As remarkable as everything related to the production of Apocalypse Now is, I find its cynical themes overly nihilistic with an aura that suggests animalistic ruthlessness is the world’s only truth. This “angst,” if I can even dare to use such a trivial word for this admittedly great movie, isn’t profound for me because its philosophy feels myopically stubborn. I know mankind is capable of astonishingly evil acts of depravity; what I’m curious of is how the filmmakers think the world ought to be. It’s a shame this puts me off an otherwise amazing movie, but scenes alternate too much between effective dread and embarrassingly meanspirited melodrama. For as timelessly haunting as Marlon Brando’s monologue is, scenes like the immediate aftermath of the impalement on the boat just make me want to roll my eyes.