Movie Minx

Starring: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Plot: 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.

But is it any good?

One-word summaries: trippy. powerful. stunning. raw. long.

I’ve only seen the Redux version, and from what I’ve read the original was better. Redux did meander in parts and contained a few unnecessary (added) scenes, but still - my god! What a film. It’s exhausting. A little like Dead Man but set in a war zone with The Doors’ The End playing hollow in the background, or Wagner blaring from helicopters as they descend on the beach. Or no music as they travel silently down the river.

The movie went over budget and way over schedule. This is no surprise. Martin Sheen is intense, and apparently suffered a heart attack during filming. While it was slightly distracting that he looked like an EXACT 50/50 combo of his sons Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, that wasn’t his fault.

Marlon Brando apparently showed up late and didn’t know his lines and was a bit fat. This is no surprise. It’s also no surprise that despite these issues he delivers a killer performance as the mad Green Beret living in the jungle. He’s like Jack Nicholson - he could blow his nose and win an Oscar.

The overall feeling is one of unease as Capt Willard makes his journey through the jungle. It’s beautifully shot with memorable scenes and the narration is brilliant. You know when you’ve seen a masterpiece of film-making and I knew it. I just wish I’d seen the original before it was tampered with.

IMDb’s rating: 8.5/10
My rating: 9.5/10 (only because I saw Redux)

Share This

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!