Francis Ford Coppola - Apocalypse Now (1979), 7/10

Coppola’s visual take on Heart of Darkness successfully captures the ethos of Conrad’s story while bringing its own relevant themes into the forefront, also using expert cinematography to maximum effect. The influence from Herzog’s Aguirre is clear, yet the nuance is lacking in comparison. Still, it remains one of the most interesting and original war films in existence. While certain aspects of the story such as Kurtz’ character lack in comparison to the novella, it accomplishes a great story of its own. The comparisons to its blatant allusions are partly what limit the narrative experience, and this is where Coppola stunts his own work. The journey itself is a collection of tangents that inspire laughter, thought, or sometimes recoil, but largely contribute to the appropriately cinematic climax of Kurtz’ death. The dramatic presentation of the story works brilliantly in some moments, elevating otherwise ridiculous scenarios to gorgeous storytelling, yet spoils the grounded feeling of others, and in some of these sparse yet jagged moments the purposive sentiment falls flat. The redux adds substance but detracts further from the flow, resulting in somewhat of an experiential wash but is worth visiting. It does, however, further explain some of the film’s shortcomings, particularly the thematic disorderliness that plagues the screen. It is most successful when it is entirely original, providing its own perspective on contemporary issues and viewpoints rather than indulging in artistic implications or winded narratives. Kurtz, Willard, and Kilgore are successfully crafted and characterized but the rest fall flat against otherwise striking imagery. Kilgore’s sequence in its entirety, Willard’s retelling of Kurtz story, and the climax of Kurtz’ death and Willard’s departure are moments that make the story worth its time. Still, the feel of the film is too inconsistent and its shortcomings too many to be considered one of the greatest to grace the screen, but among the seemingly endless barrage of war films it stands tall as a unique and meaningful picture.