Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script by John Milius (rewritten by Coppola) which was inspired by Joseph Conrad's classic novella Heart of Darkness. Set in the Vietnam War, a taciturn American soldier is sent to "terminate with extreme prejudice" the command of a rogue United States Army Special Forces colonel. The narrative of his journey and its culmination are studded with events which, while bizarre, are based on real Vietnam stories. The soldier's journey becomes increasingly nonlinear and hallucinatory. Coppola's agenda clearly involves larger themes; the film's subtext concerns a journey into the darkness of the human psyche.

Primary cast

• Marlon Brando - Col. Walter E. Kurtz
• Martin Sheen - Capt. Benjamin L. Willard
• Dennis Hopper - "American photojournalist"
• Robert Duvall - Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore
• Frederic Forrest - "Chef", sailor
• Albert Hall - Chief Phillips, Navy boat commander
• Sam Bottoms - Lance B. Johnson, sailor and famous surfer
• Laurence Fishburne - Tyrone, AKA "Clean", sailor
• G. D. Spradlin - Gen. Corman, G-2
• Harrison Ford - Col. Lucas, aide to Corman
• Scott Glenn - Lt. Richard M. Colby, previously assigned Willard's current mission
• Tom Mason - supply sgt.
• Colleen Camp - Playmate, "Miss May"