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Described by many as the definitive Vietnam War picture, Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Apocalypse Now’ has been re-cut and re-released as ‘Apocalypse Now Redux’. It’s certainly one for the fans, who will jump at the chance to see the film in theatre rather than on video. That alone is reason enough to see it again; the restored cinematography and remastered soundtrack will have the film buffs in ecstasy.

So the additional footage — around 49 minutes — really is the cherry on top. It’s always interesting to see “director’s cut” versions, and everyone will be discussing the merits of 'Apocalypse Now Redux' versus those of the original 'Apocalypse Now' for months to come. Personally I felt the additional scenes, on the whole, worked very well: they fleshed out the plot and added much more context in areas where the original was perhaps lacking.

But one major disadvantage of the recut is that the film is now a good three and a half hours long. While we had a (very) brief interval at our showing, it’s possible there won’t be much of an interval at other cinemas. My advice is not to drink too many fluids beforehand.

It’s certainly not hard to see why Martin Sheen (Captain Willard in the film) was cast as the American President in TV’s ‘West Wing’: he’s had that "I’ll take care of this" glint in his eye for nearly 25 years now. Sheen’s role as the army assassin, sent to “terminate with extreme prejudice” an insane officer, is as fresh as ever.

As the insane object of Sheen’s mission, Marlon Brando’s Colonel Kurtz is as spine chilling and enigmatic as he ever was. However, Brando’s expanded dialogue and extra footage of the compound don’t remedy the original scene’s weakness and confusion.

There’s also expanded footage of the boat crew (Laurence Fishburne, Albert Hall, Frederic Forrest and Sam Bottoms), which assists in the character development.

Robert Duvall’s surf-loving, gung-ho Colonel Kilgore, who delivers the film’s best quote (“I love the smell of napalm in the morning”) has an expanded role, and the whole carpet-bombing beach sequence works a whole lot better — much less confusing, with the humour stepped up. In fact it’s probably one of the best sequences of the film — Wagnerian soundtrack notwithstanding.

Aside from the surf sequence and the finale, there are two major new additions, and critics are predictably divided on their effectiveness.

The first is that Willard and his crew meet up with the Playmates in a rainstorm. With their helicopter out of fuel, Willard is able to barter oil supplies for some private time with the girls. The scene is revealing — for his crew, spending time with their pin-ups is a fantasy come true; the Playmates have seen it all before and seem little more than dolls, robbed of vitality.

The second addition is far longer. Further along the river, the Americans meet up with a French colonial family who refuse to give up their ranch to anyone or anything. They appear like ghosts from another era, dining in faded elegance and smoking opium. The meeting is symbolically important — the French having been Vietnam’s former masters — and Coppola uses the setting for some hard-hitting political discussions. No one ever said he was subtle!

But while Coppola was obviously fond of his French colonials, the sequence is far too long, and its slow pace sits uneasily with the action of the rest of the film. It works, to a degree — just not quite enough.

Coppola’s surreal epic is not anti-war in the sense that 1989’s horrific ‘Casualties of War’ was: but its apocalyptic vision remains as mad, as senseless, as the Vietnam War itself.

Definitely worth seeing for anyone who takes film seriously.

For more information, visit the film's official website: http://www.miramax.com/apocalypsenow/

What the international critics are saying:

"The originally released version wasn't broken, but Coppola can fix it as long as he wants, as far as I'm concerned."
- Eric Harrison, HOUSTON CHRONICLE

"Grows richer and stranger with each viewing, and the restoration of scenes left in the cutting room two decades ago has only added to its sublimity."
- A.O. Scott, NEW YORK TIMES

"The new Redux version isn't a better film, but for Coppola fans and film lovers, it's essential viewing."
- Edward Guthmann, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"Apocalypse Now Redux is the meandering, indulgent art project that he was still enough of a craftsman, in 1979, to avoid."
- Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY