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Apocalypse Now

Play trailer Poster for Apocalypse Now R 1979 2h 27m War Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 150 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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Apocalypse Now

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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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Critics Reviews

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Sep 23, 2024
4/4
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. Go to Full Review
Gene Siskel Chicago Tribune Sep 23, 2024
2.5/4
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. Go to Full Review
Bruce McCabe Boston Globe Sep 23, 2024
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. Go to Full Review
John Dodd Edmonton Journal Apr 15, 2026
The deeper it goes, the shallower it becomes. The realistic becomes the theatrical. The emotions of the viewer rebel and the remaining traumatic focus is shattered. For all its flaws, Apocalypse Now remains an amazing triumph. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Mar 19, 2026
5/5
…Apocalypse Now is perhaps one of the ten must-see films ever made, huge in scope, precise as a watch, staggering in intent….a vision of a man-made hell on earth that only the slaying of a man-god could justify… Go to Full Review
Carson Timar ClapperCast Dec 17, 2025
A projection of madness, Apocalypse Now is perhaps the most important text in Coppola's filmography and remains an incredibly worthy and relevant journey through the jungle, which looks at the nature of both power and chaos. Go to Full Review
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PANZER 2 @RT94599699 3 days ago 당신이 심연을 들여다 볼 때, 심연도 당신을 들여다본다. See more Huntin P @PaxVobiscum80 5 days ago The chaos of shooting Apocalypse Now is almost as familiar as the movie. Martin Sheen had a heart attack. Sets got destroyed by, was it, monsoons? You name it, it happened. At such times, journalists usually start sharpening their pens, but when it finally arrived it was acclaimed, rightly, as a masterpiece. This is a far superior movie to Platoon, make no mistake. If you want a Vietnam movie about grunts in the sh*t, seek out Full Metal Jacket instead. Apocalypse is about the horror, the chaos, but also the beauty, accidental or natural, that occurs in war zones. When I was a kid I fetishized everything you see at the start: the handgun, the smokes, the orders printed on wafer thin paper, the smell of napalm in the morning, the sweat on Martin Sheen's face. I still want to go to Cambodia because of this movie. Personally, I think Brando was worth every penny. The later Redux and final cuts of the movie add little of consequence. The plantation sequence is a curiosity at best. See more Robert P @Superbad Sep 11, 2026 Apocalypse Now = a 5 star Movie... See more MariofanAlex445 T @RT47678067 Sep 2, 2026 60’s counter-culture and Vietnam meets The Odyssey in this epic study of a mostly forgotten time. Martin Sheen, Duvall, and Brando steal the show and it’s amazing because all of their parts are completely isolated from one another. Allowing each actor to to bring their best to the table without really competing with anyone else. Allowing each character to breathe and it gives us a really interesting look into their psychology. I saw the original theatrical cut, I hear there is a much longer version I need to see. Maybe one day. For now, 5/5 stars. See more Christian R @RT90248046 Jul 28, 2026 9.1/10 A haunting exploration into not only the horrifying shenanigans of the Vietnam War but also the insanity of those involved or in relation to it, Apocalypse Now is my personal favorite Francis Ford Coppola film. It just hits. See more ICUR M @icurmtheaded Jul 16, 2026 Transposed from Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness" thematically, "the horror" was slow to reveal itself and once there, you realize it was there all along, from the first frame to the end. Soundtrack great match to the movie. M Sheen's voice over gritty enough without overdoing it. Milius & Coppola in this collaboration wrote some of the most memorable/quotable/multi-layered dialog. Charlie don't surf...napalm in the morning...how come you sit on your helmets? Those nabobs.. See more Read all reviews
Apocalypse Now

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Apocalypse Now

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Movie Info

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
Screenwriter
Joseph Conrad, John Milius, 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)
$74.4K
Runtime
2h 27m
Sound Mix
Surround
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