DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Top 5 Vietnam War Movies

Can't argue with that.

I still think I might move it up my list, though.

I agree - I think "Jacob's Ladder" was about reconciliation with God and salvation.

I am making the mistake of asking for deeper thinking, but can one assume that war is such a traumatic experience that it changes how one looks at one's place w/God or in the world or his very own existence?

I think a lot of great movies, books, music, etc might focus on one particular subject such as war, but that is just a vehicle for understanding man's place in the universe.

I think that war can certainly change your world view and life experience.

Movie spoilers

Thanks. I never watched that movie. I was just making a general observation that I thought was important. But, I get what you are saying.

This is just my opinion, but I think one could substitute the word "life" for "war" in your post, and come to the same conclusion.

No doubt, Dave.

I was just trying to point out that people who write books, scripts, etc often have a bigger picture in mind.

"A Bright Shining Lie" was a decent movie but the actual book is one of the best pieces on the war. The best reading on the war IS "An American Amnesia ".

Sheehan's book was superior. IMO (like you said), the film was average, though I like a lot of Bill Paxton's other stuff.

His book and Philip Caputo's "A Rumor of War" were some of the best of the time.

I will check out Hacker's book at some point. Thanks.

BTW - I am just glad that people are discussing "Jacob's Ladder" again. War movie or not, it's a keeper.

Apocalypse Now Final Cut to be released in cinemas this summer

By Clark Collis April 28, 2019 at 10:40 PM EDT

Cinemagoers will once more be able to appreciate the horror — the horror! — of Apocalypse Now this summer. It has been announced that a new version of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 Vietnam War film, titled Apocalypse Now Final Cut, will be released in theaters Aug. 15.

According to an interview Coppola gave to Deadline earlier this month, Apocalypse Now Final Cut is longer than the original theatrical version but shorter than the cut which was released in 2001 as Apocalypse Now Redux. Apocalypse Now Final Cut received its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival Sunday evening and will be released in a 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack and on Digital 4K Ultra HD, Aug. 27. The film has been restored from the film’s original negative.

Coppola’s film is an epic retelling of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness which finds Martin Sheen’s Captain Willard sent up river to terminate “with extreme” prejudice Marlon Brando’s Colonel Kurtz, who Willard’s superiors believe has gone insane. The film’s cast also includes Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper, and Harrison Ford.

The film’s production was legendarily troubled, but Apocalypse Now proved a hit on releases and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning for Best Sound and Best Cinematography.

I'm looking forward to watching it.

Re: the Redux (longest) version -

Perhaps the French plantation scenes went on a bit too long. I suspect these will be cut back some for the Final Version.

I have to confess that I could not hear / understand about 70% of the dialogue in scenes with the Marlon Brando character in Apocalypse Now, and it detracted a lot from the movie for me. I don't know if it was the sound quality at the theater where I saw it, the pathological incoherence of the character (Kurtz), or Brando's famous mumbling of his lines, but it was mostly inaudible to me.

I saw Apocalypse Now in the theater when it first came out and I was totally blown away. Everyone was. That movie made a huge impression on me in so many ways. Very powerful, controversial, eye-opening, visually appealing, etc, etc, etc.

It was a "WOW" movie.

I don't remember having that Redux audio problem when watching it on my Blu-Ray/DVD player. Never saw it in the theatre though.

Brando and Sheen's dialogue towards the end of the movie (with Hopper's) is pretty important, so if you missed out on that, I can see the problem/frustration.

I think at this point, Brando was repeating off lines fed into his ears or cue cards. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, or if it pertains to this movie.

Again, looking forward to the Final version.

BTW - It just occurred to me that actor Frederic Forrest (Chef) also played the neo-Nazi surplus store owner in "Falling Down". I've been watching "Falling Down" for a long time and knew that guy looked familiar.

I'm a slow learner.

I only watched Apocalypse Now when it first came out, but I still remember Sheen's line about Chef. It was something like "he is wrapped too tight for Vietnam." It was as if you had to be crazy to survive in the jungles.

Well, Chef was born to be a saucier, and then he was almost eaten by a tiger. Then, he became undone by the misguided patrol stop where the natives got needlessly killed and they found the doomed puppy.

A lot on anyone's plate.

In "Falling "Down", he was excellent portraying the surplus store owner (whom Douglas murders). The way he was speaking, treating customers he didn't like and trying to give Douglas old Nazi memorabilia - good stuff.

I have to have Good Morning Vietnam on this list.

Yep, that's a pretty good one.

Good cast, good director (Levinson), and it was always interesting to watch Robin Williams improvise.

I sort of like William's quieter, darker stuff more.
Barry Levinson's "The Natural" is still one of my favorite baseball movies.

That is another great movie! I never watched it until one night about 2am it was on and I said "oh ill put this on and fall asleep". Needless to say I watched the entire thing and go 0 sleep.

Is the Robin Williams flick eligible? His performance was good. Not sure it qualifies as a "real" Nam movie. At least an honorable mention perhaps.

As others have pointed out, I guess I was a bit liberal with one or two choices on my list (i.e. "Jacob's Ladder") in terms of true Vietnam Warfare movies.

I just thought the topic was interesting enough to include movies inspired by/drawn from/with the impetus of the Vietnam War.

I'm sure there are some movies that dealt more directly with the intensive warfare that I left off my list.

But, discussion is always good, and the Vietnam War inspired a lot of great film, literature and music.

So, I suppose just about any flick is eligible.

I am going to see Malick's remake of "The Thin Red Line" on the big screen tonight. It will be my 2nd time seeing it on the big screen so I am pumped! Again, not a Vietnam film, but it is beautiful nonetheless and one of my all time favorite films. In terms of art, I rank it higher than "Apocalypse Now" (which is also a profound cinematic experience).

Is this a new movie or a remastered version of the 1998 film?

Neither.

It's the original 35mm print of the 1998 remake.