''the horror.....''. Review on Apocalypse Now Movie

People tend to either see Apocalypse Now as a work of genius or just self indulgent crap. Personally, I take the former view. Francis Ford Copolla's epic film, Apocalypse Now is an extremely intense, psychedelic and a violent movie which takes a chaotic look at the 'nam war and what war does to people. It is one of the finest anti-war sentiments ever crafted. It's about the psychological effect on men who went to war to battle an enemy they had no quarrel with. Loosely based on the Joseph Conrad novel ''Heart of Darkness'' and laced with cultural strands as diverse as Playboy, The Doors, and Wagner's ''Ring'' cycle, Coppola's strange, hallucinatory picture is more than memorable characters and masterly action sequences.

Plot: Colonel Walter E. Kurtz(Marlon Brando) has gone insane due to his stay in Vietnam, and has taken over an army of Montagnard tribesmen. He has established himself as a god amongst the tribesmen, recreating the world as a reflection of himself. Captain Ben Willard (Martin Sheen) has been ordered to ''terminate with extreme prejudice'' Col. Kurtz.

Captain Willard is an army officer who specializes in officially non existant assignments such as political assassinations. After finishing a stint of service already and not being able to stay sane back home, Willard is awaiting his next assignment in a hotel room in Saigon. Being out of action, Willard is slowly freaking out. And then he gets a mission that will change him forever. Willard has to take a trip up a river into Combodia where Col. Kurtz is based. Willard takes a ride on a patrol boat along with Chief Phillips(Albert Hall), the Chef(Frederic Forrest), Lance Johnson(Sam Bottoms) and Mr. Clean(Lawrence Fishburne).

Apocalypse Now strings sequences together one after another, with the river journey as the connecting link. The best sequence being the attack on a Vietnam village led by Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall). He has an unforgettable line, ''I love the smell of napalm in the morning.'' His coldness is frightening: A surfing fanatic, he agrees to attack only to liberate a beach said to offer great waves coz' Charlie don't surf.

After many other bizarre and brutal adventures(too many to actually pen down in a single review), Willard finally makes it up stream and faces Kurtz. And, true to the symbolic journey, Willard is forced to face the darkness he finds there, and its pretty danged dark. His camp is a veritable wonderland of severed heads, hanging corpses, pagan idolatry, and assorted other inhumanities to man. Kurtz meanwhile sits in his abandoned temple and reads poetry and makes tape recordings of his twisted though maybe correct philosophy. Kurtz attempts to bring Willard into the fold, and Willard must decide whether to carry out his mission or join the family. It wouldn't be fair to reveal the end of the movie. Its the highlight. You have to watch it.

The acting in Apocalypse Now is absolutely phenomenal. Martin Sheen's portrayl of Willard is very realistic and touching. You do feel sorry for this man. Marlon Brando gives an equally astounding performance as Kurtz. Brando may have shown up late, drunk, overweight, and with no prior knowledge of the story, but he still captures the screen with his very presence. When watching, you don't know whether to be in awe of the man's power, or repulsed by his lack of control and compassion. Here is a man who has his intelligence intact but his soul has gone crazy. Another notable performance is that of a photojournalist, played by Dennis Hopper. He has become one of Kurtz followers and basically captures all of the fun in pictures for posterity. And his rambling also provides some needed back story on Kurtz and what's going on at the camp.

Personally, I think Apocalypse Now represents the fragility of the mind and endurance of the soul. Apocalypse Now spoke to me in a language that I couldn't understand initially. It took me a few views to like this movie. Copolla's Apocalypse Now speaks a different language as compared to the other 'Nam war movies. I personally have three favourites, Platoon, The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now. All the three movies project different facets of the 'Nam war. Im really looking forward to write on the other two to complete my favourite 'Nam trilogy.