content: It puts "Full Metal Jacket" and "Platoon" in the shade. This is easily the best Vietnam film and the greatest war film ever. It topically transfers the setting of Joseph Conrad's epic novella "Heart of Darkness" from the Congo to Vietnam, although it leaves the story, themes and characters relatively intact. Marlon Brando offers an intimidating and overpowering performance. The impact he exerts in the film is profound, even though his face remains in shadow for the most of the duration of his appearance. A classic of the now outdated genre of Vietnam films.