Oliver Yendell

Considered to be one of the best war films of all time, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now is about a top war general who sides with the enemy and a group of soldiers led by another top soldier. They find their way into the depths of Vietnam and Cambodia to then find him with a tribe.

The first thing you notice from just 10min into the film is its scale. This is no small-budget film with small special effects. The scale and dynamic of it make it feel like they went to an actual warzone and filmed that. Because of this, unlike most other war or battle films, it feels realistic. With some films, you can easily tell if it's fake as there will be a limit to how many special effects they can have and the range of equipment. In Apocalypse Now, you get everything, from large explosions to helicopters. It's very clear from the start that they put much effort into making this film seem realistic because, in the end, that is how the audience will bond with the film.

In my case, I certainly felt bonded with the film, sort of like I was sucked into it just on the story alone.