Rating of
4/4
'This is the end, my beautiful friend.'
memento_mori - wrote on 08/27/13
Okay, I have humility.
Just like with The Wizard of Oz, I now really like a movie I never cared much for: Apocalypse Now.
On the surface it looked like another America-empowerment war movie.
For a long time I thought it wasn't right that so many people loved the helicopter scene and the cruel and unorthodox intentions of Kilgore and other soldiers. Then I thought about why people liked them so much. And I became fascinated by these characters.
Just like I thought originally, the direction is amazing. The use of the colors red, yellow, blue and green is infatuating and beautiful. The framework is awe-inspiring, especially in the opening sequences, edited with slides of Capt. Willard on top of them. I never knew a war movie could look so enthralling.
When I was done watching the movie, it felt like my eyes had taken in a thorough dose of sheer beauty.
The acting by Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando is uncanny. They both leave a lasting impression, even for the few minutes Brando is on screen. It's because of the dialogue that their performances are so grave and eclectic in my eyes.
Sheen's phlegmatic and calm monologues stay eerily in the back of my mind.
When I watched Apocalypse Now, it wasn't exactly love at first sight. It took me repeat viewings to really fall in love with it. To get the philosophy and character meaning behind the overlook war story. It's more a poetic contemplation of war, than a story about war.
Most people say the most memorable line in the film is when Lt. Col. Kilgore says: 'I love the smell of Napalm in the morning.'
While a very badass line, I think the best line comes right after he says that. It's simple, but it's perfect:
'Some day, this war is gonna end.'
