I've seen this movie on numerous lists as one of the best war movies. It's outside of my usual WWII era, but I was still interested to see what all the hype was about. What I found really interesting was when I went to get the picture for the review, this movie is loosely based on a 1899 short story called Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Interesting they decided to adapt the story for the Vietnam War. I'm interested in the original story for sure.
A former special forces colonel has gone insane somewhere in the Cambodian jungle. The army calls in a specialist who is asked to terminate the colonel. As the 'assassin' goes through the file, he's curious what he'll do when he meets the colonel. It gave me The Hunt for Red October vibes (yes, I know this came first). Don't believe the stories end the same though. They really don't.
I think what surprised me the most was how much of the movie didn't actually include the colonel. He didn't really show up until there was less than an hour left. Up until that point, the movie was focusing on the journey up the river. And it was quite the journey.
The movie isn't uplifting by any stretch of the imagination. I understand why, of course. The things it chose to focus on were different and sometimes strange. Almost everyone seemed on the edge of insanity. The entire scene at the French plantation struck me as weird, and I could've skipped that and not felt like I'd missed much.
Overall, I suppose the movie isn't for everyone. I read a bit about the controversies involved and was sad to learn about the dead bodies provided by a grave robber. Also, I wish I didn't know the water buffalo sacrifice used a real animal. I was suspicious when I saw its eyes, but I told myself it wasn't real. Oh well. I have to say, I didn't feel bored (except for the plantation scenes), but I have no desire to watch it again. I'm on the fence with this one.
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