it is with hesitance that i call " apocalypse now " a masterpiece . 
certainly , it had the pedigree to be one of the greatest films ever made , with a director known for producing masterpieces with ease , and some of the finest actors of the 1970's . 
the plot , an adaptation of joseph conrad's " heart of darkness " , was set in vietnam , and the timing of the film was supposed to be brilliant , coming on the heels of the end of the war . 
 " apocalypse " certainly has its moments , some of which are the finest in film history . 
the plot is fairly simple . 
captain willard ( sheen ) , is a troubled soldier who came back to hanoi for a 2nd tour of duty . 
his mission is simple : take a boat up to cambodian territory , and destroy the command of renegade colonel kurtz ( brando ) " with extreme prejudice " . 
along the way , willard runs into a series of adventures , including one with lt . col . kilgore ( duvall ) , and a strange encounter with playboy bunnies . 
willard' s four person crew finally make it to kurtz' compound , where he discovers kurtz has set himself up as a god among the natives . 
willard's experiences with kurtz take up the last half-hour , with a confrontation and eventual ending . 
the movie is visually breathtaking . 
the battle scenes are exquisitely done , and the score is brilliant , setting a murky mood of darkness that is first-rate . 
the collage of disturbing images that coppola presents is at times both astonishing and sickening . 
the vast amount of detail poured into every war scene is stunning , and there are many episodes that are deeply powerful which resonate through the entire movie . 
the journey to kurtz' camp is quite a ride , with psychosis setting in on almost every character . 
the most interesting one is kilgore , the lt . col . who cares more about the surf than about the mission . 
it is at times revolting , psychotic , and incredible , and it is one hell of a movie . 
the scenes are bold , inventive , and powerful , and the acting is stunning , especially be sheen , duvall , and fishburne . 
the narration is exquisite , as is the mystery of kurtz . 
coppola sets about a hallucinatory ride through vietnam , kind of like " saving private ryan " on lsd . 
the film is jarring in its implications , and psychotic in its execution . 
the problems come when the film slows down . 
one of the major scenes in the film , where the boat arrives at the final army checkpoint before they start their search for kurtz , is a colossal mess . 
the dialogue is confusing , the lighting is atrocious , and the scene drags on for 10 terrible minutes of film . 
the true problems happen after the crew does come into the kurtz compound . 
the film slows down to a drag . 
sheen seems forever captured by a madman , played by brando is a lazy performance that is not deserving of the accolades it received . 
brando is in the film for no more than 15 minutes , but is bathed in shadows the entire time , making the last half hour of the film visually pathetic . 
the scenes are poorly done , the dialogue is muffled , and the whole mess is utterly confusing beyond all belief . 
sheen seems to adore this man , but why the viewers are never told . 
the entire journey is supposed to be a prelude for a stunning entrance of this god-like kurtz , but the scenes fall way short of expectations . 
granted , it has its moments , which are brutally horrific , but the general feeling is one of confusion . 
brando mumbles his lines in a incoherent stir , and my feeling was that this could never be a great man , this could never be a man who inspires hundreds to follow him , so why do they do it ? 
there are moments of brilliance , but the visual confusion dilutes the power of the scene . 
there are too many questions left unanswered with the character of kurtz to have a satisfying ending . 
the finest scene at the end is sheen's escape , and his entrace into the temple . 
his rise out of the water , with the smoke coming off of his slicked head , is a brilliant 30 seconds of film . 
yet , you cannot shake the feeling that there is so much more this film could have done . 
the psychotic ride is unforgettable at times , and indeed the film on the whole is very good . 
it is a stunningly flawed expression of film , for it addresses major issues , such as man's mental stamina during bouts of war . 
but one still cannot shake the feeling that this film could have so much more powerful , had the character of kurtz been more explored , and had sheen truly succumbed to the fate that the viewer thought he was destined for . 
there is too much good material in here not to be called a masterpiece , but it could have been so much more rewarding .