Apocalypse Now - Francis Ford Coppola (1979)

Why did I pick this one first? Because it was the only one I could find on the shelf in the video store. (This was before I figured out I could just ask the guy at the desk.) 

I hadn't seen this movie before, and didn't know too much about it. I knew it was loosely based on Joseph Conrad's novella 'Heart of Darkness'. (Which I read back in my University days.) I knew it was about the Vietnam War. I knew it was directed by Francis Ford Coppola.  

What to say about this movie? 

Overall, awesome movie. I picked up the Redux version....so it was a bit long, running 3 hours 22 minutes, where the original clocked in at 2 hours 33 minutes. From that perspective, I found it a bit indulgent of Coppola. Maybe if I had seen the original version, I may not have thought that way. 

I haven't seen many Vietnam movies (or many war movies, for that matter), so I can't 'compare' this to others. From the research I did post-watching, I found out that this was the first movie about Vietnam. So I guess if I am going to see one, this is the one to see.

Admittedly it was cool to finally hear the line 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning'. (Seriously...I had no idea that's where that line came from. See why I need to see these movies!!) 

One word to describe Apocalypse Now: Grueling.