Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now was the film that was the closet to depicting the Vietnam War. That is probably why the film won Palme d’Or at Cannes and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture. The film sought to show Americans just how gruesome and violent the war was. It gave us an opportunity to put ourselves in the shoes of the men that fought in the war also. Still the film could only show so much and wasn’t nearly as gruesome as the actually war.

It is sad to say that most Americans don’t know much about the Vietnam War. I myself don’t know too much about the war as well. Watching the film brought out many emotions. Some scenes such as the scene where the commander officer tells his men to surf in the water during a battle were just ridiculous. Other scenes such as the ending scene where the chief is killed at the same time a cow is being sacrificed were just gruesome. It made me feel sad for the men who had to be a part of that.  I could only imagine how life was forever different to them since they say that war changes the way you think and act on things.

The film made me realize how cruel the government can be and how much they use their own people. We had no business fighting that war but still 58,000 American troops lost their lives for the President’s selfish wants. It’s the same thing with the war we are fighting against Iraq. It makes me not want to ever join the army. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that some of these prideful people who are willing to die for this country are dying for no reason.