APOCALYPSE NOW: THE FINAL CUT / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA / SCREENPLAY: JOHN MILIUS, FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA / STARRING: MARTIN SHEEN, ROBERT DUVALL, MARLON BRANDO, FREDERIC FORREST, ALBERT HALL / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 16TH
Special Features: Literally too many to list here!
Apocalypse Now is one of those movies that film fans simply have to watch. There are so many classics over the decades that need to be taken in and explored as shining examples of how stunning cinema can be, and Francis Ford Coppola’s movie most certainly fits into that categorisation.
The chances are that you’ve already seen Apocalypse Now – likely on numerous occasions – so we’ll keep the plot details brief. To cover said plot in the most minimal of details, Martin Sheen puts in a career best performance as a troubled man of war pulled back into the grip of battle as he’s tasked with tracking down a rogue colonel (Marlon Brando) in the darkest depths of the Cambodian jungle.
Given that this is a 40-year-old movie that has already seen plentiful releases and several differing cuts, what makes this latest Apocalypse Now release worthy of your pennies? That’d be the 4K restoration and the utterly ridiculous amount of bonus material included here.
Where the 4K treatment is concerned, the film looks absolutely jaw-dropping and this restoration only further adds to the beauty and iconic imagery of what many already deem to be one of the finest looking pieces of cinema in history. The trials and tribulations of war have never looked so piercing and atmospheric.
On the special features front, this 4K release is absolutely overflowing with extras. To be fair, a lot of this bonus material has been seen before on previous releases, but there are still several fantastic new additions – most notably a new introduction from director Francis Ford Coppola and some fascinating featurettes highlighting a Tribeca Film Festival Q&A panel with Coppola, the movie’s history on home video, and some intriguing B-roll footage. There’s also the brilliant Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse documentary from 1991 that just never gets old.
Of course, this new release is pegged as Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut. So, what’s new in the latest cut of this age-old classic? To be honest, not too much of significance or anything that changes the movie’s narrative. Longer than the standard cut but slightly shorter than the famed redux, this new cut of the film is what Francis Ford Coppola deems to be the very best version of the picture – and who are we to argue with the legendary filmmaker? Most importantly, the fat has been trimmed from the redux cut, while enough is left in to further flesh out the atmosphere of Captain Willard’s journey to hell.
For completests, 4K enthusiasts, or those who have yet to add Apocalypse Now to their collection, this new release of an old favourite is simply a must-have.
