Almost Never Watched Apocalypse Now

Man! The things I have to do for this website! Just in case you’re wondering what’s going on, I just finished watching Apocalypse Now. And right after it ended, I suddenly remembered why I missed it when it first came out. Apart from being too young, I painfully recall that I refused to watch it on video tape because it was a dark and disturbing film.

Well, now that I finished it, I will say that I was a lot smarter back when I was younger. Yes, it truly was a dark and disturbing film. However, it was not due to the gory scenes, but because it was able to draw something from my own horrors, even though they were a lot less than what this film had.

Story

During the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin L. Willard, played by Martin Sheen, has been discharged from the army and is looking for meaning in his life. Having gone back to civilian life after fighting in Vietnam, he finds that he is unable to adjust. So he tries to go back to the army to try and find meaning.

When the army comes knocking, the task they give him was not what he had expected. Instead of fighting the enemy, he is sent on a clandestine mission to assassinate one of the U.S. Army’s own.

Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, who was played by Marlo Brando, has gone rogue and is waging a brutal war in Vietnam. Before disappearing, Colonel Kurtz was a highly decorated office who was being groomed for the highest echelons of the military.

However, the methods he used in Vietnam have become just as brutal as the methods of the enemy. In trying to root out the traitors that were responsible for getting his men killed, he executed four South Vietnamese double agents. And while this solved the problem of his troops from dying, the military branded him as a traitor and murderer. And since his methods were extremely brutal, he was also branded as insane.

Captain Willard was sent in to assassinate Colonel Kurtz. And what he went through during the entire movie, will change his life forever.

Character Development

The movie was very slow paced, giving it a lot of time to develop the characters. Captain Willard’s difficulties in adjusting to civilian life was shown in his mental and physical breakdown at the beginning of the film.

And as the film progressed, his reasons for wanting to come back in to the military are severely tested. And even his ability to complete his mission will be challenged by his finally coming face to face with Colonel Kurtz.

Surprisingly, the challenge to kill Colonel Kurtz does not come from the colonel, but from within himself.

Special Effects

I think that it is safe to say that computer generated graphics were not applied to this film. So everything is about as real as it gets. The planes doing an attack run, the huge formation of helicopters, the explosions, and one more thing you need to watch.

[And if you are not sure it’s real, I will tell you, it was.]

I understand that the helicopters were on loan by the Philippine government during filming. And since the government was fighting insurgents during the time, some of the helicopters and pilots had to be pulled out.

In the case of explosions, they were real and not computer generated. And the way they were staged and filmed, made them look spectacular. I doubt if any movie today can equal what was done back then.

Favorite Character

Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, played by Robert Duvall has to be it. His love for the war has him sprouting the best lines and acting in the best scenes.

His character was so famous, quite a number of movies that came after this one would copy him in one form or another.

Favorite Scene

The aerial attack of Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore’s troops has to be the best scene in the film.

Initially, Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore refused to do it because it was kind of crazy due to the North Vietnamese being all over the place. But when he learned that it had the best surfing site, decided to do it for the waves because it made a lot of sense to take the place now.

Apart from being over-the-top, it has one of the most memorable lines in movie history: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”

Titbits

The movie was actually shot filmed in the Philippines. And while I expected the sets to be far away from the cities, I was surprised to see one scene with Taal Volcano in the background. It was interesting to see the mainland overlooking the volcano, which is now highly developed, being empty.

While the move was being filmed, the Philippine government lent jets, helicopters, and other equipment. Since the country was in the midst of fighting local rebels, some of these equipment would be recalled for real missions, delaying the filming of Apocalypse Now.

In the latter scenes, the traditional clothes of the Ifugaos can be seen. Even the Ifugao dance was performed during the movie.

Final Thoughts

What made this film very disturbing was not the violent scenes, although they were quite bad too.

What made it difficult was the slow pace. While current films would cram as much action into to an hour or so to overwhelm viewers’ emotions, this one took its time. This long route made it possible for viewers to absorb the dire situation the main character, Captain Willard, and his team were in.

It was the anticipation and the tension of never knowing when an attack would take place. Of sitting in a patrol boat going up a river and not knowing whether the next group of people would be friends or foes. Of listening to the monologue of Captain Willard’s as he read through the dossier of Colonel Kurtz only to become conflicted by what he discovered.

Yes, this was definitely a tough film to watch because it dealt with so many levels of pain. And if I had watched this back when it came out, I doubt I would have appreciated it.