Apocolypse Now v. Full Metal Jacket
white_tea
3,262 Posts
Not sure if this is even a contest. Apocolypse Now gets the four facemelts for me. The movie melts my mind from beginning to end, the "redux" version even more so. I agree with a lot of people who say Full Metal Jacket falls off a bit when they finally get to Vietnam. Still, it's a very good if flawed Kubrick flick. I picked up the complete Dossier version of Acopolypse Now over the weekend (for $10 from Best Buy), and it is really cool. Lots of special features about the soundtrack and the way the film uses the then-fledgling stereo sound in theater. Also remembered that The Doors' "The End" is such a great song. It has almost a Free Jazz quality to it. What are some of your other favorite 'Nam movies? Platoon? Casualties of War? Jacob's Ladder?
Comments
DEER HUNTER.
And Colin Farrell is actually really good in it.
oh yeah i didnt mean to knock dude, he's on point in this one. i know he has a reputation for being in some really bad cinema.
Apocalypse Now is one of the greatest films ever, regardless of genre.
If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out Hearts of Darkness--the documentary shot by Coppola's wife that follows the film's production and the mental breakdown of FFC. I saw this on public television back in the early 90s and it completely blew my mind. RECOMMENDED
My dad is a Vietnam Vet, he said this was the only flick that gave him that nervous feeling (out of all the popular Vietnam based films)-- not because it captured reality, most of the film is clearly not based on a plausible storyline-- but because it captured the insanity of the situation as close to anything he's ever seen.
full metal jacket has the best dialogue in movies ever
It's OK, I didn't think you were knocking. It's a little strange to me how Farrell, who's starred in a lot of crummy films, and Joel Schumacher, who's directed a lot of crummy films, happen to have done probably their best work to date with each other - Tigerland and Phone Booth. Not exactly up there with Scorsese & De Niro in terms of great actor/director partnerships, but both those flicks are a good deal more entertaining than I expected either to be.
And to get back on topic, Apocalypse Now, by miles.
Embarrassingly bad. Nothing personal against you Doc, just some suspect calls today, IMHO...
Also,
Apocalypse Now.
Also,
WTF happened to this dude?
Really though, both are good flix "apocolypse now" probably is a better movie, but "full metal jacket" has so many good scences and quotes!!!
I love Apocolypse Now, but enjoy watching FMJ more.
It says more to me about the duality of man.
S>Tigerland/S> should never be mentioned any where near these films.
Did any of you used to watch Tour of Duty?
I remeber as a young teenager, I'd just gotten into going out and getting drunk and a little stoned with my friends at the weekend. And this came on, just after my curfew. Can't remember if it was actually any good, but rocking out to 'paint it black', in the intro, was a must.
my top 5
1. SPR
2. FMJ
3. Platoon
4. AN
5. Purple ..lol
Uh, ignoring everything else, you know Saving Private Ryan wasn't exactly about the Vietnam war don't you?
Anyway, Apocalypse Now has to win purely because it's one of those films that wiped the floor with me on first watch and, though I don't visit it often, still floors me today.
FMJ is a brilliantly focused movie for the first half that just seems to lose it's focus and drive as soon as they leave training. Still a very good movie though.
oh..and I go with FMJ by a close call.
Yeah, I know. It was about world war 2....but the shit was so dope, you have to put it on every list about war movies...lol.
FMJ, to me was good for the first hour or so and them tailed off....it is still a great film, dont get me wrong ...but PLATOON touched me more.
Man, I was a kid but I remember thinking how awesome this show was.
Hahaha! It's all good. I stand by Phone Booth, though. I like the economy of it. It would have made a good TV movie, which is arguably what it should have been, but I do think Farrell does a particularly good bullshit artist. Besides, anything with Larry Cohen's dabs on it is a must-watch for me, no matter what.
Have you tried watching this a second time? Pretty bad. I liked it at first too, but watch it again. Embarrassing dialogue, like a 16 year old wrote it. Check the scene when Colin and a buddy are sitting on a wall or some shit at night talking. Hilarious.
Yes!
Apocalypse is a near masterpiece. Then end, by Coppola's own admission, cannot match the opening half with Duval in one of the great performances. I love Coppolas quote from Cannes where the filmed debuted. "This movie is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam."
I believe you forgot about a little slice of brilliance called 2001.
Yeah the obvious HUGE fuck-up in the film being that there ARE NO FUCKING PHONEBOOTHS IN NYC.