Apocalypse Now (1979)

The first forty minutes or so were terribly boring. I thought the film moved horribly slow for a while. At about the forty-minute mark (and on) I began to get more and more interested. At this point things seemed to speed up and began to come together. I felt that at this point things became more interesting. I slowly became attached to the characters, more interested in the story and, overall, more into the film than I was at the start. I think Frederic Forrest’s performance as Jay “Chef” Hicks was my favorite in this film. I thought his portrayal of a soldier breaking down and becoming vulnerable was fantastic; it was well executed and very believable. I can’t say for certain (because I wasn’t there), but I feel as if he was probably the most accurate depiction, of all the characters, of what an American soldier (or any soldier for that matter) would have been like during the Vietnam War. Overall, I found this film enjoyable. There were, however, many slow points in the film that were difficult to get through. If it weren’t for the development of some of the characters (especially Martin Sheen’s Captain Benjamin L. Williard) I think the film may have been a bit difficult to get through. It’s a testament to the writing and directing of this film to be able to have the film move so slowly at times while still keeping the audience engaged. The eerie whispering of “the horror, the horror,” coupled with the sound of pouring rain was a perfect summation of this film’s story. It perfectly summed up what had happened to each and every character and, very nicely, brought the film to a close. Of any film I’ve seen, this may be the most appropriate ending. I was skeptical about this film before watching, and, though it’s not a film I can see myself watching over and over, I am glad that I watched it. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0078788/