This 1979 film on the inner workings of the American side of the Vietnam War leads Martin Sheen as Captain Benjamin L. Willard, a veteran special operations officer, down the Nung River into Cambodia on a classified mission to find, and terminate the command of Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, a former upstanding officer who has gone rogue. The film, “Apocalypse Now”, and its director Francis Ford Choppola both received critical acclaim, with Choppola winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Director, and the film being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and in 2000, being selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. This great, mind-blowing movie isn’t just for those old guys in Congress though, it has serious value for those born in the ‘90s who would rather watch the dramatic Chris Nolan directed Batman trilogy, or the highly comedic Hangover series of films.

This movie is perfect for you guys and gals who grew up watching the original “Pokémon” and “Boy Meets World”, and thinking a Rubik’s Cube was something only old people played with. When looking up the title of the film on Wikipedia, don’t wonder who Marlon Brando is or only think of Robert Duvall, who plays Col. Kilgore, as that old cowboy from “Lonesome Dove”, which if that’s too old should definitely be put it on the watch list also. Anyway this not-as-old-as-you-might-think military movie will speak right to you guys, since even though you may well not know someone who served in ‘Nam at least fifty years ago, you likely have, or do spend time around folks who served for Operation Dessert Storm, or the more current Iraq-Afghanistan war. So go pick up “Apocalypse Now”, and see it as a past, more jungle bound version of our current conflicts overseas.

All of you kids born in the grunge years have strong feelings about the now bad boy, possibly insane, Charlie Sheen. He’s loved for his work, from “Platoon” to the hit television series “Two and a Half Men”, or hated and mocked for his crazy antics, sayings, and that semi-new Fiat commercial, often both in the same conversation. Well “Apocalypse Now” features his ever-winning dad, Martin Sheen, at only thirty-nine years of age, chopping and shooting his way through the jungles of Cambodia and ‘Nam. What could be more awesome than that? Captain Willard is a freakin’ man’s man too. He is so hardcore that he went home from ‘Nam and didn’t like it so he just came back to live in Saigon, where he is found in the beginning of the movie, without even being on any sort of active duty mission. Then, throughout the film, he just roams around doing what he pleases; slapping surly Corporals, watching live Playboy shows, and shooting at tigers. Like a boss. It’s no wonder that his son Charlie has to do so much just to gain attention; his old man can just one-up anything he does by simply saying, “You remember that awesome movie I did back in ’79? What are you so excited about again?” All anyone has to do is watch this Choppola masterpiece and they’ll never look at old Martin the same; a full life size poster of him might even find its way onto their wall.

While Sheen is the hardcore silent type whom you don’t want to meet in a dark alley, Robert Duvall as Colonel Kilgore is someone you don’t want to meet in broad daylight, that is unless you enjoy riding a nice wave. Col. Kilgore runs a squadron of helicopters, and seemingly just bombs what he pleases, laughing and cracking jokes while he does it. Duvall displays natural humor that rivals any scene of “Wedding Crashers” or “Pineapple Express,” and its funny without any in-your-face screaming or gimmicks. Sheen comes to Duvall with orders for the latter to escort him by helicopter further down the river, to a particularly “hairy” point along the beach that is heavily guarded by the Viet Cong. Duvall doesn’t even acknowledge Sheen until he is told that in his company is a former professional surfer from California. Everywhere Duvall goes he carries multiple surf boards with the Army Ranger logo stamped on the bottom of the boards, so he is extremely intrigued at the possibility of hitting the waves with the a real pro. After arriving at their rough destination, Duvall lands his chopper and has the tree line hit with napalm so there wont be any distractions from the waves in the distance. He then utters what is noted by AFI as the twelfth best quote of the last one hundred years: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” This is something you can’t hear and precede to keep a straight face as Duvall does; it’s just too dang funny. Thanks to a large contribution from Duvall and his wild actions, the first half of “Apocalypse Now” feels more like a comedy than a serious war film. In all seriousness, if all this entire movie had in it was Robert Duvall, it would still be worth watching.

We are far removed from the time period of Vietnam, and even more so the anti-military sentiment that was held during that time; which is why you should watch “Apocalypse Now.” The most recent military film of note is “Act of Valor,” which shines a light so positive on United States Navy SEALs that many critics called it a full-length recruiting video. While going through airports, I routinely notice, and join in with, the crowds of people who loudly applause every time a group of military men and women step off a plane. Operation Dessert Storm started a change in the minds of the American public to think of our servicemen more positively, and that change was furthered by the events of 9/11. As a nation we now rally behind our military forces, even if we don’t agree with why the politicians in charge are sending them to wherever they are going. The current positive military sentiment is reason to watch “Apocalypse Now,” because the film shows the negative view on the military that was common when it was released in 1979, four years after the official end of the Vietnam War. After watching this film, you will feel even more proud of the America that you live in today, as well as appreciate the servicemen and women of ‘Nam for the gruesome environment they had to endure, and in continuation, the troops of today. In terms of movies it will also be easy, after finishing this one, to appreciate the grand improvements in film development that have been made since 1979, you’ll be able to pull out “Independence Day” and it will seem like it’s in HD.

We can’t forget that the title is as epic as it gets, and totally relates to the daily struggle of preparing for the imminent zombie apocalypse! What better venue to learn survival techniques for dealing with zombies than a war movie set in the heart of the jungle battlefield? Now in the summer is also a perfect time to flock to the stores, or maybe just your nearest Netflix-compatible item and watch “Apocalypse Now,” since the predominant zombie teaching guide, AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” won’t be back on television until October. Not even considering the other reasons I’ve mentioned, if you can’t even sit down to watch a legen-wait for it-dary movie, then all hope of you surviving the zombie hordes is lost and I definitely don’t want you in my group.

So whether it’s to see winning on a level that even Charlie Sheen can’t achieve, to fall out of your chair laughing while imagining what napalm actually smells like, to feel even more patriotic than you already do while also getting a sweet history lesson, or just to figure out how to save your own skin from those pesky undead flesh eaters, “Apocalypse Now” is the film for you.