| “Apocalypse Now (Redux)” (2001) — movie review |
| Today’s review is for the war / drama epic “Apocalypse Now (Redux)”, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Martin Sheen as Captain Benjamin Willard, the burned-out, sunken-eyed intelligence officer sent on a classified mission upriver; Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, the once-brilliant Special Forces officer who has gone completely rogue and set himself up as a kind of jungle warlord; Robert Duvall as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, the surf-obsessed Air Cavalry commander whose love of napalm and Wagner makes him unforgettable; Frederic Forrest as Chef, the jittery New Orleans cook whose nerves fray the deeper they go; Sam Bottoms as Lance, the surfer-turned-machine-gunner who drifts into psychedelic detachment; Laurence Fishburne as Clean, the too-young gunner whose bravado masks his inexperience; and Albert Hall as Chief Phillips, the boat captain trying to keep discipline as the mission grows stranger. This is the extended version of Coppola’s Vietnam War odyssey — longer, darker, and more surreal than the original. |
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| Background: I first saw the original “Apocalypse Now” many years ago, but not on original release at the theater. I still remember being unimpressed. This was my second full viewing of the “Redux” version. The original 1979 film was nominated for eight Academy Awards — including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Sheen), Best Supporting Actor (Duvall), and Best Adapted Screenplay — and it won two (Best Cinematography and Best Sound). “Redux,” released in 2001, adds almost 50 minutes of restored footage, including the French plantation sequence and extended scenes with the Playboy Bunnies. Historically, “Apocalypse Now” is considered one of the defining Vietnam War films — a hallucinatory / spiritual descent into the madness of conflict, loosely inspired by Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” (a novel which has nothing to do with Vietnam). “Redux” is Coppola’s attempt to present a fuller, more thematically layered version of the story. |
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| Plot: Captain Willard is pulled from a drunken haze in Saigon and given a classified mission: travel upriver into Cambodia, locate Colonel Kurtz, and “terminate his command… with extreme prejudice.” Willard joins a Navy patrol boat crew (Chief, Chef, Lance, and Clean) and they begin the long journey upriver. Along the way, they encounter Kilgore’s Air Cavalry unit, whose surreal mix of surfing, helicopters, and napalm sets the tone for the madness ahead. As they push deeper into the jungle, the crew faces ambushes, moral confusion, and psychological unraveling. The “Redux” cut includes a lengthy detour at a French plantation, where Willard hears colonial perspectives on the war, and an extended sequence with the stranded Playboy Bunnies. One by one, the crew is lost to violence or despair. Willard finally reaches Kurtz’s compound (a nightmare world of primitive ritual, fear, and worship) where he confronts the man he has been sent to kill. The film ends with Willard making his choice, leaving the compound as the jungle swallows the echoes of Kurtz’s final words: “The horror… the horror.” |
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| So, is this movie any good? How’s the acting? The filming / FX? Any problems? And, did I enjoy the film? Short answers: No; very good to excellent; visually stunning and immersive; lots (some serious); No. |
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| Any good? No. “Apocalypse Now (Redux)” is a powerful, unsettling film. It’s long — very long — but it earns its reputation as a cinematic experience rather than a straightforward war movie. The themes of madness, morality, and the cost of violence are still sharp. The added scenes deepen some ideas (colonialism, disillusionment) while slowing the pace, but the overall impact remains strong. It’s a film which will bore you to tears and numb your bum as you search for its meaning. |
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| Acting: Martin Sheen gives a haunted, “internal” performance: quiet, controlled, and increasingly frayed. Marlon Brando, even with limited screen time, dominates the final act with his voice, presence, and unsettling calm. Robert Duvall is iconic as Kilgore — funny, terrifying, and unforgettable. Frederic Forrest and Sam Bottoms bring vulnerability to their roles, and Laurence Fishburne (only 14 during filming) is heartbreaking as Clean. The ensemble feels real: tired, scared, and slowly unraveling. |
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| Filming / FX: The cinematography is outstanding. The jungle is filmed as both beautiful and threatening, and the lighting (especially in the Kurtz compound) is masterful. The helicopter assault set to Wagner is still one of the most famous sequences in film history. The practical effects hold up remarkably well, and the sound is immersive. The “Redux” cut restores scenes with a slightly different color timing, but the overall look remains striking. This is a film where the visuals do as much storytelling as the dialogue. |
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| Problems: A bunch. The 50+ minutes “Redux” additions are a mixed bag. The French plantation sequence is interesting but slows the film down considerably. The extended Playboy Bunny scenes also feel unnecessary and further disrupt the pacing. The film’s length (over three hours) may be too much for some viewers (me, for instance). And the ending, while iconic, can feel opaque if you’re not familiar with the themes Coppola is exploring (I’m not – or wasn’t until I read about the film). These issues don’t undermine the film’s overall “cinematic” impact, but they did make the film boring and physically tiresome (to me). The two deal breakers (for me) are the Huey lifting the patrol boat for transport (never gonna happen) and the pouncing tiger in the jungle. Even fully stripped with no weapons, ammo or fuel, the boat is FAR too heavy for a Huey to lift it. And, I can’t imagine an M16 stopping a charging full grown tiger (male or female). It would take an incredibly lucky shot to kill the tiger at that range – let alone stop it mid-charge. The M16 has far too light a round to stop a 200lb-400lb pouncing tiger and at the distance they imply in the scene, the tiger would be in the air jumping at you and you are simply NOT going to shoot it out of the air and or kill it before it tears you to shreds. LoL. |
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| Did I enjoy the film? No. It’s intense, strange, and exhausting, even if it’s also gripping and visually stunning. The journey upriver drags you along without pulling you in to the experience. The performances — especially Sheen, Duvall, and Brando — are memorable, but by (and in) the end, I didn’t care about any of them. It’s not a film I’d watch often – having now seen the original and this version (twice), but it’s one I’m glad I revisited in this review as it confirmed my original opinion (of both versions). |
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| Final Recommendation: Strong recommendation for cinema ONLY. Otherwise, give it a miss, as it’s a bore. “Apocalypse Now (Redux)” is a landmark war film — historically significant for its Oscar nominations, its influence on film-making, and its unflinching portrayal of the psychological toll of war. The “Redux” version is longer, (supposedly) more meditative, and powerful. If you’re interested in classic cinema, Vietnam War films, or ambitious film-making, this is a must-see at least once (only once). |
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| Click here (29 April) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts. |
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Kevin Barrett's Blog 
Never Get Outta The Boat Unless You’re Goin’ All The Way
Posted in General Comments, Movie Review, Movies, Reviews, tagged Air Cavalry, Albert Hall, Apocalypse Now, Apocalypse Now (Redux) (2001) — movie review, Best Cinematography Oscar, Best Picture Nomination, Best Sound Oscar, Cambodia, Captain Benjamin Willard, Chief Phillips, Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, Francis Ford Coppola, Frederic Forrest, General Comments, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, Laurence Fishburne, Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Movie Reviews, Playboy Bunnies, Reviews, Robert Duvall, Saigon, Sam Bottoms, Strong Movie Recommendation, U.S. Special Forces, Vietnam on April 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »
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