Apocalypse Now is a 1979 Academy and Golden Globe award winning American film set during the Vietnam War. It tells the story of Army Captain Benjamin L. Willard who is sent into the jungle to assassinate United States Army Special Forces Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, who is said to have gone insane. The film has been viewed as a journey into the darkness of the human psyche. The film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, which drew elements from Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness (1899), and Herr's "Dispatches" (1977). It was also heavily influenced by Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972): Coppola himself has noted, "Aguirre, with its incredible imagery, was a very strong influence. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it." The film stars Martin Sheen as Captain Benjamin L. Willard (based on Marlow in Conrad's novella), Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz, Dennis Hopper as a photojournalist, and Robert Duvall in an Oscar...This information was automatically generated from Freebase article Apocalypse Now. You should replace/update it...