Originally posted by SurturDon't get me wrong, there are some great bits when it gets to Vietnam, but I feel like scenes just sort of... end. Some people say some things, and then there's a slow fade to the next scene. But there are some fantastic moments (Animal Mother is a standout character), the Jungian references are well utilised, and Matthew Modine is generally great too, so I still like the film a lot.
I don't know, I always liked the later part of the film as well with Joker in Vietnam. Though the best lines come from the boot camp part.
Originally posted by Scribble
I watched that again recently. Good movie, but the boot camp bit overshadows the rest of the film, which I think is really weak in comparison. Doesn't really say anything that Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter or Platoon hadn't already. The whole boot camp bit is 10/10 material though, top-notch cinema
Have to mostly agree. FMJ is a solid film, but it starts so strongly with the bootcamp sequence that the rest of film seems lesser by comparison.
It's still one of my fav Vietnam war film though.
Originally posted by RobtardHonestly, the boot camp sequence is one of the best moments in Western cinema history, imo. I think the reason why the rest of the film suffers is because the first 40 or so minutes say everything that can be said about the primary theme (i.e., the dehumanisation of soldiers)
Have to mostly agree. FMJ is a solid film, but it starts so strongly with the bootcamp sequence that the rest of film seems lesser by comparison.It's still one of my fav Vietnam war film though.
Originally posted by Scribble
Honestly, the boot camp sequence is one of the best moments in Western cinema history, imo. I think the reason why the rest of the film suffers is because the first 40 or so minutes say everything that can be said about the primary theme (i.e., the dehumanisation of soldiers)
Well put. That sequence can stand on it's own and still be brilliant.
Speaking of the era films, reminds me I've still not seen Apocalypse Now start
Originally posted by Scribble
Honestly, the boot camp sequence is one of the best moments in Western cinema history, imo. I think the reason why the rest of the film suffers is because the first 40 or so minutes say everything that can be said about the primary theme (i.e., the dehumanisation of soldiers)
Well put. That sequence can stand on it's own and still be brilliant.
Speaking of the era films, reminds me I've still not seen Apocalypse Now start-to-finish, I've easily seen at least 90% of the film at various times/sections. Need to fix that, no excuse as I own it I think.
Originally posted by RobtardWhich version do you own? Personally, I'd recommend the theatrical cut: the Redux version makes a number of welcome changes but it puts this godawful twenty-minute scene on a French plantation right in the middle, and it completely kills the pacing of the film. If you have the Redux version on DVD, maybe just skip that bit entirely? It adds nothing to the story or characters, I don't understand why they felt it necessary to add it back in.
Well put. That sequence can stand on it's own and still be brilliant.Speaking of the era films, reminds me I've still not seen Apocalypse Now start-to-finish, I've easily seen at least 90% of the film at various times/sections. Need to fix that, no excuse as I own it I think.
I really, really like Apocalypse Now generally though. Always preferred it to the Godfather films, as far as Coppola goes. I like how it takes the setting of the Vietnam war and explores a bunch of interesting themes related to it whilst still delivering a self-contained story/journey at the same time
Been a few years though, got the theatrical cut on DVD recently actually, gotta give it a rewatch
Originally posted by Scribble
Which version do you own? Personally, I'd recommend the theatrical cut: the Redux version makes a number of welcome changes but it puts this godawful twenty-minute scene on a French plantation right in the middle, and it completely kills the pacing of the film. If you have the Redux version on DVD, maybe just skip that bit entirely? It adds nothing to the story or characters, I don't understand why they felt it necessary to add it back in.
While I'm almost certain I own the DVD theatrical, those are in storage, as I've gone to digital a few years back.
Not sure which version I have digitally, but thanks, I'll keep that in mind if it's the Redux.