It takes a lot for a movie to be considered a classic – but this 1979 film definitely qualifies, with an absolutely stellar cast, making it a “powerful” watch decades after it was released. Inspired by the 1899 novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Apocalypse Now is an award-winning movie that left a big legacy.
Available to watch now on Amazon Prime, film fans are still discovering the Hollywood classic. Starring an A-list cast, made up of The West Wing’s Martin Sheen, Star Wars’s very own Harrison Ford, along with 60s legend Robert Duvall and the legendary Marlon Brando, the film isn’t short of familiar faces.
It’s based on one soldier’s harrowing journey during the Vietnam War, just 10 years earlier. The epic film follows a US Army captain, Willard, played by Martin Sheen, who is on a mission to seek out Colonel Walter Kurtz, played by Brando.
The Colonel is believed to have crossed the border into Cambodia with his forces and without permission from his commanders. American forces believe Kurtz has lost all sense – telling Willard “his methods have become unsound”. The captain is given the green light to deal with the colonel “with extreme predjudice”.
After some life-threatening encounters travelling up river, Willard and his surviving officers finally reach their destination. But what meets them blurs the line between sanity and madness.
A fan of the movie took to Rotten Tomatoes to write a rave review. They said: “The closest thing to real Vietnam you are likely to ever witness. Casting is spot on; it could not have been better. Absurd enough and harsh enough as well. A true classic in every sense of the word. Textbook filmmaking indeed.”
While another praised the film, saying: “This movie has one of the most haunting experiences ever. It can easily be regarded as one of the greatest war films ever made. Adding to the haunting experience, one of the most eerie movie endings ever is featured in this picture.”
At the time of its release, Apocalypse Now was nominated for eight Academy Awards and went on to win two for Best Cinematography and Best Sound. But the accolades didn’t stop there; the cast were also awarded numerous BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards, while the film is regularly named as one of the greatest ever made.
One reviewer claimed the film was “an enthralling, powerful miracle of a movie”, while another described Apocalypse Now as a “true masterpiece of cinema”.
“That sums up the power of Apocalypse Now. Gritty, brutal and beautifully filmed.” One viewer wrote. “Excellent character development that contributes to genuinely caring about what happens to everyone on this journey to insanity.“
However, it’s not a film that’s short of controversy; it’s thought that during production, both the cast and crew were consuming copious amounts of drugs. Not only this, but the film features animal cruelty, and many have criticised its depiction of Vietnam and its people.
A disappointed viewer shared: “Extremely overrated. Captain Willard could barely stand up straight or say two words… The writing was lazy, and what was with all that inexplicable “mist” that would come and go out of nowhere?”
The undeniably classic Hollywood action film Apocalypse Now is available to watch on Amazon Prime, where viewers can enjoy a new ‘final cut’ of the film.