Apocalypse Now

While the director, Francis Ford Coppola, will be remembered for his involvement in many major films (such as American Grafitti, the Godfather series), this film will most likely be the most enduring not only of his works, but also of American war films. There is a darkness, an eerie mystery that is woven throughout the tale of Captain Willard (Sheen) going into the jungle on a mission he can't tell anyone about, and as we come to learn, this is not merely because he is sworn to secrecy, but discovers that he himself doesn't know what is happening much of the time. Even as confused and mysterious as the war seemed to the American people (and, as it turns out, the American government), it was no more clear to the soldiers in-country, many of whom developed their own sense of loyalty, community and hierarchies of significance quite independent of the leadership's intentions or the overall war strategies. Colonel Kurtz has taken off in deep inland areas, and set himself up as a tribal leader and godlike figure for the indigenous peoples, over and against the invaders, who were more the Americans than anyone else. Willard task was to eliminate Kurtz, but falls under the spell of both the jungle and Kurtz's megalomanical personality. The crew accompanying Willard gets killled off one by one during the journey and at the camp, until it becomes an epic battle of the spirit, as confused and as ferocious as the Vietnam war itself.

This is a film full of stars in minor roles -- Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall (whose line 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning' is perhaps the quintessential quotable-quote of the film), Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburn -- even an uncredited R. Lee Ermey ('Full Metal Jacket') appears, as does a cameo by Coppola himself. Of course, virtually every role in the film is minor save two, that of Sheen (as Captain Williard) and Marlon Brando (as the prey, or is it hunter, Colonel Kurtz).

The Redux version is nearly an hour longer than the 'original' cut, already a long film at 2 1/2 hours. This one comes in a hour longer, with footage that fills the gaps in the plot of the original, including an important section at a country villa that the original colonials, the French, never gave up in the generla retreat from the country.

The effects are dark and foreboding, spectacular without being overdone or unrealistic. From the relentless trip up river to the blowing of the bridge and the air strikes, everything seems both real and unreal, as is often reported about actual combat from experienced soldiers. That the film won best Oscars for cinematography and sound attests to the quality here, which the DVD experience enhances. The film was also nominated for best film, best supporting actor (Duvall), and director (among other categories), and won numerous awards around the world in other venues.

The inspiration from Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' is clear -- the war's absurdity has driven everyone mad -- the French villa's inhabitants demonstrate a gentle and sad insanity, Kurtz exhibits the rebellious dictatorial insanity, Willard the establishment insanity, and all around are mad in their own rights. This is a journey into hell, but one discovers that hell was also the starting point. There is no redemption here, and the ending, while more clear and explicit in this Redux version, still leaves the viewer wanting explanations that, much like those for the war itself, simply do not exist. The horsemen of the apocalypse, bringing disease and war and death, virtually gallop through this film.

To watch this film is not to understand the war, but perhaps one will appreciate it better. Every war is an apocalypse; every war represents the end to peace and hope. Yet there is a world on the other side for those who will survive -- the question becomes, who wants to survive to remember?