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Apocalypse Now




Apocalypse Now Redux (1979)
- 8


From the eve of a secret mission to the confines of enlightening horror. Willard chronicles the journey and the personal implications of what he faces until the echo of his words is muffled by the atrophied voice of a man who has allied with horror and moral terror by his own means to the detriment of a hypocrite army. The atrocious madness of warfare, dissected in a beautiful, spectacular and surreal cinematic feast. This movie looks surprisingly modern for a product of 1979. Modern in the best and the worst. I say the worst because it abounds with redundant moments that distract me. I wanted to nurture higher appreciation for this movie, but there is too much that, in my opinion, is not essential for the cinematic experience; some cuts would help to forge a more consolidated and distinctive work. The excesses are all the more frustrating by means of the typical hollywood-esque pathos so prominent that, sometimes, this movie looks like an exercise in ostentatious vulgarity without substance or appeal so common in nowadays' Hollywood junk food. This is a 1979 movie so it's difficult to pass fair judgement about its originality, but the fact is several scenes are insipid, seemingly pointless and slightly confuse me about the real message that the movie is trying to convey. I suspect that my nagging stems from the additional 49 minutes of runtime in the Redux version. I read about the added scenes and, not surprisingly, a large part of them match with what I consider surplus. I actually enjoy the leisurely, almost wandering, pace of the Redux version; it compels to thorough contemplation and reflection about everything there is to see and interpret. But the shifting pace enhances qualities and limitations in equal measure. I, therefore, agree with some of the criticism received by this version; I think this is a corruption, by excess, of a masterpiece (or so I hope). What is not essential, is excess; the essential of this movie is formidable; then it follows that I lust for the original version. I would love to see it in a big theater to experience all the visceral and haunting juice this movie has to offer.