan to do so. But people calling this the greatest movie is just nostalgia speaking (pink tainted goggles on their eyes while watching this average war movie) Some others talk about the horrors of war this movie shows. Yeah rights, the horrors of some cowboy walking untouched through explosions while talking about how much he wants to surf.Really guys this movie is average at best.

robertmaybeth Coppolla's flawed but masterfully done movie earns it's ranking on almost every top film list that matters. 3 years in the making, the finished cut (the 1979 version not the "Redux") doesn't reflect Coppolla's personal agony in creating this (that story is told in the documentary "Hearts of Darkness" by Coppolla's wife Eleanor). Like every war movie, there are the inevitable criticisms of lack of realism in the events portrayed, to the tune of "Yeah we really did a lot of surfing during fire fights, didn't we?" But that viewpoint is perhaps improper when looking at a truly unconventional movie of this type. "Apocalypse" is no documentary but a metaphor for the Vietnam war itself, and comparing it to other more realistic movies such as "Platoon" is unfair. Coppolla clearly is going for effect here, and the extreme absurdity of the events shown are intentional and meant to elicit an emotional reaction from the viewer (and anyone who saw this film in a packed theater in 1979 will tell you, Coppolla succeeded admirably at this). This is one of the few movies that deserve (and almost require) multiple viewings, since it would be very difficult to get the full effect of the powerful story-telling going on here, and to grasp the message (the madness that was Vietnam.). It's safe to say if this is your first viewing of "apocalypse", it'll be like no other movie ever made, before or since.In my opinion the best cut of the film to watch is the 1979 original and NOT the "Redux", at least for the first viewing. The Redux was released in 2001 and includes about an additional hour of footage - but most of the new footage seems pointless, is fairly ponderous, slows down the story immensely and not one bit of it adds to the plot (and in fact dilutes the story in a big way.)