"Apocalypse Now" and Sentiments On War

JOE'S SUMUP: horrifying and superior

(1979) "Apocalypse Now" was only the second movie with an R rating that I ever saw, and the only one I made a point to go and rent, rather than watch it via world wide web. It was March 2006, the U.S. was in the thick of the War in Iraq, and I was at the time raging over the whole debacle. An appropriate time to experience this terrifying film expressing maxims on war some would rather turn their heads from, yet should not.

This movie is not about the Vietnam War. To this day I scarcely know what the Vietnam War was about, and I unlike many took a class on it. This movie is not even about war in and of itself. War movies are "Saving Private Ryan", "Platoon", and "Braveheart". This movie dares to delve deeper. It brings into the open the complex issue, the end justifies the means. It mocks the way bullying sacrifices innocence for ignorance. This movie is not for the faint of heart.

Most know its premise. Based on Conrad's classic "Heart Of Darkness", Ford Coppola and Milius stage 19th-century Congo in 1960s Vietnam, making a clear statement on what they thought of the conflict. Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) is given orders to journey up the Nung River in North Vietnam to seek out Colonel Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a man once awarded the U.S. military's highest accolades. Kurtz has gone AWOL and has apparently gathered a following of men and natives. Willard is to terminate his command "with extreme prejudice." He accepts the mission, given information on Kurtz's whereabouts and his background. He and his crew enter a series of misadventures during their travels, each a little more unnerving than the other. Robert Duvall's brief performance as the over-exuberant Colonel Kilgore is Oscar nominated and Oscar deserving. While transporting Willard and his boat to the Nung, this perhaps the most enjoyable scene of the film, Kilgore famously blasts Wagner's

"Ride Of The Valkyries" against the backdrops of blaring helicopters, battling the Vietcong, slalloming explosions on surfboards, and an eye-opening napalm strike. To this charismatic crazed commander, the war is clearly very black-and-white. To the more subtle and skeptical Willard, it becomes less and less so.

How could a man abandon his mission, his life, and his family, after climbing so far up the ranks? thinks Willard. How could a person who was once so good become so bad? Better still, how could a person who was so complacent become so motivated? What causes us to snap so abruptly? Every person on earth who knows such change will have their own answer. But this movie offers its own. In the midst of its pure horror shines a bright ray of pure and unadulterated humanity. It makes its points strongly---hatred is wrong, assault is never once the answer, cultures and peoples must at all costs live and let live, rather than kill or be killed. Each segment of Willard's voyage sheds greater wisdom on these maxims. By the last act, one feels so humanized that it almost feels like propaganda. But the logic weaved into the script was brought into being by the very beast it tirades against, and its balance is restored.

These truths come at a price, as the film in its theatrical edit alone is two-and-a-half hours long. I recently went back and watched "Apocalypse Now Redux", a re-edit three-and-a-half hours long (there is also now a third edit nearly five hours long). As "Redux" contributes almost nothing of substance in its extra hour, I recommend the theatrical release. There are also images that the writers wish to place in the minds of its audience, as reminders and warnings. Some say images of war are unhealthy, degrading, or evil. I make no apologies that for me they were not. Disturbing, yes, I'll give them that (I'm not above turning my head). For those who do feel that way, this film is not for them. For those who wish for a greater respect for the most intimate effects that war has, as I did, this movie will gladly oblige. It was crafted I think for our generations. It pays tribute to the kind of war Vietnam was. It was made to lift sheltered souls out of complacency and motivate them. It was made to remind us that the longer we think things through, the quicker we forget our petty skirmishes. It was made as a statement against ignorance and its begotten absolutes.

Ford Coppola did it again, proving his vigilance as a vigilante. It's too gritty a movie in my book to give it full credit, but he gets my praise for this haunting masterpiece. Running time: 153 min./202 min.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078788

"Duel": Classic Tale of Survivor Vs. Predator

JOE'S SUMUP: thrilling good fun

(1971) It's rather stimulating to grow up watching E.T., Jaws, Raiders, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, etc etc etc etc etc... and then to discover in adulthood "Duel", totally shoved under the rug by the very hand that made it.  I'm not saying Spielberg's hand---I'm saying the hand of Speilberg's success.  It's not his fault classic gems like this one have gone unrecognized.

It appears that right from the beginning, Spielberg had big ideas of what he wanted to express to the world.  He not only landed at the right time in the right place to be a revolutionary, he also paved his own road to be one.  The wonder is that Steven the Crusader probably hardly knew he was part of this scheme.  I dare say the very revolution was a mere byproduct of what he created.  Here's one that got the ball rolling for him.

For being a low-budget 70's film going straight to T.V., and with no John Williams to score it, "Duel" is heavy---quick and intense entertainment.  Spielberg clearly enjoys the appeal of large yet ominous nemeses.  One in the form on a semi carrying ten tons behind it was as surprisingly thrilling as a giant shark was so blatantly thrilling.  The knee-jerk reaction was, what kind of a threat is this massive lorry against against a speedy small sedan?  Wait and see.  Hitchcock would've smiled---not every director could pull off such an ominous and inexplicable rogue as this one.

Many films attempt showing the bad in good guys and the good in bad guys.  We've seen some succeed, and others fail miserably.  "Duel" doesn't mince such ideas.  It starts with everything already broken down, dichotomizing survivor and predator, victim and villain.  And it doesn't mind having a lot of fast-action fun doing so.  You don't have to be a Spielberg diehard to enjoy this should-be dark horse, all you need is a little taste for a good thrill ride.  Two thumbs up.  Yes they're both mine, for now anyway.  Running time: 90 min.

http://www.imdb.com/title/ttoo67023/

"The Secret Of NIMH"

JOE'S SUMUP: the quintessential animated feature

(1982) Each genre of film is inevitably accompnaied by a stereotype.  We hear "horror" and we think Freddy, we hear "comedy" and we think Jim Carrey or Bill Murray.  And when we hear "animated", we think Disney, Saturday morning, and "for children only".  It is thus unlikely that one would classify true greatness in the same category.  Don Bluth beat the system in 1982 with his original masterpiece "The Secret Of NIMH".  Simply put, this animated feature is above its own code, breaking many conventions and forging others.

Out of all the movies I've seen, and I've see a few, this film contains one of my very favorite heroines: Mrs. Jonathan Brisby.  A mouse, no less.  We never learn her first name, but her entitlement (usually "Mrs. Brisby" as well as "Briz" to a clumsy crow friend) suits her well.  She is caught between a rock and a hard place (quite literally) as her son Timmy catches pneumonia and cannot be moved from their brick home, before the farmer plows the field in which they live.  She seeks help from animals who have gained supernatural powers from a drug adminstered to them by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).  The plot thickens as forces of good and evil connive against each other in the plan to provide aid for her family.

This animated feature is a rarity in that it's not solely directed toward children.  It contains suspense, terror, violence, even cursing, in its content.  All is done in good taste, while leaving audiences plenty of suspense.  I watched it as a kid, and was not traumatized---though I won't say the "giant" cat did not scare me to death.  If you like grizzly monsters, Dragon might do the trick.

The animation is flawless, unique, and beautiful.  The buildup (and especially finale) is eye-opening.  Such rich character development in animation was perhaps never so masterfully done.  One could not help but be inspired by Mrs. Brisby's sweetness and her determination---it is chiefly she who causes me to keep going back again and again.  To top it all off, the majestic score from the late Jerry Goldsmith brings this feature to a level untouched, IMHO.

Bravo to Mr. Bluth.  He has been hit-and-miss in his features, but his first will ever be his greatest.  And P.S. As always, the sequel is worth mentioning only in a caveat to skip.  Running time: 82 min.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084649

"The Wild One"

JOE'S SUMUP: a classic 50s act

(1953) Nothing like a good cat-and-mouse thriller, I tell ya. No, not the stalker/horror genres---it's a dime a dozen, that lot. I need not remind a soul of my great love for worlds of Steven Spielberg, and he is a mastermind in this genre. His greatest cat-and-mouse films begin with "Duel" and don't end with "Catch Me If You Can". It's possible though that Spielberg and other greats got a hint of inspiration from this catchy provocative classic, "The Wild One".

I'd never heard of the film until listening to a review of "Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull". While the masses approved less of that one, no one can overlook its themes lifted from the 50's. Packed with sundry icons such as flying saucers, A-bombs tests, and the KGB, I give the film some credit for these tributes. But I digress. Mutt Williams (played by Shia LaBeouf) was based so closely on Johnny Strabler that it's really plagiarism for the screen. And it was no mistake.

Strabler (played by the almighty Brando, in only his fourth role) is a classic hoodlum from the moment he enters. And he's not the only wild one. His gang-on-wheels might just as well belong to Brando's mob in "The Godfather". Writing their own laws, muscling anyone who threatens their plans, they live to live, with no thought of what comes next. They just go---as do their rivals. And just like in every good story, there's a supple smalltown girl who can't resist muddying up the waters.

No denying it, I love a good quality romance as much as I love a good crime drama. This flick's among the early classics in the

romance genre, but the tone it sets through primordial genderal tension is antiquitous. Something every male can relate to: a woman they cannot resist. Not all of us possess the looks, power, and charisma of Strabler. But for all their clout, they leave him powerless in her presence. Mary Murphy's sugarsweetness is mesmerizing, to actor and audience alike---it is these elements combined which kept me on edge. Who is cat and who is mouse, as the simple plot thickens. Who is in control. "The Wild One" offers up many surprising plot twists in this way.

It's far from my favorite old-timey film, but this one's worth a look if you're itching for a classic with vintage Brando at the helm. Its black-and-white tones only enhance its characters and caricatures. Its script is rich, smooth, and perfectly delivered. It may be a drama, but it's not meant to be taken seriously, coming with all the glitches and impossibilities associated with the films of its day. Just fun, worth enjoying, especially for Brando's and Murphy's chemistry. Running time: 79 min.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047677