Overview
A harrowing journey into the heart of darkness during the Vietnam War.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- hallucinatory
- brooding
- oppressive
- serious film night
- war cinema retrospective
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War epic as haunting, audacious, visually visionary, and one of cinema's defining portrayals of war's psychological and moral horror.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Willard travels upriver through escalating violence toward Kurtz's remote outpost, with the voyage shaping the film's structure and meaning.
The helicopter assault, napalm haze, theatrical military rituals, and ominous soundscape create a surreal vision of Vietnam.
The secret assassination order, Kilgore's surfing priorities, and contradictory chains of command expose the irrationality of the war machine.
Kurtz's alleged insanity is contrasted with the sanctioned destruction carried out by conventional U.S. forces.
Films like Apocalypse Now, and why
Platoon
shared Vietnam War setting, psychological descent, moral disorientation, and hallucinatory antiwar intensity
The Thin Red Line
shared war epic scale, jungle combat, colonial violence, and meditative treatment of military horror
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
shared imperial violence, river journey, psychological horror, and descent into madness
Full Metal Jacket
shared antiwar surrealism, brutal combat imagery, and critique of military institutions
Movie Details
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Release Date
- 1979-05-19
- Runtime
- 147 min
- Rating
- 8.3 / 10 (9409)
Cast
- Martin Sheen
- Marlon Brando
- Frederic Forrest
- Albert Hall
- Laurence Fishburne
- Sam Bottoms
- Robert Duvall
- G.D. Spradlin
- Harrison Ford
- Jerry Ziesmer
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Apocalypse Now about?
- A secret river mission through Vietnam becomes a hallucinatory confrontation with the madness hidden inside military power.
- What is Apocalypse Now like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Apocalypse Now as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Apocalypse Now violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Apocalypse Now as graphic.
- What did critics think of Apocalypse Now?
- Critics broadly regard Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War epic as haunting, audacious, visually visionary, and one of cinema's defining portrayals of war's psychological and moral horror.
- Which films are like Apocalypse Now?
- Films with a similar feel include Platoon, The Thin Red Line, Aguirre, the Wrath of God, and Full Metal Jacket.
- How long is Apocalypse Now?
- Apocalypse Now runs 147 minutes.
- Where can I watch Apocalypse Now?
- In United States, Apocalypse Now streams on Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel.
