“Apocalypse Now” (1979)

War movies aren’t my go-to genre, but there are a few exceptions that I absolutely love, like “Hacksaw Ridge,” “Saving Private Ryan,” and “Dunkirk.” So, when I had to watch this movie in school, especially in the morning, I wasn’t too excited about it. However, I have to say that it ended up impressing me.

Francis Ford Coppola is an iconic director who has been a blind spot in my cinephile culture, mainly because his most significant masterpieces are in genres that I’m not the biggest fan of. Still, after watching this movie, I can understand what everyone was talking about.

Technically speaking, the movie is pretty much perfect.

The cinematography was the first thing that caught my attention, but the fantastic layered characters pushed way out of their comfort zones really made me invested.

Like most of my favourite war movies, what I enjoy the most is the internal war that these characters are subjected to.

The acting in this movie is yet another element that is close to perfection. I was expecting to see more from Marlon Brando, but what we got was more powerful than most actors do with an hour of screen time. Still, after reading about everything that happened behind the camera, I’m surprised we got to see anything from him.

“Apocalypse Now” is iconic in its own right, and the reason for it is that the director gave it his all.

There is no element left to chance, and each element, like the music, sound design, and crazy production design that brings everything to life, just adds more and more to the final experience.

Honestly, this is probably the closest I’ll ever get to experiencing war, and I just thank the director for showing how horrible war is as clear as day.

My rating is based on my personal reaction to the movie, but maybe that strong reaction is because it deserved a 5-star rating for just how real and uncomfortable it is.

Have you seen this movie? What did you think?

What’s your favourite war movie?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.