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Apocalypse Now (1979)

R  |   |  Drama, War  |  15 August 1979 (USA)
8.5
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Ratings: 8.5/10 from 412,591 users   Metascore: 90/100
Reviews: 956 user | 254 critic | 29 from Metacritic.com

During the Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe.

Director:

(as Francis Coppola)

Writers:

, (as Francis Coppola) , 2 more credits »
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Top 250 Movies #48 | Won 2 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 32 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Tyrone 'Clean' Miller (as Larry Fishburne)
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Jerry Ziesmer ...
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Bo Byers ...
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Storyline

It is the height of the war in Vietnam, and U.S. Army Captain Willard is sent by Colonel Lucas and a General to carry out a mission that, officially, 'does not exist - nor will it ever exist'. The mission: To seek out a mysterious Green Beret Colonel, Walter Kurtz, whose army has crossed the border into Cambodia and is conducting hit-and-run missions against the Viet Cong and NVA. The army believes Kurtz has gone completely insane and Willard's job is to eliminate him! Willard, sent up the Nung River on a U.S. Navy patrol boat, discovers that his target is one of the most decorated officers in the U.S. Army. His crew meets up with surfer-type Lt-Colonel Kilgore, head of a U.S Army helicopter cavalry group which eliminates a Viet Cong outpost to provide an entry point into the Nung River. After some hair-raising encounters, in which some of his crew are killed, Willard, Lance and Chef reach Colonel Kurtz's outpost, beyond the Do Lung Bridge. Now, after becoming prisoners of Kurtz, will... Written by Derek O'Cain

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

The Horror. . . The Horror. . .

Genres:

Drama | War

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent images, language, sexual content and some drug use | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

15 August 1979 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$31,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$96,992 (USA) (3 August 2001)

Gross:

£338,493 (UK) (21 December 2001)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (Redux) | (workprint)

Sound Mix:

(70 mm prints)| (Redux version)| (35 mm prints)| (Redux version)

Color:

(Technicolor)|

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

While in the movie the main character is sent to kill Kurtz, in the source novel ('Heart of Darkness'), the main character is sent to rescue him. See more »

Goofs

While Col. Kilgore's hat and decoration changes, earlier having oak leaves and crossed sabers (as would be seen with having different hats for when one became sweat soaked in Vietnam) and later just larger crossed sabers; it is most noticeable after he lands following the napalm use. It is seen earlier with the hat cords for a warrant officer which are silver/black instead of gold/black for officers of Lt. Col rank. (This is only readily-visible in the "Redux" restored version.) In one scene, he is shown with the hat acorns near-joined together on the brim as worn in the WW I M1903 campaign hat similar to that worn by highway patrolmen. Military hat cords of a cavalryman would never have been permitted to do this. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Willard: [voiceover] Saigon... shit; I'm still only in Saigon... Every time I think I'm gonna wake up back in the jungle.
Willard: When I was home after my first tour, it was worse.
[grabs at flying insect]
Willard: I'd wake up and there'd be nothing. I hardly said a word to my wife, until I said "yes" to a divorce. When I was here, I wanted to be there; when I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle. I'm here a week now... waiting for a mission... getting softer. Every minute I stay ...
See more »

Crazy Credits

There are four different treatments of the end credits, all four are available in different VHS, laserdisc, DVD and TV prints of the film...... When the film premiered in a limited 70mm format, it had no beginning or end credits, nothing but a one-line Omni Zoetrope copyright notice at the end. Programs were passed out to theater goers in lieu of any credits. When the film went into its wide release its format was 35mm. This version included end credits rolling over surrealistic explosions and burning jungle, showing the Kurtz compound being destroyed. When Coppola heard that people were assuming that the explosions during the end credits of the 35mm version meant that an air strike had been called in on the Kurtz compound (which is not what he wanted audiences to think) he quickly re-edited the 35mm version to have the end credits rolling over a simple black background and a slightly altered musical score. The "Redux" version also has the end credits over a black background but in different screen fonts and including additional "Redux" inserted cast members. See more »

Connections

Spoofed in Problem Child (1990) See more »

Soundtracks

Love Me, And Let Me Love You
by Robert Duvall
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
One of the best and most important movies ever
12 January 2005 | by (Canada) – See all my reviews

This movie changed the art of film making, telling a complex story in a powerful new way. The film mixes brutal realism with fantasy, intercutting a modern war with strange scenes full of technicolour smoke. The film uses music not as a score laid in later, but as a practical part of the scene playing from speakers, radios etc. Coppola uses a classic piece of literature as inspiration, taking scenes and characters, and putting them into entirely different surroundings. That is a tricky and brave thing to do. Then he takes a superstar, Brando, pays him a fortune, and films him so that you can barely see his face. The pure guts that such a move requires is astounding, and it works beautifully. This movie belongs in the top ten.


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