Apocalypse Now

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Apocalypse Now

R

Released Aug 15, 1979

2h 27m

War

Drama

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Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

147 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

In Vietnam in 1970, Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) takes a perilous and increasingly hallucinatory journey upriver to find and terminate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a once-promising officer who has reportedly gone completely mad. In the company of a Navy patrol boat filled with street-smart kids, a surfing-obsessed Air Cavalry officer (Robert Duvall), and a crazed freelance photographer (Dennis Hopper), Willard travels further and further into the heart of darkness.

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Critics Consensus

A voyage to hell where the journey is more satisfying than the destination, Francis Ford Coppola's haunting, hallucinatory Vietnam War epic is cinema at its most audacious and visionary.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Years and years from now, when Coppola’s budget and his problems have long been forgotten, “Apocalypse” will still stand, I think, as a grand and grave and insanely inspired gesture of filmmaking.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 23, 2024

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

It's precisely in the last 25 minutes that Apocalypse Now dissolves into gibberish. I've seen the film three times with two different endings, and neither ending has been satisfactory. That's because the problem with the picture isn't at its very end.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 23, 2024

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Bruce McCabe

Boston Globe

Some critics fault Coppola for not delivering a seamless, flawless film. But this is to misperceive and misread the film in a crucial way. The film by definition couldn't be flawless. It attempts too much.

Sep 23, 2024

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Megan Fisher

Loud and Clear Reviews

It’s an enthralling, powerful miracle of a movie.

Jan 11, 2025

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Bill Cosford

Miami Herald

Though as high art this movie may have its problems, it is a complete movie, a huge piece of work that is at once a technical masterpiece and a thing of lyrical, lethal beauty. This will be the film to see in 1979.

Sep 23, 2024

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Jeff Simon

Buffalo News

Decompression [after leaving the theater] takes a long time. You're still submerged for quite a while in its climate of oppressive sin and maddened dissolution... The parking lot doesn't seem quite like a parking lot.

Sep 23, 2024

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Michael Isaac K

For the longest time Francis Ford's "Heart of Darkness" traversed a planet of electro multitude. Pointing no, transcending yes; three levels of consciousness bringing Combat Veterans the light. Identifying and separating this journey with-in each of us is a metamorphosis-in men's health we circle as one. -Waterlilly0247

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

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john h

The original cut which is the theatrical cut of Apocalypse Now is a more loose and less determined journey when compared to the redux version which lasts about 40 minutes more (3 hours). The extension in time adds to the slow deterioration of our characters' mental state and a more accurate portrayal of the 'Heart of Darkness', which the film is based on. However, all three versions which include the theatrical, redux, and final cut are received differently, visually, and clearly so there is no definitive "porridge" that is "just right". Coppola in the 1970s was arguably the most visionary filmmaker of that decade, and at the end of the film, we feel just as disoriented and psychedelic as Captain Willard (played by Martin Sheen), suggesting we were taken on the trip as well to understand Sheen's dark experiences and encounters. This adds to how much of a legendary visionary Coppola was at the time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/02/25

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Tyler L

An enthralling and powerful film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/31/25

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Yared S

Outstanding filmmaking. When u watching this movie u'wl see soldiers soul.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/30/25

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Jamie K

My Favorit Movie of all time. It's a you need Movie. Please watch him.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/29/25

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PJ T

A true psychological thriller that will make you as mad as colonel Kurtz.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/29/25

Full Review

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Francis Ford Coppola

Director

Marlon Brando

Colonel Kurtz

Martin Sheen

Captain Willard

Robert Duvall

Lt. Col. Kilgore

Frederic Forrest

Chef

Albert Hall

Chief

Apocalypse Now: Official Clip - The Photojournalist

2:20

Apocalypse Now: Official Clip - The Horror

4:18

Apocalypse Now: Official Clip - Colonel Kurtz

2:20

Apocalypse Now: Official Clip - The Smell of Napalm In the Morning

2:43

Apocalypse Now: Official Clip - Do Lung Bridge

3:09

Apocalypse Now: Official Clip - Ride of the Valkyries

4:14

Apocalypse Now: Official Clip - Saigon

3:40

Apocalypse Now: Official Clip - Terminate With Extreme Prejudice

2:50

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Synopsis

In Vietnam in 1970, Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) takes a perilous and increasingly hallucinatory journey upriver to find and terminate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a once-promising officer who has reportedly gone completely mad. In the company of a Navy patrol boat filled with street-smart kids, a surfing-obsessed Air Cavalry officer (Robert Duvall), and a crazed freelance photographer (Dennis Hopper), Willard travels further and further into the heart of darkness.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Producer: Kim Aubry, Francis Ford Coppola
Screenwriter: Joseph Conrad, John Milius, Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Herr
Distributor: United Artists, Miramax Films, Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Zoetrope Studios
Rating: R
Genre: War, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 15, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 29, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $78.8M
Runtime: 2h 27m
Sound Mix: Surround

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