20 Greatest Opening Movie Scenes Of All Time
10. Apocalypse Now
The release of Apocalypse Now might not have marked as big a watershed moment as Platoon, but the Francis Ford Coppola film is still an important work of cinema.
The film, an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, is revered for a whole host of reasons - one of course being Robert Duvall's charismatic performance as a maverick US Army officer who loves Wagner and surfing in equal measure.
There are wonderful performances right across the board though, from Martin Sheen to Marlon Brando, and it's no surprise that Coppola's direction pulls it all together wonderfully, despite the trouble that infamously plagues the film's production.
Apocalypse Now does feature a somewhat unconventional opening however, set to The Doors' rendition of The End. The image of the jungle canopy being obliterated by napalm with Jim Morrison's vocals blearing overhead is equal parts visceral and operatic, with the introduction of Sheen's Captain Willard - a battle-hardened soldier discontent with civilian life - completing the film's stellar opening salvo.