STARS: MARLON BRANDO, MARTIN SHEEN, ROBERT DUVALL, LAURENCE FISHBURNE, DENNIS HOPPER, HARRISON FORD

The heart of darkness - does war turn man insane or does it simply attract insane men?

It is the Vietnam War and Col Kurtz (Marlon Brando), one of America’s best and brightest is operating according to his own rules, he and those under his command have pushed into Cambodia where Kurtz lives likes a King, he is operating without orders, without guidance, without sanity. He sees himself above the laws of man, killing indiscriminately and his men follow him without question.

His superiors recognise this rogue element and send one of their top men to bring him back, however they have lost contact with him and suspect he has been killed by Kurtz.

In a last ditch effort to stop Kurtz they ORDER Capt Willard (Martin Sheen) to make the dangerous trek to Cambodia, infiltrate Kurtz’s compound and terminate the Colonel ‘with extreme prejudice’. Capt Willard himself is far from stable, someone who sees his only purpose in life to fight the war, a man who no longer has a place in civilised society.

Told form the viewpoint of Capt Willard we hear his thoughts as a narrative throughout the film, showing the descent into madness of those who aren’t prepared for the horrors of war, from Col Kurtz a man of charm, and charisma who sees himself as a god, to Captain Willard the man who in some ways grows to respect and understand Kurtz to Lance, the surfing champion who has been drafted into this war and slowly becomes insane.

Francis Ford Coppola has made a beautifully terrifying film showing the darkness of man from many viewpoints. The cast is unparalleled with every performance outstanding, in particular Marlon Brando who is the only man who could conceivably play the brilliant insanity that is Kurtz.

THE EXTRAS

Theatrical Trailer

PBR Street Gang: Present day interviews with the actors who constituted the crew of the boat who take Captain

Willard up the river to Cambodia, of particular interest is Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) who was 14 years old at the start of production.

Apocalypse Then And Now: A series of interviews with Francis Ford Coppola talking about the problems with the production and the rumours that spread about the filming as well as the work that went into this re-release.

Destruction of the Kurtz compound: Can be viewed with or without commentary by Francis Ford Coppola, it shows the 6 minute sequence which didn’t make it into the film which could have ended the film.

CONCLUSION

A truly classis film which is deserving of this special re-release status. It is amazing that at three and a quarter hours this film never drags it’s feet and is compelling viewing.