Apocalypse now is about a Captain called Benjamin L.Willard who is sent on a mission that technically doesn’t exist. The mission is to seek out a Colonel Walter Kurtz army which crossed the border to Cambodia and it was a hit and run mission. They are said to believe that Kurtz went completely insane and Willard’s job is to finish him off. Willard was sent up the Nung River on a Navy boat and discovers that his target is one of the most decorated officers in the army.
The director Francis Ford Coppola by the time he directed this film he had already achieved great success and some might say he was the king of Hollywood after making the first two Godfather films. He went to the Philippines with a partial script and believed that he would be set to start. Almost like Willard he had no idea what to do once he got there. What’s so special about this film is that it doesn’t give you a final conclusion because of this open-ending it infuriates some members of the audience who like their film to be much more obvious.
This film some call a war film which it isn’t really I would say its more about what a man is willing to do. Coppola should receive praise for his take on the civil service of war which he conveys quite well when we see General Corman and Lucas and the playmate review the audacity of Kilgore makes him an unforgettable character and the dawn attack will always be a classic. The ending of the film is quite surreal that it is very difficult to watch but can be rewarding, the film is meant for interpretation and contemplation which is why I feel like it’s useless for me to spoil it for you.
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