Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now portrays the psychological effects of war like few other films. You could spend hours talking about the various themes of the film, but I’ll spare the time. First and foremost, the Characters are very well developed. We see this through the metaphorical and literal descent into darkness. Willard is also a good audience conduit, him talking about his thoughts doesn’t intrude enough for the audience to be swayed one way or the other. The dialogue is very meaningful and used to develop the complex effects of the war on the characters. What goes unsaid is infinitely more important than Kilgore’s surfing discussions. The Cinematography of the film is excellent which pairs well with the unique sound design, truly immerses you in the film, not to mention it’s contribution to illustrating the deeper messages of the film. Colonel Kurtz importance to the story cannot go unnoticed, his ideological opposition to that of Willard is quite profound. His introduction late into the film is quite jarring, and works well in the overall story structure. The ending does a good job leaving Willard’s choices morally ambiguous, ending nearly immediately after the climax. Though a vast majority of the Themes illustrated are far deeper than the more surface-level ones explained above, they are too complex for me to extensively write about. Apocalypse Now (5/5)