Rating: 
Summary: Could use some Redux-ion surgery...
Review: Director's cuts are usually a disappointment. After viewing I usually admire the studio for having the brain to make the cuts needed for the film to flow properly. Apocalypse Now Redux is no exception. The film is considered to be a war classic by many but even with some wonderful scenes, the overlong piece comes across arrogant and self-important. Robert Duvall's role as a surf-happy commander is pure genius, only matched by his helicopter attack using Wagner's Valkyrie's for added effect. Now with an extra 40 minutes or so, we see some extra information, none of which helps the story along, just adds more to ponder. One extremely long section takes place on a French Plantation where anti-Viet Nam war rhetoric is blatantly stated over dinner. Martin Sheen does a good job as the Captain on a mission into hell. Along for the ride is a young Laurence Fishburn. Along the way, he also encounters Harrison Ford and Dennis Hopper. The DVD has a gorgeous video and audio transfer but is surprisingly barren otherwise. Especially odd since this is the second release of the film available. Neither of these release contains the documentary Heart of Darkness made on the set of AN. If you are a completist, then this version is a must but the regular release will suffice for most others.
Rating: 
Summary: awsome
Review: Apocalypse now is by far one of the greatest movies ever made. I have'nt seen the redux but the cut movie is good enough. If war really is hell, than this is your one-way ticket. the film opens with Sheen in Saigon having a deppresion[and an amazing heart attack scene in his hotel room], and waiting for his next mission. He gets called to the base and is told to go deep into enemy territory and kill a colonel gone insane[played by Brando].
Which follows is an amazing display of action scenes, some amazing performances by Sheen, Brando and once again, the notion that war really is hell. The insane colonel is played well by Brando, and his little hide-out is incredibly dark and spooky, a world turned completely upside down. The best scene in the film is when Sheen is making his way into Brando's "hut of hell" in his final attempt to put him down. A classic scene in filmmaking, and an awsome movie not be missed.
Rating:
Summary: A great film suffers a bit by addition, but it's still great
Review: "Apocalypse Now" is, put simply, is a masterpiece. It is a big, ungainly mess of a film, but that chaos serves the setting-the Vietnam War-incredibly well. No better film has ever been made about the complexity of the human soul, and many of the moments in "Apocalypse Now"-the "Ride of the Valkyries" sequence, Colonel Kilgore, and "the horror...the horror," have all become touchstone moviegoing and cultural items. One would think a masterpiece like that wouldn't need a touchup, but now comes "Apocalpyse Now Redux," with over 45 minutes of new footage, a reworked (and very good) soundtrack, and a gorgeous new image transfer. For those of us who never got the opportunity to see this movie in a theater when it was first released, this new version is as technically good as it gets. However, having viewed "Redux" a few times, I have to ask a question: what does the new version really add? Does it make the original masterpiece better? Respectively, the answers to those questions are "not much," and "no." In fact, the extra length and scenes in "Redux" make the film seem more ponderous and self-indulgent than the original, which wasn't exactly a model of efficient storytelling. The highlight of "Redux" is the "French plantation" scene, which has been discussed endlessly by movie buffs, but has never been seen before. The sequence is interesting, and sometimes thought provoking-there is a lengthy discussion of the French Vietnam experience, some references to Willard's dual nature, and some stunning cinematography-but it just doesn't add all that much for to justify its 30-minute length. The other big "new" sequence involves Willard and his companions finding the Playboy bunnies, whom they first saw at the USO show, stuck in a weird Army camp in the middle of nowhere. Subsequently, Willard arranges a little R&R for the men with the bunnies. "Apocalypse Now" is a surreal take on Vietnam, but this sequence is absolutely implausible, it's completely out of character for Willard, and it is poorly written to boot. Other "new" footage involves more detail on Willard's torture at the Kurtz compound, and some scenes use different takes of familiar material. And while this stuff is interesting, "Apocalypse Now" is a masterpiece, and when something's right, you usually don't improve it by fiddling around. "Redux" brings to mind Paul Thomas Anderson's comments about some of the scenes he deleted from "Boogie Nights." He said that while some of these scenes were near and dear to his heart, and some were special in their own way, there was something about each of them that just didn't serve the story well enough to make the final cut. Those thoughts rang so true when I watched the "new" material in "Redux." When a skilled director like Francis Ford Coppola leaves material out of a film, there's a reason. In the case of "Redux," the reason is simple: the material left out, while worthwhile and frequently interesting, just doesn't make the movie stronger. This isn't to say that the "Redux" materials sink the film; when your starting point is as brilliant as "Apocalypse Now," a few discordant notes won't ruin anything. And for those of us who treasure this film, the extras are quite interesting. But I find myself scratching my head and wondering if it was money or ego that made Francis Ford Coppola fool around with the original. ______________________________________________________________ A word about the DVD: it's clear Paramount was in it for the bucks on this one. There are no special features, save the trailer, and the original film is still available on DVD. If you want to compare the two versions, you'll have to buy both. Paramount could have done its customers a huge favor by bringing out an entirely new DVD, with the added "Redux" sequences as bonus materials and an upgraded sound and color transfer. Or, it could have done what Artisan did with "Terminator 2," and include both versions on the DVD, letting the viewer select which version he wanted to see. And if Paramount REALLY wanted to do right by its customers, it could have included "Hearts of Darkness," the documentary made by Coppola's wife on the making of "Apocalypse Now." The documentary is brilliant, and it's a must-see for anyone who loves "Apocalypse Now." In particular, the part where Marlon Brando shows up at the newly-constructed "Kurtz jungle hell" set tipping in at about 300 pounds, bald, and mumbling is just not to be missed. Frankly, what I'd really love to see is the original cut of "Apocalpyse Now," with the reworked sound and color transfer of "Redux." Anyone listening there at Paramount?
Rating:
Summary: Finally as it was meant to be seen!
Review: After more than 20 years since its theatrical release we can finally see Coppola's vision of Vietnam as it was meant to be seen. Although the so-called deleted scenes in many movies are often times both minor and inconsequential to the plot, that is certainly not the case with Apocalypse Now Redux. With over 48 minutes restored this version takes the focus away from Willard's search for Kurtz and brings it back to a more general statement about Vietnam and Western Colonialism. This change of focus also brings the similarities between ANR and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, much more apparent, which illustrates the relevancy of his work to contemporary history. With this change the emphasis of the film is brought back to the soldiers who fought in Vietnam and the tragedy of war. In retrospect it is easy to see why many of the scenes were deleted if one considers the cold-war climate, as well as the national embarrasment that the Vietnam War represented at that time. Regardless of what one thinks of that war, Coppola's vision will stand out as one of the most intense and thoughtprovoking exploarations into the spectacle of war ever produced. While it would have been nice to see Coppola's documentary "Hearts of Darkness: The Making of Apocalypse Now" included with the release of Redux, the flawless picture quality of the widescreen format and booming Dolby sound still make this a great dvd to add to your collection. You haven't seen Apocalypse Now until you have seen this restored version, truly a landmark in American cinema.
Rating:
Summary: REDUX is where it's at!
Review: Well, it has been said that Apocaclypse Now is one of the all time greatest war movies ever made. It has also been said that it may be one of the greatest movies ever made. Well, I believe that to be true as well. With the late 2000 release of the re-edited and extended REDUX version, you can pretty much chalk that one up indeed one of the greatest movies ever made. Put that on a single-sided double-layered DVD and you have one hellava movie. Crystal clear picture and sound. REDUX goes where the original didn't. It expands on character development and restores some scenes, such as the French Plantation scene and the Playboy Bunny medivac camp scene. If you want the definitive version of this classic, you must pick up REDUX. The chapters are well laid out which singles out the added scenes so you can "skip" those scenes if you wish to view the movie as the original. kiran david asked:
"While I really enjoyed this version of the film what worries me is that the aspect ratio seems to be 1:1.85 instead if 2.35 which was what the original apocalypse now was. Is this a transfer error or did the director use 1.85 as the aspect ratio, though the trailer on the dvd seems to be in 2.35. Can someone please enlighten me on this one." Well, that's kind of funny. I could have sworn my old Widescreen VHS copy seemed to be in 2.35:1 as well, but the new REDUX seems to be in 1.85:1. However if your DVD player and TV are capable of using 16:9 enhanced modes, the picture can be compressed down closer to about 2.0:1.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest War Film Ever
Review: How to describe Apocalypse Now in 5 words or less? THE GREATEST WAR FILM EVER This is without a doubt the greatest war film ever in motion picture history, and also one of the top five movies ever made. So many cliches have come from this movie that it's amazing how Francis Ford Coppola can consistantly write script after script with so many memorable characters such as from The Godfather, and case in point Apocalypse Now. I originally downloaded the movie in DiVx quality, and after watching it I was stunned. It was so good that I immediately went out to the store and bought the DVD, making this the first LEGAL DVD movie I have ever bought.
Rating:
Summary: Aspect Ratio
Review: While i really enjoyed this version of the film what worries me is that the aspect ratio seems to be 1:1.85 instead if 2.35 which was what the original apocalypse now was. Is this a transfer error or did the director use 1.85 as the aspect ratio, though the trailer on the dvd seems to be in 2.35. Can someone please enlighten me on this one
Rating:
Summary: Apocalypse Now Best movie ever?
Review: Apocalypse Now is the strange, almost surreal, tale of Lieutenant Williard's mission to go up the Nung River in the midst of the Vietnam war and terminate the command of the renegade Colonel Kurtz, portrayed by Marlon Brando. The film is slow-paced then slaps you with a big suprise everytime. It starts off good by showing Martin Sheen, a Lieutenant waiting for his next assignment, telling us a little bit about himself and then shows him in the middle of a little bloody drinking binge. He's finally brought to headquarters to receive his next mission, and after it, he wouldn't want another one. "It was a real choice mission" as he put it. They wanted him to kill one of the best soldiers ever produced by the U.S. for killing 4 Vietnamese officers he believed to be double agents. Willard's mission was to travel up the river with 4 navy recruits until reaching the Kurtz compound. Their experiences along the way is what makes the movie as great as it is in my opinion. He first visits the famous Captain Kilgore(portrayed by Robert Duvall) where he speaks the very popular quote, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Willard and the men also run into a U.S.O. show, a scary encounter with a tiger, and the last army outpost of the Nung River, the Do Lung bridge,which was under no order because nobody knew where the C.O. was. In the redux version of the movie, the men come across a half-assed ran military outpost and even get a few hours with the Playboy bunnies from the U.S.O show, not the mention a visit to a plantation run by a very bitter French family. Its definetly a must see and I've heard it is the most realistic depiction of Vietnam. This is without a doubt, Francis Ford Coppola's true masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Stick with the original (5 star) version
Review: Apocalypse Now (the original) is, and always will be, one of my favorite movies of all time. Forget about what it says or doesn't say about the Vietnam war - it is simply a fantastic, epic motion picture. So, when I heard that Coppola was releasing his director's cut as it were (i.e. A.N.Redux), I looked forward to seeing the extra footage with great anticipation. Unfortunately, I found it to be a bit of a let down. Perhaps, it's because I've seen the original version so many times, but I felt that the additional scenes added little to the story, and made the movie too long (something I usually wouldn't complain about - but this time I think the studio was right). The French plantation scene (especially the dinner - much of it in French without subtitles) seemed to drag on and just didn't seem to fit in with the story (even the music doesn't match with the rest of the movie). The segment about the rendevouz with the stranded bunnies was both implausible and just plain weird (I mean, what's with the corpse in the box?). One of the criticisms frequently heard about the original, was the final section with Kurtz (Brando); many people felt its pace was too slow; again, adding footage of Brando doesn't help it any, in my opinion. I'm almost sorry now that I watched this version, since it will forever taint my memory when I watch the original again in the future. If you've never seen the movie, I'd stronly recommend watching the original - it is a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Watching The Apocalypse
Review: Having spent one year in the jungle of the Philippines working on this once-in-a-lifetime event, I can honestly say that I am truly, profoundly astonished at the protracted popularity this production has achieved over the years. We knew that what we were working on was cutting edge material, because no one in mainstream Hollywood wanted to even touch the extremely delicate (and by today's standards, "highly politically incorrect") subject of the Vietnam war, so we knew we were bound to evoke a clamorous response. But never in my wildest dreams did I ever conceive that 25 years after wrapping that shoot, it would be re-released, due to its malingering influence on an ever-growing audience, covering two generations. I am absolutely floored in disbelief! I wish I could convey to all the readers of this review the incredible memories and fantastic sights, sounds, and smells of the day-to-day experience of working on such a bizarre film in an even more bizarre and remote part of the world. For example, one scene that was never used took place in the Kurtz Compound, where Francis Coppola wanted to have stray dogs eating out the guts of some of the Viet Cong & NVA prisoners. When his make-up man, Freddie Blau, explained to him that all his expertise and artistry could not produce the reality and intensity of the scenes that Francis demanded, "alternatives" were located in order to get the proper results. When it was discovered by a crew member that the Prop Dept. had obtained 7 unclaimed bodies from a morgue in Manila and were to be the Viet Cong & NVA victims in this scene, several personnel on that production threatened to walk off the set due to "egregious" violations of their union contract! That's how insane things were becoming. For a brief tip-of-the-iceberg glimpse into the madness and magic of the making of this movie, one should rent or buy the video documentary entitled "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse", which moves much closer to this subject than I have room for here and now. Unfortunately, after having worked with an academy award- winning director, and 2 academy award-winning actors (Brando & Duvall) on an academy award-winning movie, my show biz career never really caught fire like so many of the other actors whose futures that film so greatly enhanced, especially Marty Sheen's. Alas, I wouldn't trade any of the harrowing and mesmeric images permanently ingrained in my mind that took place in that God-awful jungle, for anything in the world! Although brief and fleeting, my 15 minutes of fame have proven to be incredibly durable through this Coppola master work. You'll find my name next to the credit "Major From New Jersey". If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them at liberty. May God bless. Daniel Kiewit
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