Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall in the Francis Ford Coppola movie ‘Apocalypse Now’

The Francis Ford Coppola homage to the Vietnam War captures our focus today. The conflict itself had the United States getting between two warring parties in Vietnam; the conflict extended into Laos and Cambodia. The story presented in Apocalypse Now (1979) uses these historic truths to craft a story reminiscent of the Joseph Conrad book Heart of Darkness, as reviewed here.

(From left, Martin Sheen as U.S. Army Captain Benjamin Willard, Jerry Ziesmer as CIA Agent Jerry Moore, G.D. Spradlin as Lieutenant General R. Corman and Harrison Ford as Colonel G. Lucas in the Francis Ford Coppola movie Apocalypse Now).

The fictional Nùng River supplies the path that the classified mission U.S. Army Captain Benjamin Willard, as portrayed by Martin Sheen, is ordered to take through Vietnam into Cambodia to find and end, with extreme prejudice, the continuing and unauthorized military leadership of one Colonel Walter E. Kurtz. Kurtz, bearing the same name surname as the pursued antagonist in Heart of Darkness, was portrayed by Marlon Brando.

(From left, Sam Bottoms as Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Lance B. Johnson and Robert Duvall as Lieutenant Colonel William ‘Bill’ Kilgore in Francis Ford Coppola movie Apocalypse Now).

The journey proves itself a path into each man’s heart of darkness, with an escalating sense of naivete growing from one incident to another into insanity. An early example encountered by the river patrol boat included questionable support from a helicopter-based assault unit commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore. Kilgore, portrayed by Robert Duvall, demonstrates a shocking suspicion towards using his command ethically. Supporting Captain Willard’s mission only gains appeal once the surfing prowess of Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Lance B. Johnson is revealed. A famous speech by Kilgore follows the raid, occurring with its own brand of whimsy, with Sam Bottoms having portrayed Johnson.

(From left, Albert Hall as Chief Petty Officer George Phillips and Laurence Fishburne as Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Tyrone ‘Mr. Clean’ Miller in the Francis Ford Coppola movie Apocalypse Now).

Tensions rise into the continued journey owing to the increasing severity of the philosophical and moral tension Willard and the crew of the patrol boat are under. A scene with a local family trying to protect their dog echoes the rising insanity for the crew of the river boat, with the darkness taking over the spirit of the enterprise. Willard starts challenging Chief Petty Officer George Phillips, as portrayed by Albert Hall, for control of the ship. Sailing beyond the last American outpost on the Nùng River, with echoes of the identical mission of Richard Colby in his head after seeing the horrors of an outpost with leadership. Scott Glenn portrayed Colby.

(From left, Dennis Hopper as an American photojournalist and Frederic Forrest as Engineman 3rd Class Jay ‘Chef’ Hicks in the Francis Ford Coppola movie Apocalypse Now).

Arrival at the temple compound Kurtz has taken command of is fraught with peril. A photojournalist portrayed by Dennis Hopper serves as a reluctant go-between for Kurtz and Willard. Engineman 3rd Class Jay ‘Chef’ Hicks, as portrayed by Frederic Forrest, serves as a confidant for Willard in this moment, and pays owing to the tactically superior Kurtz. The questions surrounding where empathy, sympathy, duty, judgment, self-awareness and cultural conflicts borne of hearts turned dark are drafted in the human condition; the mask of military service, mandated or otherwise, is a mask many wear in Apocalypse Now.

(Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in the Francis Ford Coppola movie Apocalypse Now).

Friend of the Matt Lynn Digital blog, Airport Friend, ranks this film among his ten best. John Milius, Michael Herr and Coppola all shared writing credit for Apocalypse Now, a winner of two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs and a Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival. High ratings among critics and general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes also exist. I grant the Francis Ford Coppola directed and produced movie Apocalypse Now 4.25-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas and Daryl Hannah in the Oliver Stone movie ‘Wall Street’

Many have likely heard the famous line delivered by Michael Douglas in the Oliver Stone directed movie Wall Street (1987). The notion of corporate excess that in some ways defined the political conversations of the 1980s expressed itself as Douglas in his role as Gordon Gecko pronounced in a monologue that “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.” The boldness of that full speech, and the conflict within this movie, motivates much of the stakes explored in this movie.

(From left, Charlie Sheen as Bud Fox, Millie Perkins as Mrs. Fox (back seat) and Martin Sheen as Carl Fox in the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

The movie Wall Street, as written by Oliver Stone and Stanley Weiser, includes at its core the notion for buying and selling stock on Wall Street in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. A central question involves how well this can play with creating and managing profitable industry with employment wither with or against the financial and political systems that give people a sense that both can work in combination. The Fox family reflects this question, exemplified through Bud Fox and his parents, Carl Fox and Mrs. Fox. Millie Perkins, Martin Sheen and Charlie Sheen portray Mrs. Fox, Carl Fox and Bud Fox, respectively.

(Daryl Hannah as Darien Taylor and Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

Bud Fox works as a junior stockbroker at Jackson Steinem & Co. in New York City, having the typical difficulty of many folks when making cold calls of making the volume of success that he is after. Bud’s stockbroker friend, Marvin, sees similar ups and downs filling a similar role with the same company in the workstation next to Bud. Marvin is portrayed by John C. McGinley. Bud’s story takes a bold turn when after roughly two-months of trying to land a meeting with legendary stock trader Gordon Gecko, Fox lands a face-to-face with Gecko by bringing Gecko a present of illegal Cuban cigars on Gecko’s birthday.

(John C. McGinley as Marvin and Saul Rubinek as Harold Salt in the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

The fact that Bud Fox made his way into Gecko was a first step into establishing a positive impression. The legitimate analysis that Bud brought wasn’t enough to hold Gecko’s attention, though a decision made on the spot with knowledge about Bluestar Airlines makes the mark. It’s this that convinces Gecko to offer Bud Fox his, Gecko’s, distinct training, clout and industry connections to make an early career really grow.

(Terence Stamp as Sir Larry Wildman in the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

The storyline grows from this premise, with the hustle of youth on the side of Bud Fox. The knowledge Gordon Gecko teaches Bud Fox runs afoul of some of the ethical standards that Carl Gox, Bud Fox’s father, lives by. The first step of building this trust included taking honest, legitimately researched investments suggested by senior stockbroker Lou Mannheim. Hal Holbrook portrayed Mannheim. These investments lose money.

(From left, Hal Holbrook as Lou Mannheim and Charlie Sheen as Bud Fox in the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

Gecko gives Bud Fox a second chance, which involves following British investor Sir Larry Wildman. Terence Stamp portrayed Wildman, who Fox is able to offer is about to make a bid on Anacott Steel. This results in a wildly lucrative yet shady deal to the detriment of both the company and Wildman. Gecko rewards Bud Fox with the willingly offered intimacy services of interior decorator Darien Taylor. Daryl Hannah portrayed Darien Taylor.

(Director and co-writer of Wall Street, Oliver Stone, on the set of the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

This basic action comes with much of what proves useful to Gecko. The education and connections play themselves out, including through the family monologue offered by Gordon Gecko on the merits of greed. How long can this continue to function in this manner for Bud Fox, in an ethical and legal set of boundaries opposite those of his father. The compelling pieces for the larger message of the movie Wall Street rest in these conflicts, in addition to how the movie sets out to answer them.

(From left, actor Charlie Sheen, actress Daryl Hannah, actor Martin Sheen and actor Michael Douglas in a publicity shot for the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street).

The movie Wall Street represents subject matter that was new in the specific subject matter, inasmuch tackling stocks, economic questions, and a divide between working class and the financial class of the era. That the movie thematically tackled the feeling of class difference, exploitation, ethics and legality were not new fare for Oliver Stone. Overall, I found a compelling movie. I grant the movie Wall Street as directed by Oliver Stone 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, July 30, 2022