10 Dumbest Decisions In War Movie History
5. Apocalypse Now - Venturing Into The Enemy Camp Alone
Lauded by many as the finest film on the Vietnam War, Apocalypse Now is a near-flawless combination of Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness and one of America's most controversial conflicts. In the film's story, Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) must travel deep into enemy territory to assassinate the rogue Colonel Kurtz.
This objective is just the prelude to a deeply twisted journey. The further up the river they go, the more screwed up things become. With most of the crew dead, only three of the men finally make it to Colonel Kurtz's camp. It's a haunting place in which a band of Vietnamese and American soldiers have regressed back to tribal sensibilities.
Much of Apocalypse Now focuses on the madness of warfare and the way it overtakes a soldier's mind. To terminate the Colonel with extreme predjudice, Benjamin must venture into the camp. Viewing its occupants as mostly docile turns out to be a big mistake.
The protagonist heads in alone and ends up getting swarmed by Kurtz's new platoon. He's quickly overpowered and brought before his insane target before being locked up in a cage. At the very least he needed some light backup. This results in the death of fellow trooper Chef, whose decapitated head lands on Willard's lap in horrifying fashion.