Apocalypse Now- Paul Crowley

One interesting dynamic of the movie is comparing Kurtz to Kilgore. And while on the surface they may seem similiar, they are completely different. Kurtz has shunned away all aspects of his former life. He is completely emersed into the primevil culture that he is running. And he is in my view completely insane. Kilgore on the other hand is doing his best to hang on to a semblance of his former life. He does this by surfing. And while it may seem odd to some people, it is Kilgores way of keeping a sense of normalcy. So in my view they are completely different.

It is also intersting to compare both leaders treatment of their men. Kilgore tries to give his men treats such as beer and food. He does this to bring them closer to home. Both Willard and Kurtz are critical of this. They think they have make their men just like the Vietcong. They have to have everything invested in the War. They have to have no hope of returning home. Only then can they win the War.

In my opinion, the optimal way of doing things is Kurtz and Willard way. You must make the men completely and totally invested in the War. The man who is defending his home (like the Vietcong) are much more likely to win the war. The Americans needed to fight with this savagery and will. However in my opinion, the problem is making the men like that. How do you go about doing it? The better thing to do is to fight like Kilgore, give the men something to do look foward to and be happy about (surfing and beer).