29 lines
2.9 KiB
Plaintext
29 lines
2.9 KiB
Plaintext
apocalypse now , based on the novel " hearts of darkness " , is an extremely striking , gripping , and horrifying depiction of the vietnam war from another angle .
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a long debate has surrounded this movie as if it is actually an anti-war film .
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in many ways , this debate could go either way .
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apocalypse now is probably one of the most memorable vietnam war films ever made .
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in addition , now film has gone to the extremes that this film does - a disturbing look at the corruption and terrifying effects of the most devastating war of recent years .
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apocalypse now follows the mission captain benjamin l . willard , played by martin sheen , to seek out and eliminate colonel walter e . kurtz , a green beret who is thought to have gone insane and set up his own militant base in cambodia .
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captain willard is ordered to assassinate kurtz with " extreme prejudice " because he has been deemed a murderer .
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willard accepts his mission , but not while pondering the accusation .
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accusing someone of murder in this situation is like " handing out speeding tickets at the indy 500 " , as he puts it .
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it doesn't make too much sense .
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escorting him on his mission are a group of men who operate a riverboat .
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the men are chef ( frederic forrest ) , chief ( albert hall ) , lance johnson ( sam bottoms ) and mr . clean ( a fifteen year-old laurence fishburne ) .
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willard is ordered not to let them know exactly what his mission is , but they all know it is something big .
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the men encounter many exciting , dangerous and bizarre situations .
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but no situation is more bizarre than the infamous napalm scene with a very eccentric robert duvall as lieutenant colonel kilgore .
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kilgore decides to attack and overtake a certain beach area so that his men can surf .
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surf .
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this is all inspired when kilgore is able to meet the famed california surfer lance johnson .
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duvall's portrayal as lieutenant colonel kilgore is terrific , and , he provides a number of memorable quotes .
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eventually , captain willard encounters colonel kurtz's frightening community full of strange things everywhere you look , especially his followers .
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one of his main followers is a freelance photographer ( dennis hopper ) who attempts to convey the situations to willard .
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but willard cannot understand the madness that encompasses the colony .
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kurtz is actually well aware of willard's mission , and refers to him as " an errand boy sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill " .
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yet willard is intent on completing his mission , no matter what shocking things kurtz does .
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apocalypse now , possibly one of the greatest films ever made , is a stunning vision into the madness that corresponds to the vietnam war .
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a movie that will hypnotize you with it's brilliant cinematography , apocalypse now is an outstanding epic drama about the controversial and horrifying ravages of war .
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definitely on the " do not miss " list .
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be prepared for a very memorable film .
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