Apocalypse Now

1979147 minutesR

7.8

Arcplot Score

⭐ Excellent

Unverified

⭐ 8.4IMDb

🍅 90%Rotten Tomatoes

Ⓜ️ 94/100Metacritic

🎬 8.3TMDb

📊 7.2Popularity

🏆Won 2 Oscars. 21 wins & 33 nominations total

Genre: Drama, Mystery, War

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

It is the height of the war in Vietnam, and U.S. Army Captain Willard is sent by Colonel Lucas and a General to carry out a mission that, officially, 'does not exist - nor will it ever exist'. The mission: To seek out a mysterious Green Beret Colonel, Walter Kurtz, whose army has crossed the border into Cambodia and is conducting hit-and-run missions against the Viet Cong and NVA. The army believes Kurtz has gone completely insane and Willard's job is to eliminate him. Willard, sent up the Nung River on a U.S. Navy patrol boat, discovers that his target is one of the most decorated officers in the U.S. Army. His crew meets up with surfer-type Lt-Colonel Kilgore, head of a U.S Army helicopter cavalry group which eliminates a Viet Cong outpost to provide an entry point into the Nung River. After some hair-raising encounters, in which some of his crew are killed, Willard, Lance and Chef reach Colonel Kurtz's outpost, beyond the Do Lung Bridge. Now, after becoming prisoners of Kurtz, will Willard & the others be able to fulfill their mission?

Box Office

Budget:$31.5M

Revenue:$150.0M

Profit:$118.5M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision6.3/10

Emotional Arc Impact10/10

Thematic Consistency7/10

Overall Score7.8/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

Opening Image

1 min

Theme Stated

5 min

Set-Up

15 min

Catalyst

25 min

Debate

40 min

Break Into Two

50 min

B Story

65 min

Fun and Games

80 min

Midpoint

95 min

Bad Guys Close In

110 min

All Is Lost

125 min

Dark Night of the Soul

135 min

Break Into Three

140 min

Finale

145 min

Final Image

147 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

Opening Image

1 min

Helicopters and Napalm over Vietnam jungle. Chaos and war atmosphere established.

Theme Stated

5 min

Capt. Willard receives mission: find and terminate Colonel Kurtz. Theme: morality, madness, and darkness of war.

Set-Up

15 min

Willard introduced as seasoned, conflicted soldier. Crew and mission set. Stakes defined.

Catalyst

25 min

Willard officially tasked with mission. Conflict begins. War and danger intensify.

Debate

40 min

Willard questions morality of mission. Psychological tension and war trauma explored.

Break Into Two

50 min

Journey upriver begins. Crew and environment increasingly hostile. Threshold into heart of darkness crossed.

B Story

65 min

Encounters with Colonel Kilgore and other soldiers. War absurdity, human behavior explored. Emotional stakes deepen.

Fun and Games

80 min

Encounters, river battles, and skirmishes. Tension, surrealism, and danger escalate.

Midpoint

95 min

Willard reaches deeper into territory. Encounters psychological horrors and moral ambiguity. False victory or understanding.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

110 min

Environmental dangers, crew conflicts, and increasing madness threaten mission. Stakes skyrocket.

#11

All Is Lost

125 min

Approaching Kurtz’s compound. Crew decimated, Willard isolated. Despair and moral darkness peak.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

135 min

Willard contemplates humanity, war, and his own role. Psychological climax.

#13

Break Into Three

140 min

Willard resolves to complete mission. Moral and emotional catharsis begins.

#14

Finale

145 min

Confrontation with Kurtz. Willard kills Kurtz, symbolic and literal resolution.

#15

Final Image

147 min

Willard leaves compound silently. War, madness, and moral ambiguity linger. Psychological closure reached.