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Apocalypse Now (1979)

R 153 min  -  Drama | History | War  -   15 August 1979 (USA)
8.6
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Ratings: 8.6/10 from 236,316 users   Metascore: 90/100 
Reviews: 826 user | 215 critic | 29 from Metacritic.com

During the on-going Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Green Beret who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe.

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Apocalypse Now -- During the on-going Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Green Beret who has set himself up as a God among a local tribe. Apocalypse Now -- Interview: Heart Attack
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marlon Brando ...
Martin Sheen ...
Robert Duvall ...
Frederic Forrest ...
Sam Bottoms ...
Laurence Fishburne ...
Tyrone 'Clean' Miller (as Larry Fishburne)
Albert Hall ...
Harrison Ford ...
Dennis Hopper ...
G.D. Spradlin ...
Jerry Ziesmer Jerry Ziesmer ...
Scott Glenn ...
Bo Byers Bo Byers ...
James Keane ...
Kerry Rossall ...
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Storyline

It is the height of the war in Vietnam, and U.S. Army Captain Willard is sent by Colonel Lucas and a General to carry out a mission that, officially, 'does not exist - nor will it ever exist'. The mission: To seek out a mysterious Green Beret Colonel, Walter Kurtz, whose army has crossed the border into Cambodia and is conducting hit-and-run missions against the Viet Cong and NVA. The army believes Kurtz has gone completely insane and Willard's job is to eliminate him! Willard, sent up the Nung River on a U.S. Navy patrol boat, discovers that his target is one of the most decorated officers in the U.S. Army. His crew meets up with surfer-type Lt-Colonel Kilgore, head of a U.S Army helicopter cavalry group which eliminates a Viet Cong outpost to provide an entry point into the Nung River. After some hair-raising encounters, in which some of his crew are killed, Willard, Lance and Chef reach Colonel Kurtz's outpost... Written by Derek O'Cain  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Jungle | Army | Colonel | Captain | Vietnam  | See more »

Taglines:

The Horror. . . The Horror. . .

Genres:

Drama | History | War

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent images, language, sexual content and some drug use (Redux version) See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Vietnamese | Central Khmer

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Apocalypse Now Redux See more »

Filming Locations:

Philippines See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$31,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$118,558 (USA) (19 August 1979) (3 Screens)

Gross:

$83,471,511 (USA) (9 November 2001)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zoetrope Studios See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

 | (Redux version)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby Digital (Redux version) | Dolby (35 mm prints) | DTS (Redux version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The water buffalo (carabao in Filipino) that was slaughtered was real. See more »

Goofs

Continuity: LTC Kilgore's helicopter wasn't carrying surfboards. He sent his helicopter with the injured child and his mother. His helicopter carried rocket pods which weren't present when it left (could have been released after the pods were emptied). The surfboards were on a helicopter to the left of Kilgore's. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Willard: [voiceover] Saigon... shit; I'm still only in Saigon... Every time I think I'm gonna wake up back in the jungle.
Willard: When I was home after my first tour, it was worse.
[grabs at flying insect]
Willard: I'd wake up and there'd be nothing. I hardly said a word to my wife, until I said "yes" to a divorce. When I was here, I wanted to be there; when I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle. I'm here a week now... waiting for a mission... getting softer. Every minute I stay in this room, I get weaker, and every minute Charlie squats in the bush, he gets stronger. Each time I looked around the walls moved in a little tighter.
See more »

Crazy Credits

There are four different treatments of the end credits, all four are
available in different VHS, laserdisc, DVD and TV prints of the film......
When the film premiered in a limited 70mm format, it had no beginning or
end credits, nothing but a one-line Omni Zoetrope copyright notice at the
end. Programs were passed out to theater goers in lieu of any credits.
When the film went into its wide release its format was 35mm. This
version included end credits rolling over surrealistic explosions and
burning jungle, showing the Kurtz compound being destroyed.
When Coppola heard that people were assuming that the explosions during the
end credits of the 35mm version meant that an air strike had been called in
on the Kurtz compound (which is not what he wanted audiences to think) he
quickly re-edited the 35mm version to have the end credits rolling over a
simple black background and a slightly altered musical score.
The "Redux" version also has the end credits over a black background but in
different screen fonts and including additional "Redux" inserted cast
members. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Smala Sussie (2003) See more »

Soundtracks

"Love Me, And Let Me Love You"
by Robert Duvall See more »