‘The best war movie of all time’ is airing on TV tonight

It’s also one of the best films of all time.

The film is set in the late 1960s in Vietnam and tells the story of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), a US soldier who is sent to find and terminate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a once-promising officer who has reportedly gone "insane".

In the company of a Navy patrol boat filled with street-smart kids, a surfing-obsessed Air Cavalry officer (Robert Duvall), and a crazed freelance photographer (Dennis Hopper), Willard embarks on an increasingly perilous and hallucinatory journey into the "heart of darkness".

Indeed, Apocalypse Now is loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s legendary novella Heart of Darkness, updating its setting from 19th-century Africa to the Vietnam War.

Its cast also includes Frederic Forrest, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Glenn, as well as Harrison Ford in a memorable cameo.

Just as remembered as Apocalypse Now itself are the disastrous stories from the project’s production. These include severe weather destroying the sets, Brando reportedly turning up to film unprepared, and Sheen suffering a near-fatal heart attack during production.

Despite these incredible difficulties during shooting and the polarising reviews the movie received upon release, the film is now considered one of the greatest ever made.

This is due to its jaw-dropping set-pieces, its hypnotic imagery and its odyssey-like story, which all combine to capture the madness of war.

The movie has been acclaimed by retrospective critics and viewers alike, with The Guardian naming it in 2010: “The best action and war film of all time.”

An extended version of the movie, which its director Coppola prefers, titled Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut is airing on Film4 tonight at 11.40pm.

It will also be available to stream on Channel 4's website from Sunday, 30 November.

For JOE's list of the other movies on TV tonight, which includes a brilliant recent Irish thriller, click here.

Turn your home into a cinema with this projector 

Do you love movies? Have you ever dreamt of turning your home into your own cinema?

If so, then you may be interested in a home theatre projector we spotted on sale on Amazon with “impressive quality”.

The 4K projector has the likes of YouTube, Netflix and Prime Video built in, so you can access thousands of films and shows without an additional TV stick, and you can also connect it to Bluetooth on your phone and laptop.

It’s currently priced at €53.52 in a limited-time deal on the Amazon website.

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