The best war movie ever made is airing on TV tonight

It’s also one of the best films of all time.

Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Frederic Forrest, Laurence Fishburne, Robert Duvall, Scott Glenn and a memorable Harrison Ford cameo, the film is set in the 1960s in Vietnam and tells the story of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), a US soldier sent to assassinate a renegade special forces officer (Marlon Brando) residing deep in the country’s jungles.

Loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s legendary novel Heart of Darkness, just as remembered as Apocalypse Now itself are the disastrous stories of its making. These include severe weather destroying the sets, Brando reportedly turning up to the shoot unprepared and Sheen suffering a near-fatal heart attack during production.

Despite the incredible difficulties during filming and the polarising reviews upon release, the movie is now considered one of the greatest films ever made due to its evocation of the madness of war.

It has been acclaimed by retrospective critics and viewers alike, with The Guardian naming it in 2010: “The best action and war film of all time.”

Apocalypse Now is airing on Film4 tonight at 9pm and will be followed by Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse at 12.40am, a documentary about the making of the classic.

The war epic is also available to rent on Microsoft, Rakuten TV and the Sky Store.

If you’re looking for something else, here’s the rest of the movies on TV tonight.

Bad Teacher – E4 – 10pm

Cameron Diaz is the titular bad teacher in this raunchy comedy.

The Others – BBC One – 11.10pm

Nicole Kidman stars in this fantastic period-set ghost story.

Van Wilder: Party Liaison – Comedy Central – 11.50pm

Ryan Reynolds leads the cast of this 2002 comedy as a seventh-year senior at Coolidge College who has made it his life goal to help undergrads succeed in the future.

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