History NightmareFuel / ApocalypseNow

* [[WouldHurtAChild "There they were in a pile. A pile of little arms."]]

* Willard is trying to find someone in charge at a chaotic, violent battle over a meaningless bridge upriver. "Yeah, I know who's in charge," a ScaryBlackMan finally tells him after a particularly brutal act on the battlefield. And then he just glares at Willard, [[WarIsHell letting his silence confirm exactly what he's talking about]].

* Where to begin? A wounded Vietcong begging for water, as he struggles to keep his entrails inside him with a pot lid. The over-the-top raid on a village where schoolchildren flee from the sound of approaching helicopters, which is then spectacularly napalmed. Hysterical "civilians" [[ParanoiaFuel grenading MediVacs.]] A tiger out of friggin' nowhere. An abandoned [=MASH=] with corpses left to rot in lockers. The massacre of the sampan. A remote outpost with no apparent leadership (presumably being the victim of an apparently well executed VC ambush), the unlucky men stationed there being slowly driven insane by fireworks, flashing lights and haunting music. Kurtz's compound. Kurtz placing Chef's recently severed (and still-twitching) head on Willard's lap and of course the Montagnard ceremony. The film seems to be trying to show the entire Vietnam War as being this trope, and it does a pretty good job of it.

* * The REAL NightmareFuel? The worst part of it all might be that many veterans and witnesses have said that this film is one of the truest representations of what the war was like.

* The worst part of it all might be that many veterans and witnesses have said that this film is one of the truest representations of what the war was like.

* Willard is trying to find someone in charge at a chaotic, violent battle over a meaningless bridge upriver. "Yeah, I know who's in charge," a ScaryBlackMan finally tells him after a particularly brutal act on the battlefield. And then he just glares at Willard, [[WarIsHell letting his silence confirm exactly what he's talking about]].
* The REAL NightmareFuel? Many Veterans have cited this film as an accurate portrayal of the Vietnam War.

* The execution of the water buffalo is genuinely disturbing to watch given that at one point ''it looks directly at the camera''.

* [[spoiler:The collective conclusion of all the terrible things Kurtz had faced in his life and what it turned him into, summarized by his final words, "The horror.......the horror". He doesn't even say it as dramatically as people would think, he's so shell shocked he's gone way past that.]]

* [[WouldHurtAChild "There they were in a pile. A pile of little arms."]]

* Where to begin? A wounded Vietcong begging for water, as he struggles to keep his entrails inside him with a pot lid. The over-the-top raid on a village where schoolchildren flee from the sound of approaching helicopters, which is then spectacularly napalmed. Hysterical "civilians" [[ParanoiaFuel grenading MediVacs.]] A tiger out of friggin' nowhere. An abandoned [=MASH=] with corpses left to rot in lockers. The massacre of the sampan. A remote outpost with no apparent leadership (presumably being the victim of an apparently well executed VC ambush), the unlucky men stationed there being slowly driven insane by fireworks, flashing lights and haunting music. Kurtz's compound. Kurtz placing Chef's recently severed head on Willard's lap and of course the Montagnard ceremony. The film seems to be trying to show the entire Vietnam War as being this trope, and it does a pretty good job of it.

* Where to begin? A wounded Vietcong begging for water, as he struggles to keep his entrails inside him with a pot lid. The over-the-top raid on a village where schoolchildren flee from the sound of approaching helicopters, which is then spectacularly napalmed. Hysterical civilians [[ParanoiaFuel grenading [[TheMedic MediVacs.]] A tiger out of friggin' nowhere. An abandoned [=MASH=] with corpses left to rot in lockers. The massacre of the sampan. A remote outpost with no apparent leadership (presumably being the victim of an apparently well executed VC ambush), the unlucky men stationed there being slowly driven insane by fireworks, flashing lights and haunting music. Kurtz's compound. Kurtz placing Chef's recently severed head on Willard's lap and of course the Montagnard ceremony. The film seems to be trying to show the entire Vietnam War as being this trope, and it does a pretty good job of it.

* Where to begin? A wounded Vietcong begging for water, as he struggles to keep his entrails inside him with a pot lid. The over-the-top raid on a village where schoolchildren flee from the sound of approaching helicopters, which is then spectacularly napalmed. A tiger out of friggin' nowhere. An abandoned [=MASH=] with corpses left to rot in lockers. The massacre of the sampan. A remote outpost with no apparent leadership (presumably being the victim of an apparently well executed VC ambush), the unlucky men stationed there being slowly driven insane by fireworks, flashing lights and haunting music. Kurtz's compound. Kurtz placing Chef's recently severed head on Willard's lap and of course the Montagnard ceremony. The film seems to be trying to show the entire Vietnam War as being this trope, and it does a pretty good job of it.

* "There they were in a pile. A pile of little arms."

* Where to begin? A wounded Vietcong begging for water, as he struggles to keep his entrails inside him with a pot lid. The over-the-top raid on a village where schoolchildren flee from the sound of approaching helicopters, which is then spectacularly napalmed. A tiger out of friggin' nowhere. An abandoned [=MASH=] with corpses left to rot in lockers. The massacre of the sampan. A remote outpost with no apparent leadership, the unlucky men stationed there being slowly driven insane by fireworks, flashing lights and haunting music. Kurtz's compound. Kurtz placing Chef's recently severed head on Willard's lap and of course the Montagnard ceremony. The film seems to be trying to show the entire Vietnam War as being this trope, and it does a pretty good job of it.

* Where to begin? A wounded Vietcong begging for water, as he struggles to keep his entrails inside him with a pot lid. The over-the-top raid on a village where school children flee from the sound of approaching helicopters, which is then spectacularly napalmed. A tiger out of friggin nowhere. An abandoned M.A.S.H with corpses left to rot in lockers. The massacre of the sampan. A remote outpost with no apparent leadership, the unlucky men stationed there being slowly driven insane by fireworks, flashing lights and haunting music. Kurtz's compound. Kurtz placing Chef's recently severed head on Willard's lap and of course the Montagnard ceremony. The film seems to be trying to show the entire Vietnam War as being this trope, and it does a pretty good job of it.

* The worst part of it all might be that many veterans and witnesses have said that this Film is one of the truest representations of what the war was like.
* Fucking tiger out of nowhere!
* The "Little arms" story.

* FridgeHorror: Colonel Kurtz's assassination turns out being for nothing in the long run. The entire reason Willard was contracted to kill Kurtz was so that his methods of fighting in Laos and Cambodia would be kept secret as America wasn't supposed to be there, even though that type of tactic would be beneficial towards achieving victory. America ends up leaving Vietnam giving up on winning the war, and the presence of MACV-SOG and the CIA's top secret missions going on there end up being revealed after the end of the war anyway. The death of Kurtz covered up nothing, Kurtz had practical Military necessity in mind not his commanders. A model officer and a loving father and husband was killed for no real reason.
** The real fridge horror sets in when you realize we need people like Kurtz to make war, and still manage to think war is something that should be done.
*** [[IDidWhatIHadToDo Only when necessary.]] [[WarIsHell And never enjoyed.]]
*** Kurtz's death actually is a good comparison for every soldier that died during the Vietnam War. America ended up losing the war when they finally gave up on achieving victory and went home. The Vietnam War was a meaningless war and all of our objectives failed. The lives of 58,000 men were wasted. Men like Kurtz did what was necessary to win but since their commanders were not willing to take that extra step men like him ended up having their lives wasted. The public reception to the Vietnam War was bad enough, now imagine if the public knew we had killed one of our own for a war that ended up failing anyway. It would be a Public Relations disaster for the U.S Military.
*** That's because "[doing] what was necessary" to win the war would've meant JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, crossing the MoralEventHorizon, etc. Call it what you like: Kurtz was ''not'' meant to be admired for his actions. He became a monster because he saw it as the only way to fight equal monsters. And for the record, the resolve to "[do] what was necessary" was irrelevant in deciding the outcome of the war. The Tet Offensive effectively destroyed the Vietcong's ability to put up a resistance, but the perception of the attacks was that despite all the work done thus far, nowhere in South Vietnam was safe from NVA/VC attack.

* FridgeHorror: Colonel Kurtz's assassination turns out being for nothing in the long run. The entire reason Willard was contracted to kill Kurtz was so that his methods of fighting in Laos and Cambodia would be kept secret as America wasn't supposed to be there, even though that type of tactic would be beneficial towards achieving victory. America ends up leaving Vietnam giving up on winning the war, and the presence of MAC-V SOG and the CIA's top secret missions going on there end up being revealed after the end of the war anyway. The death of Kurtz covered up nothing, Kurtz had practical Military necessity in mind not his commanders. A model officer and a loving father and husband was killed for no real reason.

*** That's because "[doing] what was necessary" to win the war would've meant JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, crossing the MoralEventHorizon, etc. Call it what you like: Kurtz was ''not'' meant to be admired for his actions. He became a monster because he saw it as the only way to fight equal monsters. And for the record, the resolve to "[do] what was necessary" was irrelevant in deciding the outcome of the war. The Tet Offensive effectively destroyed the Vietcong's ability to put up a resistance, but the perception of the attacks was that despite all the work done thus far, nowhere in South Vietnam was safe from NVA/VC attack.
**** The fact that people can watch a movie like that, be told that it's entirely realistic and still be a warmonger.

* FridgeHorror: Colonel Kurtz was a model officer with a successful career, he could have been anything he could have ever wanted in the Military Chain of Command if he even so much as asked, and yet the moment he goes even a little bit out of line, and ends up succeeding with his methods no less, the Military tries to crucify his career and even go so far as to assassinate him. A successful officer like Kurtz should have been someone they would try to save not destroy; how many careers and lives of officers like Kurtz have been unjustly destroyed by a corrupt chain of command like this one?

*** Kurtz's death actually is a good comparison for every soldier that died during the Vietnam War. America ended up losing the war when they decided to give up on achieving victory and went home, the Vietnam War ended up being a meaningless war as all of our objectives failed and the lives of 58,000 men were wasted. Men like Kurtz did what was necessary to win but since their commanders were not willing to take that extra step men like him ended up having their lives wasted. The public reception to the Vietnam War was bad enough, now imagine if the public knew we had killed one of our own for a war that ended up failing anyway. It would be a Public Relations disaster for the U.S Military.
*** That's because "[doing] what was necessary" to win the war would've meant JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, crossing the MoralEventHorizon, etc. Call it what you like: Kurtz was ''not'' meant to be admired for his actions. He became a monster because he saw it as the only way to fight equal monsters. And for the record, the resolve to "[do] what was necessary" was irrelevant in deciding the outcome of the war. The Tet Offensive effectively destroyed the Vietcong's ability to put up a resistance, but the perception of the attacks was that despite all the work done thus far, nowhere in South Vietnam was safe from NVA/VC attack.

*** Kurtz's death actually is a good comparison for every soldier that died during the Vietnam War. America ended up losing the war when they decided to give up on achieving victory and went home, the Vietnam War ended up being a meaningless war as all of our objectives failed and the lives of 58,000 men were wasted. Men like Kurtz did what was necessary to win but since their commanders were not willing to take that extra step men like him ended up having their lives wasted. The public reception to the Vietnam War was bad enough, now imagine if the public knew we had killed one of our own for a war that ended up failing anyway. It would be a Public Relations disaster for the U.S Military.

*** Kurtz's death actually is a good allegory for every soldier that died during the Vietnam War. America ended up losing the war when they decided to give up on achieving victory and went home, the Vietnam War ended up being a meaningless war as all of our objectives failed and the lives of 58,000 men were wasted. Men like Kurtz did what was necessary to win but since their commanders were not willing to take that extra step men like him ended up having their lives wasted. The public reception to the Vietnam War was bad enough, now imagine if the public knew we had killed one of our own for a war that ended up failing anyway. It would be a Public Relations disaster for the U.S Military.

FridgeHorror: Colonel Kurtz was a model officer with a successful career, he could have been anything he could have ever wanted in the Military Chain of Command if he even so much as asked, and yet the moment he goes even a little bit out of line, and ends up succeeding with his methods no less, the Military tries to crucify his career and even go so far as to assassinate him. A successful officer like Kurtz should have been someone they would try to save not destroy; how many careers and lives of officers like Kurtz have been unjustly destroyed by a corrupt chain of command like this one?
* FridgeHorror: Despite the fact that Colonel Kurtz was utilizing methods that logically would help win the war, the Vietcong and North Vietnamese were hiding in Laos and Cambodia and if that was the case logically America should have chased them there instead of just sticking around in the jungles of Vietnam, the American Command considers his methods unorthodox and try to assassinate him just so they can shut him up and keep American presence there classified. Ultimately the assassination of Kurtz ends up being for nothing since the Vietnam War ends up being lost by the Americans and the revelation of an American presence by the CIA and MAC-V SOG is later revealed to the American public anyway, they killed off a model officer for nothing. Colonel Kurtz was the one with practical military necessity in mind, not the generals running the war.

*** [[IDidWhatIHadToDo Only when necessary.]] [[WarIsHell And never enjoyed.]]

** The real fridge horror sets in when you realize we need people like Kurtz to make war, and still manage to think war is something that should be done.

* FridgeHorror: Despite the fact that Colonel Kurtz was utilizing methods that logically would help win the war, the Vietcong and North Vietnamese were hiding in Laos and Cambodia and if that was the case logically America should have chased them there instead of just sticking around in the jungles of Vietnam, the American Command considers his methods unorthodox and try to assassinate him just so they can shut him up and keep American presence there classified. Ultimately the assassination of Kurtz ends up being for nothing since the Vietnam War ends up being lost by the Americans and the revelation of an American presence by the CIA and MAC-V SOG is later revealed to the American public anyway, they killed off a model officer for nothing. Colonel Kurtz was the one with practical military necessity in mind, not the generals running the war.

* Kutz himself is something of this. The way he's almost always shown in the dark, and only ever partially visible, is particularily creepy, and one can only imagine how Willard must feel in his presence. Even worse still [[spoiler: he's more than willing to decapitate an innocent man and casually drop his head in front of his commanding officer.]]

* FridgeHorror: Despite the fact that Colonel Kurtz was utilizing methods that logically would help win the war, the Vietcong and North Vietnamese were hiding in Laos and Cambodia and if that was the case logically America should have chased them there instead of just sticking around in the jungles of Vietnam, the American Command considers his methods unorthodox and try to assassinate him just so they can shut him up and keep American presence there classified. Ultimately the assassination of Kurtz ends up being for nothing since the Vietnam War ends up being lost by the Americans anyway and the revelation of an American presence by the CIA and MAC-V SOG is later revealed to the American public anyway, they killed off a model officer for nothing. Colonel Kurtz was the one with practical Military necessity in mind, not the Generals running the war.

* The worst part of it all might be that many veterans and witnesses have said that this Film is one of the truest representations of what the war was like.