This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend
The end
Of our elaborate plans
The end
Of everything that stands
The end
No safety nor surprise
The end
I`ll never look into your eyes
Again
Can you picture
What will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need
Of some
Stranger`s hand
In a
Desperate land
Lost in a Roman
Wilderness of pain
And all the children
Are insane
All the children
Are insane
Waiting for the summer rain
Yeah
Saigon.
Shit.
I`m still only in Saigon.
Every time, I think I`m gonna wake up back in thejungle.
When I was home after my first tour, it was worse.
I` d wake up, and there` d be nothing.
I hardly said a word to my wife until I said yes to a divorce.
When I was here, I wanted to be there.
When I was there, all I could think of was getting back into thejungle.
I`m here a week now.
Waiting for a mission...
getting softer.
Every minute I stay in this room, I get weaker.
And every minute Charlie squats in the bush, he gets stronger.
Each time I looked around, the walls moved in a little tighter.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck Yeah
Come on, babe, come on now Livin` life, yeah
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck Yeah
Fuck, yeah, come on, baby
Fuck, baby, fuck, fuck
Oh, yeah, oh, fuck
Yeah, do it, yeah, come on
Yeah, all right
Yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah
Everyone gets everything he wants.
I wanted a mission...
and for my sins, they gave me one.
Brought it up to me like room service.
Captain Willard? Are you in there?
Yeah, I`m comin`.
It was a real choice mission.
And when it was over, I` d never want another.
- What do you want? - Are you all right, Captain?
What does it look like?
- Are you Willard, 505th Battalion? - Affirmative.
- 1 73rd Airborne? - Yeah.
- Assigned to SOG? - Hey, buddy, gonna shut the door?
We have orders to escort you to the airfield.
- What are the charges? - Sir?
- What`d I do? - There`s no charges, Captain.
You have orders to report to Com-Sec Intelligence at Nha Trang.
- I see. - All right?
- Nha Trang, for me? - That`s right.
Come on, Captain. You still have a few hours to get cleaned up.
- I`m not feeling too good. - Captain?
Dave, come here and give me a hand. We got a dead one.
Come on, Captain. Let`s take a shower.
- Don`t be an ass. - Get a hold of him good.
We`re gonna take a shower, Captain. In we go.
Stand underneath this, Captain.
I was going to the worst place in the world...
and I didn`t even know it yet.
Weeks away and hundreds of miles up a river...
that snaked through the war like a main circuit cable...
plugged straight into Kurtz.
It was no accident that I got to be the caretaker...
of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz`s memory--
any more than being back in Saigon was an accident.
There is no way to tell his story without telling my own.
If his story is really a confession--
- Captain Willard reporting, sir. - then so is mine.
- Captain. Good. Come on in. - Thank you, sir.
- Stand at ease. - General.
You want a cigarette?
No, thank you, sir.
-Have you ever seen this man before? -No, sir.
- Met the general or myself? - No, sir.
Not personally.
- You`ve worked a lot on your own? - Yes, sir, I have.
Your report specifies intelligence...
counterintelligence with Com-Sec, ''I`` Corps.
I`m not presently disposed to discuss those operations, sir.
Did you not work for the CIA in ''I`` Corps?
No, sir.
Did you not assassinate a government tax collector...
Quang Tri Province, June 1 8, 1 968?
Captain?
Sir, I am unaware of any such activity or operation--
nor would I be disposed to discuss such an operation...
if it did, in fact, exist, sir.
I thought we`d have a bite of lunch while we talk.
I hope you brought a good appetite, Captain.
I notice that you have a bad hand there. You wounded?
I had a little fishing accident on R and R, sir.
- Fishing on R and R? - Yes, sir.
But you`re feeling fit? You`re ready for duty?
Yes, General. Very much so, sir.
Well, let`s see what we have here, roast beef, and usually it`s not bad.
Try some,Jerry, and pass it around.
To save a little time, we might pass both ways.
Captain, I don`t know how you feel about this shrimp...
but if you`ll eat it...
you`ll never have to prove your courage in any other way.
I swear, why don`t I just take a piece here?
Captain, you`ve heard of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz?
Yes, sir, I`ve heard the name.
Oh,Jesus! Operations officer, Fifth Special Forces.
Luke, would you play that tape for the captain, please?
- Yes, sir. I`m sorry, sir. - Listen to this carefully, Captain.
October 9, 0430 hours, sector Peter, Victor, King.
These were monitored out of Cambodia.
This has been verified as Col. Kurtz`s voice.
I watched a snail...
crawl along the edge of a straight razor.
That`s my dream.
That`s my nightmare.
Crawling, slithering...
along the edge...
of a straight razor...
and surviving.
Transmission 1 1, received `68, December 30, 0500 hours.
Sector King, Zulu, King.
But we must kill them.
We must incinerate them.
Pig after pig.
Cow after cow.
Village after village. Army after army.
And they call me an assassin.
What do you call it when the assassins accuse the assassin?
They lie. They lie, and we have to be merciful...
for those who lie.
Those nabobs.
I hate them.
I do hate them.
Walt Kurtz was one of the most outstanding officers...
this country`s ever produced.
He was brilliant. He was outstanding in every way.
And he was a good man, too, a humanitarian man.
A man of wit and humor.
He joined the Special Forces.
And after that his...
ideas, methods...
became...
unsound.
Unsound.
Now he`s crossed into Cambodia with this...
Montagnard army of his that worship...
the man like a god...
and follow every order, however ridiculous.
Well, I have some other shocking news to tell you.
Col. Kurtz was about to be arrested for murder.
I don`t follow, sir. Murdered who?
Kurtz had ordered the execution of some Vietnamese intelligence agents--
men he believed were double agents.
So he took matters into his own hands.
Well, you see, Willard...
in this war, things get confused out there.
Power, ideals, the old morality...
and practical military necessity.
But out there with these natives...
it must be a temptation to...
be God.
Because there`s a conflict in every human heart...
between the rational and the irrational...
between good and evil...
and good does not always triumph.
Sometimes...
the dark side...
overcomes what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature.
Every man has got a breaking point.
You and I have them.
Walt Kurtz has reached his.
And very obviously, he has gone insane.
Yes, sir. Very much so, sir. Obviously insane.
Your mission is to proceed up the Nung River in a navy patrol boat--
pick up Col. Kurtz`s path at Nu Mung Ba...
follow it, learn what you can along the way.
When you find the colonel, infiltrate his team by--
whatever means available and terminate the colonel`s command.
Terminate the colonel?
He`s out there operating without any decent restraint...
totally beyond the pale of any acceptable...
human conduct...
and he is still on the field, commanding troops.
Terminate with extreme prejudice.
You understand, Captain, that this mission...
does not exist nor will it ever exist.
How many people had I already killed?
There were those six that I knew about for sure--
close enough to blow their last breath in my face.
But this time it was an American...
and an officer.
That wasn`t supposed to make any difference to me...
but it did.
Shit. Charging a man with murder in this place...
was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500.
I took the mission. What the hell else was I gonna do?
But I really didn`t know what I` d do when I found him.
- Did you check the tank? - Yeah.
I was being ferried down the coast in a navy PBR...
a type of plastic patrol boat-- a pretty common sight on the rivers.
They said it was a good way to pick up information and move...
without drawing a lot of attention, and that was okay.
I needed the air and the time.
Only problem was I wouldn`t be alone.
Mornin`, Captain.
The crew were mostly just kids--
rock and rollers with one foot in their graves.
- How old are you? - Seventeen.
The machinist-- the one they called Chef-- was from New Orleans.
He was wrapped too tight for Vietnam.
Probably wrapped too tight for New Orleans.
Lance, on the forward fifties...
was a famous surfer from the beaches south of L.A.
To look at him, you wouldn`t believe he` d ever fired a weapon in his life.
Clean-- Mr. Clean-- was from some South Bronx shit-hole...
and I think the light and the space of Vietnam...
really put the zap on his head.
Then there was Phillips, the chief.
It might have been my mission, but it sure as shit was the chief`s boat.
There`s about two points where we can draw enough water...
to get into the Nung River.
They`re both hot. Belong to Charlie.
Don`t worry about it.
Don`t smoke.
You know, I`ve pulled a few special ops in here.
About six months ago...
I took a man who was going up past the bridge at Do Lung.
He was regular army too.
Heard he shot himself in the head.
At first I thought they handed me the wrong dossier.
I couldn`t believe they wanted this man dead.
Third-generation West Point, top of his class.
Korea, Airborne, about a thousand decorations.
Et cetera, et cetera.
I` d heard his voice on the tape, and it really put the hook in me...
but I couldn`t connect up that voice with this man.
Like they said, he had an impressive career.
Maybe too impressive. I mean, perfect.
He was being groomed for one of the top slots in the corporation--
general, chief of staff, anything.
In 1 964, he returned from a tour with Advisory Command in Vietnam...
and things started to slip.
His report to theJoint Chiefs of Staff...
and Lyndon Johnson was restricted.
Seems they didn`t dig what he had to tell them.
During the next few months, he made three requests for transfer...
to Airborne training, Fort Benning, Georgia, and was finally accepted.
Airborne?
He was 38 years old.
Why the fuck would he do that?
1 966, joins Special Forces...
returns to Vietnam.
Hey, what`s that?
- Arc light. - What`s up?
- B-52 strike. - Yeah?
- What`s that? - Arc light.
I hate that. Every time I hear that, something terrible happens.
Charlie don`t never see `em or hear `em, man.
There they are.
Concussion will suck the air out of your damn lungs.
Something terrible is gonna happen.
Smoke! Secondary burning.
Hueys over there. Lots of Hueys.
Let`s have a look, Chief.
It was the Air-Cav. First of the Ninth--
That`s them.
our escorts to the mouth of the Nung River.
But they were supposed to be waiting for us another 30 kilometers ahead.
Well, Air Mobile. Those boys just couldn`t stay put.
Hey, kid, come on. Get down. Come on.
First of the Ninth was an old cavalry division...
that had cashed in its horses for choppers...
and gone tear-assing around `Nam looking for the shit.
They` d given Charlie a few surprises in their time here.
What they were mopping up now hadn`t even happened yet an hour ago.
Just keeping running by. We`re for television.
Don`t look at the camera. Just keep-- Go on. Keep going.
This is for television. Don`t look at the camera.
Just go by like you`re fighting, like you`re fighting.
Don`t look at the camera. It`s for television.Just go through.
Just go by. Keep on going.
Keep going. Don`t look at the camera. Go on. Keep going.
All right, come on. Go.
Right here. Yes. Over here. Over here.
Where can I find the CO?
That`s the colonel comin` down!
The CO`s on that chopper.
Lieutenant, bomb that tree line back about 1 00 yards!
- Give me some room to breathe! - Yes, sir!
Body cards!
- Sir? - Bring my body cards!
Yes, sir!
I`m the Fourth Tank commander. I got five tanks broken down.
We`re all right with the tanks. It`s all right, Captain.
Captain Willard!
I carry priority papers from Com-Sec Intelligence, II Corps.
I understand Nha Trang has briefed you...
on the requirements of my mission.
What mission? I haven`t heard from Nha Trang.
Sir, your unit is supposed to escort us into the Nung!
- We`ll see what we can do. - Colonel!
But just stay out of my way until this is done, Captain.
All right, let`s see what we have. Let`s see what we have.
A two of spades, three of spades, four of diamonds...
six of clubs, eight of spades.
There isn`t one worth a jack in the whole bunch.
Four of diamonds.
- Hey, Captain, what`s that? - Death cards!
- What? - Death cards!
- Death? - Lets Charlie know who did this.
- Cheer up, son. - We will not hurt or harm you.
- Fire in the hole! - Fire in the hole!
This is an area that is controlled...
by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese.
Jim.
We are here to help you.
- We extend a welcome hand... - Come on.
-to those who would like to return... -Everybody in?
to the arms of the South Vietnamese government.
Get in. Hurry up.
Move it out.
This is an area that is controlled...
by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese.
Hey! What`s this? What is this?
This man`s hurt pretty bad, sir.
About the only thing that`s holding his guts in, sir, is that pot lid.
Yeah? What do you have to say?
This soldier is dirty VC. He wants water. He can drink paddy water.
Get outta here! Give me that canteen.
- He`s VC! - Any man that`s brave enough to--
Get outta here! I`ll kick your fuckin` ass!
He killed a lot of our people!
Any man brave enough to fight with his guts...
strapped on him can drink from my canteen.
Hey, Colonel, I think one of those sailors is Lance Johnson, the surfer.
- Where? Here? You sure? - Down there.
Yeah? Here.
Repeat. We have a body count. We have--
What`s your name, sailor?
-Gunner`s Mate Third Class Johnson. -Gunner`s Mate Third Class--
- Lance Johnson, the surfer? - Yes, sir.
It`s an honor to meet you. I`ve admired your nose riding for years.
I like your cutback too. I think you have the best cutback there is.
- Thank you, sir. - You can cut out the ''sir`` crap.
I`m Bill Kilgore. I`m a goofy foot.
- This guy with ya? - Yeah.
I want you to meet some guys.
- This is Mike from San Diego. - Far out.
-Johnny from Malibu. Solid surfers. -John, hi. Far out.
None of us are anywhere near your class though.
No way.
We do a lot of surfing around here. I like to finish operations early.
Fly down to Yung Tau for the evening glass.
Been riding since you got here?
No way. I haven`t surfed since I been here.
Through Christ, our Lord...
from Whom all good things come...
through Him in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
All glory and honor is Yours, Almighty Father.
Let us bring our iniquities to the Father...
in the words our Savior gave us.
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread...
and forgive us our trespasses...
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Kilgore had had a pretty good day for himself.
They choppered in the T-bones and the beer...
and turned the LZ into a beach party.
The more they tried to make it just like home...
the more they made everybody miss it.
Make my meat rare-- rare but not cold.
Well, he wasn`t a bad officer, I guess.
He loved his boys, and you felt safe with him.
He was one of those guys that had that weird light around him.
You just knew he wasn`t gonna get so much as a scratch here.
What happened to your mission? Nha Trang forget all about you?
Airborne.
Sir, two places we can get into the river.
- Yeah. - Here and here.
It`s a pretty wide delta, but these are the only two spots I`m sure of.
That village you`re pointing at is kind of hairy.
- What do you mean ''hairy,`` sir? - It`s hairy.
Got some pretty heavy ordnance.
I lost a few recon ships in there now and again.
What`s the name of that goddamn village? Vin Drin--
- Dop. - Dop or Lop?
Damn gook names all sound the same.
Mike, you know anything about this point at Vin Drin Dop?
That`s a fantastic peak.
- Peak? - About six foot.
It`s an outstanding peak. It`s got both the long right and left slide...
with a bowl section that`s unbelievable.
It`s just tube city.
Why didn`t you tell me that before? A good peak.
There aren`t any good peaks in this whole shitty country.
It`s all goddamn beach break.
It`s really hairy in there. That`s where we lost McDonald.
They shot the hell out of us there. That`s Charlie`s point.
Sir, we can go in there tomorrow at dawn.
There`s always a good offshore breeze in the morning.
We may not be able to get the boat in.
The draft at the mouth of that river may be too shallow.
We`ll pick your boat up and put it down like a baby where you want it.
This is the First of the Ninth, Air-Cav, son.
Air mobile! I can take that point and hold it as long as I like.
You can get anyplace up that river that suits you, young Captain.
Hell, a six-foot peak.
Take a gunship back to the division.
Lance, go with Mike and let him pick out a board for you.
Bring me my Yater Spoon, the eight-six.
- I don`t know, sir-- - What is it, soldier?
It`s hairy in there. It`s Charlie`s point.
Charlie don`t surf!
Hey,Jesus, Clean, you ain`t gonna believe this. Look.
Hey, man! They`re pickin` up the boat!
- How are you feeling,Jimmy? - Like a mean motherfucker, sir!
All right, son, let `er rip.
Let`s go!
I never have got used to a light board. I can`t get used to one.
- I`m used to a heavy board. - I know, it`s a real drag.
- You prefer a heavy or light board? - Heavier.
- Really? - Yeah!
I thought all the young guys like lighter boards.
- You can`t ride the nose on those. - Big Duke Six.
This is Eagle Thrust Seven. We`ve got it spotted.
Duke Six to Eagle Thrust.
Put on heading two-seven-zero. Assume attack formation.
That`s a roger, Big Duke. We`re going in.
Hey, Lance, we`ll come in low out of the rising sun.
About a mile out, we`ll put on the music.
- Music? - Yeah, I use Wagner.
Scares the hell out of the slopes. My boys love it.
Hey, they`re gonna play music!
How come all you guys sit on your helmet?
So we don`t get our balls blown off.
Big Duke Six to Eagle Thrust. Put on psy war op.
Make it loud. This is a Romeo Fox Trot. Shall we dance?
Yes, sir!
- Come on! - All right. Fire.
We got a couple-- at that tree line.
We`re taking fire from the holes.
Run, Charlie!
This should make everything burn.
We got a couple of people ahead here.
-What`s going down here? -We got an automatic! Shoot to kill!
-Shoot to kill in the open! -I spotted a large weapon down below.
We`re gonna go down and check it out.
All right, this is Fox Trot. We`re pullin` in.
What a shot.
Outstanding, Red Team. Outstanding. Get you a case of beer for that.
Six-four-one-zero, we`re over the village right now.
I see a vehicle in the courtyard. I`m gonna check it out.
Well done, Hawks.
Want some twenty-Mike-Mike-Vulcan along those tree lines.
Ripple the shit out of `em.
Got a vehicle on the bridge, 50 caliber on board.
He`s moving across to resupply the weapon.
Big Duke Six, clear the area. I`m coming down myself.
Don`t these people ever give up?
Nice shot, Bill.
- Shit! - All right, all right!
-It`s just a flare! -It`s a flare! Gotta get outta here!
Un-ass that shit. Get it outta here!
Get it out. It`s just a flare. It`s all right.
- Everybody all right? Lance? - I`m fine!
Get down!
I`m not going! I`m not going! I`m not going.
Wejust got a secondary down there in the plaza.
Hold on to your position.
Duke Six, we`ve got wounded down there.
- Get a stretcher over here! - You`re all right.
- Please, God! Help me! - Give him some morphine.
My God! Oh!
- Seven-four-two! - Where`s that duster?
I want my wounded out of there and in the hospital in 1 5 minutes.
I want my men out.
Somebody stay in there tight with Big Duke.
This is Ten-Ten. We`re gonna be in, throw `em on and get out.
She`s got a grenade!
The whole thing blew up.
- She blew the shit-- - Fucking savages.
- Get a medevac. - Holy Christ, she`s a SAP.
I`m gonna get that dink bitch.
Get over there, Johnny. Roll that right skid right up her ass.
We gotta get some air in these trees.
It`s goddamn eat-up with enemy down here.
I`m taking fire. I`m taking hits all over.
Three o`clock! I`m drawing heavy fire!
I`m hit! Mayday! Mayday! I`m goin` in.
My tail rotor`s out. I got control.
- What do you think? - Wow! This is really exciting, man.
- No! No! The waves! The waves! - Oh, right.
Look at that. Breaks both ways. Watch. Watch.
Look! Good six-foot swells!
Come here, Lance.
Incoming!
This LZ is still pretty hot, sir.
Maybe you ought to surf somewhere else.
What do you know about surfing, Major?
You`re from goddamn New Jersey.
Come here! Come here!
- Change! - You mean right now, sir?
I wanna see how rideable that stuff is. Go change.
It`s still pretty hairy out there.
- Do you wanna surf, soldier? - Yes, sir.
That`s good, son, `cause you either surf or fight.
That clear? Get going. I`ll cover for `em.
And bring a board for Lance.
We can`t do shit until the boat gets here.
Lance, I`ll bet you can`t wait to get out there.
- What? - See how they break both ways?
One guy can break right, one left, simultaneous. What do you think?
We ought to wait for the tide to come up.
- Come here. Look. - Incoming!
The tide doesn`t come in for six hours!
You wanna wait here for six hours?
Yo! Chief! Chief!
Okay, fellas, quit hiding. Come on! Let`s go!
- Dick-heads, take off! - Goddamn it!
Don`t you think it`s a little risky for R and R?
If I say it`s safe to surf this beach, it`s safe to surf this beach!
I`m not afraid to surf this place!
I`ll surf this fuckin` place.
Give me that R-T, soldier.
Dove Four, this is Big Duke Six. Goddamn it!
I want that tree line bombed!
Big Duke Six, roger. Dove One-Three, stand by.
Blow them into the Stone Age, son!
- Out! - No, back, no!
Let me take care of this. Get that out of here!
- I`m sorry. - Come here now. All right.
- No, ma`am. Sorry! -Jimmy!
Hawk One-Two, Dove One-Three.
They need some napalm in the tree line. Can you put it down there?
Right, One-Three. We`re fixin` to fuck with `em. What`s the target?
We`re trying to suppress some mortar fire off the tree line down there.
- Roger. Here we come. - Good. Give it all you got.
Bring in all your ships.
Put him in my chopper. Get him back to the hospital.
No, no, no, you got to go with him.
Come on! Go! Go! Get it outta here!
Tell my guys I want my board!
Big Duke Six, this is Dove One-Three.
Thejets are inbound now. You got about 30 seconds to bomb station.
Get your people back and heads down. This is gonna be a big one.
Don`t worry.
We`ll have this place cleaned up in a jiffy, son. Don`t you worry.
Give me those shorts.
These are from the Air-Cav, a present from me and the boys.
I want to see you do your stuff in `em out there.
You smell that?
- Do you smell that? - What?
Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that.
Come on. Move it! Move it! Move it!
I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
You know, one time we had a hill bombed for 1 2 hours.
When it was all over, I walked up.
We didn`t find one of them, not one stinking dink body.
But the smell-- You know, that gasoline smell.
The whole hill smelled like...
victory.
Someday this war`s gonna end.
- Lance! The wind! - Huh?
- The wind! - What?
It`s blowin` onshore! It`s gonna blow this place out.
- It`s gonna ruin it! - Not cool! It`s gonna blow out!
It`s the goddamn napalm! That`s what`s doin` it!
I know. I`m really sorry, Colonel. I`m afraid that does it.
The kid`s got a reputation.
You can`t expect him to surf those sloppy waves.
- I understand. - I`m an artist, Bill.
- I couldn`t surf that stuff. - I apologize. It`s not my fault.
The waves are gettin` blown out by the napalm.
Don`t get me wrong--
It was the bombs causing a vortex with the wind.
I accept your apology.
But if you could hang around 20 minutes--
- Some other time, Bill. -Just 20 minutes!
- I`m an artist. - Keep walking.
Okay, give it a try, guys. One goes left and one goes right.
Look, Lance.
- You through surfing? - Yeah!
- Wanna say good-bye to the colonel? - No.
- You sure? - Yeah!
- Get the fuck outta here. - It`s the napalm.
Just wait 20 minutes!
Damn! Fuck!
They`ve been lookin` for ya.
- Don`t leave without me! - Where the fuck you goin`?
Here!
Incoming!
That`s the colonel`s surfboard!
Hey, get the fuck off me! It`s mine!
You fucking Airborne!
- Lance. - Chef, light up, man.
Come on. Let`s get high.
- Wanna smoke? - Let`s do it, man. Light up.
Someday this war`s gonna end.
That would bejust fine with the boys on the boat.
They weren`t looking for anything more than a way home.
- Captain? - Trouble is, I` d been back there...
and I knew that it just didn`t exist anymore.
Buddha time. Here.
All right, that`s great, you motherfuckers. Yeah.
If that`s how Kilgore fought the war...
I began to wonder what they really had against Kurtz.
It wasn`t just insanity and murder.
There was enough of that to go around for everyone.
I mean, he never was hurtin` for pussy.
I`m not here. I`m walking through the jungle gathering mangos.
I meet Raquel Welch.
I make a nice mango cream pudding.
You know, kind of spread it around on us.
She`s into mangos too.
She`s like one limb above me.
-We`re both in the jungle here nude. -Hey, Chief.
- Yeah? - Here comes that colonel guy again.
You know how hard it is to find a board you like.
I will not hurt or harm you.
Just give me back the board, Lance.
It was a good board, and I like it.
You know how hard it is to find a board you like.
- He`s a determined motherfucker! - I will not hurt or harm you.
I will not hurt or harm you.
Just give me back the board, Lance.
It was a good board, and I like it.
You know how hard it is to find a board you like.
- I will not hurt or harm you. -Jesus Christ.
That guy`s too fuckin` much, man.
Do you think he would have shot us?
He wouldn`t have shot us on the beach...
but he would have shot us if he saw me taking his board.
Let`s go surfin`now Everybody`s learnin` how
Let`s get this board out of my turret.
Sucker.
How am I going to shoot him the next time he comes around?
Hey, Chef, make some room back there for the board.
Sock it to me, Lance.
I wonder if that`s the same chopper.
He`s probably got them all over the river with that recording.
We`ll have to hold up here till dark, Chief.
Don`t worry, Lance. He won`t follow us too far.
What makes you say that?
You think that big Cav colonel wants everyone upriver...
to know we stole his board?
I didn`t steal it!
- Captain? - Hmm?
Just how far up this river we goin`?
It`s classified, Chief. I can`t tell ya.
We`re goin` up pretty far.
Is it gonna be hairy?
I don`t know, kid. Yeah, probably.
You like it like that, Captain, when it`s hot, hairy?
Fuck.
Maybe you`ll get a chance to know...
what the fuck you are in some factory in Ohio.
Hey, Chief, I`m gonna go get those mangos now, okay?
- Take somebody with ya. - Yeah, I`ll take--
I`ll go with him.
Chef?
- Yes, sir? - How come they call you that?
- Call me what, sir? - Chef.
- Because you like mangos and stuff? - No, sir, I`m a real chef.
- I`m a saucier. - Saucier?
Yes, sir. See, I come from New Orleans.
I was raised to be a saucier, a great saucier.
- What`s a saucier? - You specialize in sauces.
Gotta be a mango tree here somewhere.
Then, I was supposed to go to Paris...
study at the Escoffier school.
But then I got orders for my physical.
Hell, I joined the navy.
Heard they had better food.
Cook school-- that did it.
- Yeah, how`s that? - You don`t wanna hear about that.
They lined us up in front of a hundred yards of prime rib.
All of us, you know, lined up lookin` at it.
Magnificent meat. Really! Beautifully marbled.
Next thing, they`re throwing the meat into these big cauldrons--
all of it-- boiling it!
I looked inside, man. It was turning gray.
I couldn`t fucking believe that one.
That`s when I applied for radioman school, but then they gave me--
What is it?
Charlie?
It`s a tiger!
Son of a bitch! It`s a tiger, man! It`s a tiger!
Battle stations. Lance, up front.
- Get on your 60! - Got it.
- Holy shit! A fuckin` tiger! - Chef, come on!
- Captain, come on! - Let`s hop in and go!
Let`s go!
You were right. Never get out of the boat.
- Bring that 60 forward! - Why never get out of the boat?
I gotta remember! Never get out of the boat!
- How many is it? - A fuckin` tiger!
- What? - A tiger?
Yes! I`ve had it! I`ve had the whole goddamn fuckin` shit, man!
You can kiss my ass on the county square...
because I`m fuckin` buggin` out.
I didn`t come here for this.
I don`t fuckin` need it! I don`t want it.
I didn`t get out the goddamn eighth grade for this kind of shit!
All I wanted to do was fuckin` cook!
I just wanted to learn to fuckin` cook, man!
- You`re all right. - What happened, bro?
You`re all right. You`re gonna be all right.
All right? It`s gonna be all right?
Never get out of the fuckin` boat.
Hi, tiger! Bye, tiger! Good-bye!
Never get out of the boat.
Absolutely, goddamn right...
unless you were going all the way.
Kurtz got off the boat.
He split from the whole fuckin`program.
How did that happen?
What did he see here that first tour?
Thirty-eight fucking years old.
If you joined the Green Berets...
there was no way you` d ever get above colonel.
Kurtz knew what he was giving up.
The more I read and began to understand...
the more I admired him.
His family and friends couldn`t understand it...
and they couldn`t talk him out of it.
He had to apply three times, and he put up with a ton of shit.
But when he threatened to resign, they gave it to him.
The next youngest guy in his class was half his age.
They must have thought he was some far-out old man...
humping it over that course.
I did it when I was 1 9. It damn near wasted me.
A tough motherfucker.
He finished it.
He could have gone for general...
but he went for himself instead.
Dear Eva...
Today was really a new one.
Almost got eaten alive by a fuckin` tiger.
Really un-fucking believable, you know?
We`re taking this guy, Captain Willard, up the river...
but he hasn`t told us yet where we`re taking him.
Come on, baby
Thought you might have heard by now from Elwood.
October 1 967. On special assignment...
Kontoom Province, II Corps.
Kurtz staged Operation Archangel with combined local forces.
Rated a major success.
He received no official clearance.
Hejust thought it up and did it.
What balls.
They were gonna nail his ass to the floorboards for that one.
But after the press got ahold of it...
they promoted him to full colonel instead.
Oh, man, the bullshit piled up so fast in Vietnam.
You needed wings to stay above it.
This sure enough is a bizarre sight in the middle of this shit.
Expecting us this time?
Damned if I know.
Hello. Hello.
Jesus--
Wow.
- It goes back up into the truck. - What?
We gotta get all that stuff up.
Hau Phat. You ever been up here before, Chef?
I bet you we can score up here.
Check out the bikes, Lance.
Yamaha, Suzuki. Yeah!
- That`s a good one. - Yeah, Sukiyaki.
Yeah, man. This is something.
- Please! - This must be the guy.
Right over there.
Sergeant. Sergeant.
Three drums of diesel fuel, PBR five--
Come on, man! Move!
We don`t have time. One hour. That`s all. What do you want?
- Can I get some Panama Red? - Yeah, I`ll get you Panama Red.
- Sergeant? - Destination?
I don`t have no destination.
I can`t do a goddamn thing without a destination.
- Sarge? Sarge? - I need a destination!
I can`t do a thing about it with a destination.
These guys are with me. Destination`s classified.
I carry priority papers from Com-Sec Intelligence.
Okay, right, sir. Hey, listen, it`s a real big night.
Eight bucks for that-- Hey!
All right. Damn.
-Just give him some fuel. - You got it.
- Dog starts barking. - Hey, listen, Captain.
I`m really sorry about tonight. It`s really bad around here.
Just take this over to the man at the supply desk and you got it.
Would you guys like some seats-- some press box seats for the show?
The show out here.
- Bunnies, bunnies. - Playboy bunnies?
You got it. You gonna be here?
Hey, listen, Captain, on the house.
No hard feelings, huh?
How ya doin`out there?
I said, how ya doin`out there?
Wanna say hello to you from all of us up here...
to all of you out there who work...
so goddamn hard in Operation Brute Force!
Hello, all you paratroopers out there!
And the marines! And the sailors!
We wanna let you know that we`re proud of you!
We know how tough and how hard it`s been.
To prove it we`re gonna give you entertainment you`re gonna like.
Miss August, Miss Sandra Beatty.
Miss May, Miss Terri Teray! Yeah!
And the playmate of the year, Miss Carrie Foster! Yeah!
Yo! Whoa!
Oh, Susie-Q
- Oh, Susie-Q baby, I love you - Hello!
Susie-Q
I like the way you walk
I like the way you talk
I like the way you walk
I like the way you talk Susie-Q
Oh, Susie-Q
Baby, I love you
Susie-Q
I love you!
- Come on! - What`s the matter?
Come on, baby!
Grease my gun!
I`m ready to powwow, baby!
Come on! All right!
You`re cute. I like you.
I`m here, baby! I`m here!
Yeah!
- You fucking bitch! - Take it off!
Take it off!
Hey, lover! You want us to come over!
- I sure do! - Sign my centerfold!
Sign my centerfold!
Come on, baby!
Goddamn!
Start her up. Hey!
Get out of my way!
Come on!
- Will you sign these? - Let`s go! Let`s go!
Hurry!
So long!
Charlie didn`t get much USO.
He was dug in too deep or moving too fast.
His idea of great R and R was cold rice and a little rat meat.
He had only two ways home--
death or victory.
No wonder Kurtz put a weed up Command`s ass.
The war was being run by a bunch of four-star clowns...
who were gonna end up giving the whole circus away.
Hey, you know, man, that was far-fucking-out.
I collected every picture of her since she was Miss December, Chief.
Hey, Clean, look at that. She was here, man.
I even wrote to the cunt. She didn`t write me back.
You can really get hung up on these broads, man...
just like that cat in the delta.
- Yeah, you better believe it. - What cat?
The one that went up for murder. He was an army sergeant.
Remember? This cat, man-- He really dug his Playboy, man.
Dig it.
When the thing arrived, he was there to meet it, man.
Look at these beautiful fuckin` jugs, man!
Yeah, so anyway, he was workin` ARVN patrols.
One of them cocky gook asshole lieutenants and shit--
One day the gook took his magazine and wouldn`t give it back.
He said, ''Give me my magazine back.``
Gook say, ''You shut up. I have you court-martialed.``
- Typical fuckin` ARVN. - Yeah!
-Then the gook starts to go too far. -Chef. Take the wheel.
This dude started to stick pinholes in the lady`s tits.
Take the wheel.
He started sticking pinholes and mutilating the centerfold.
The sergeant said, ''You better not do that to her.
You leave your shitty little gook hands off of that girl.
Don`t do her like that.``
- Gook say ''Fuck you`` in Vietnamese. - Damn.
The sergeant couldn`t handle it no more.
He just picked up his iron...
flipped it to rock and roll and--
Boom!
Gave that little zero a long burst straight through the Playboy mag.
It blew his ass clean off of the dock.
There wasn`t no more lieutenant that day. That was it for his ass.
- They burn him for it? - The sergeant? Yeah, man.
They stuck his ass in the LBJ.
It`s too bad he didn`t get no medals or nothin`.
Fuckin` ARVN, man.
They should have killed the fuck.
Should have given the fucker a Silver Star.
Bummer for the gook though, ain`t it?
Good morning, Vietnam.
I`m Army Specialist Zack Johnson on AMVN.
It`s about 82 degrees in downtown Saigon right now, also very humid.
We have an important message for all GI`s...
who are living off base from the mayor of Saigon.
He` d like you to hang your laundry up indoors...
instead of on the windowsills.
The mayor wants you to keep Saigon beautiful.
Now here`s another blast from the past going out to Big Sam...
who`s all alone out there with the 1 st Battalion, 35th Infantry...
and dedicated by the fire team to their groovy CO.
-The Rolling Stones, ''Satisfaction. `' -All right!
Watch out, Clean!
Get down, bubba!
I can`t get no
Satisfaction
Hang on, Lance!
I can`t get no
Satisfaction
`Cause I try and I try
- Get down, bubba! -And I try and I try
I can`t get no
Yeah!
When I`m drivin` in my car
-And the man comes on the radio - Tell `em you did it, Lance.
He`s tellin`me more and more
- I see you is right on target. -About useless information
- Work out! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! - All right!
Look out, Lance!
That`s what I say
''Commitment and Counterinsurgency...
by Col. Walter E. Kurtz.
As long as our officers and troops perform...
tours of duty limited to one year...
they will remain dilettantes in war and tourists in Vietnam.
As long as cold beer, hot food, rock and roll...
and all the other amenities remain the expected norm...
our conduct of the war will gain only impotence.
We need fewer men, and better.
If they were committed, this war could be won...
with a fourth of our present force. `'
Shit. Chicken time.
You ain`t shittin`, bro. They`re motherfuckin`.
Who is that?
Is that you, Lazzaro?
Don`t chicken out.
Lazzaro!
Come on!
- Fire on the canopy! - I got it! Get outta there!
Yeah! I got it! I got it! I got it!
Lance, get down!
Put that fucker out, man!
What the fuck they think they`re doin`?
Late summer, autumn 1 968.
Kurtz`s patrols in the highlands coming under frequent ambush.
The camp started falling apart.
November.
Kurtz orders assassination of three Vietnamese men and one woman.
Two of the men were colonels in the South Vietnamese army.
Enemy activity in his old sector dropped off to nothing.
Guess he must have hit the right four people.
Hejoined the Special Forces. After that his--
The army tried one last time to bring him back into the fold.
- methods-- - If he` d pulled over...
- it all would have been forgotten. - unsound.
But he kept going.
- Now he`s crossed into Cambodia-- - He kept winning it his way.
- with this Montagnard army of his-- - And they called me in.
Man like a god and follow every order, however ridiculous.
They lost him.
He was gone.
Nothing but rumors and random intelligence...
mostly from captured VC.
The VC knew his name by now, and they were scared of him.
He and his men were playing hit-and-run...
all the way into Cambodia.
I know what I`m doin`.
I`m goin` to the White House to have dinner...
with the president of the United States.
That`s where I`m goin`.
Hey, Chef, put the cover on that.
Clean.
How long has that kid been on this boat?
Seven months.
He`s really specializing in busting my balls.
Very possible, Captain, he thinks the same of you.
-Oh, yeah? What do you think, Chief? -I don`t think.
My orders say I`m not supposed to know where I`m taking this boat...
so I don`t!
But one look at you, and I know it`s gonna be hot, wherever it is.
We`re going upriver about 7 5 clicks above the Do Lung Bridge.
- That`s Cambodia, Captain. - That`s classified.
We`re not supposed to be in Cambodia, but that`s where I`m going.
You just get me close to my destination...
and I`ll cut you and the crew loose.
All right, Captain.
''Dear Son...
I`m afraid that both you and your mother will have been worried...
at not hearing from me during the past weeks...
but my situation here has become a difficult one.
I have been officially accused of murder by the army.
The alleged victims were four Vietnamese double agents.
We spent months uncovering them and accumulating evidence.
When absolute proof was completed, we acted-- we acted like soldiers.
The charges are unjustified.
They are, in fact, and in the circumstances of this conflict...
quite completely insane.
In a war, there are many moments for compassion and tender action.
There are many moments for ruthless action--
what is often called ruthless...
but may in many circumstances be only clarity--
seeing clearly what there is to be done and doing it--`'
- Medevac, come in. - ''directly--
- quickly, awake. `' - Alpha, Tango, Tango, Echo, Tango, Alpha.
- ''Looking at it. `' - Request dust-off.
Three, maybe four KIA `s. Over.
''I trust you to tell your mother what you choose about this letter.
As for the charges against me, I am unconcerned. `'
Medevac, come in.
''I am beyond their timid, lying morality, and so I am beyond caring. `'
Medevac, do you read? Over.
''You have all my faith. Your loving father. `'
Jesus.
No wonder I couldn`t get `em on the radio.
What a dump.
- Hi there! - How ya doin`?
Wow. That`s a nice little boat you got there.
Never seen one up here before.
We called in a request for Medevac. You receive it?
Medevac? No.
We passed a downed Huey with some KIA`s.
- On your way here? - Yeah.
- You goin` up this river? - Way up.
- Way upriver? Forget it. - Why?
We want to send some people downriver.
-Just forget it. - What the fuck was that?
- We`ll be back in a couple of days. - Yeah, right, you`ll be back.
- Chief? - Yeah, Captain?
Why don`t you see what you can do with that engine?
- I`m gonna look around. - All right.
Hey, don`t leave without me.
Hey, soldier, where`s your CO?
Don`t ask me, man.
Give my clothes back, you asshole!
Asshole!
Hey, guys, where`s the CO?
He stepped on a land mine about two months ago. He got blown to hell.
- Who`s in charge here? - Charge?
I don`t know, man. I`m just the night man.
Just do what I`m told. Shit. I`m just a working girl.
What about you, fella?
Hey, Lance, man, I`m telling you it`s gonna jam. You mark my words.
- Keep it in that condition-- - Get off my back!
- No, man, I`m telling you-- - Lay off!
Hey! Hey! Come here!
Is that your boat? Come on inside.
What do you want?
Come on inside. I want to talk to you. Come on!
Get out of the rain.
Get off me!
Come on. Cut this shit. Hey, Chef. Hey, come on.
Hey, how ya doin`, Captain? I want you to meet some people.
- I got your ass. - Your ass is shit.
Chef, your ass is shit!
You`re a motherfucker, man.
Goddamn, my ear, you motherfucker!
- Get him off me, Chef. - You smart-ass.
Hey, guys.
I got you! I got your ass!
- You ain`t shit, Chef. - Hey, fellas.
- You pulled my fuckin`-- - Hey, guys.
I just made a deal with the people from Hau Phat.
I negotiated two barrels of fuel for a couple of hours with the bunnies.
Whoa. Whoa. Captain!
Hey! Hey! You shittin` me?
No, I`m not. Grab a couple of barrels and get up to that big tent.
Come on!
Captain.
You`re giving away our fuel for a playmate of the month?
Nope, playmate of the year, Chief.
Warm `em up, baby! Warm `em up!
Captain, we get in a fire fight and run out of fuel...
I want you to tell me how she was.
I made a deal for all of us, Chief. How about you?
- You got some mamas in there? - Some what?
Forget it, Captain. I`ll stay with the boat.
Hey, Captain! Give me a hand.
You know, I got a--
I got every one of your pictures.
I got the centerfold, the playmate`s review...
the playmate of the year runoff.
I even got the calendar.
Hey, oiseau. How come you got a bird?
I used to be the bird girl at Busch Gardens.
- Busch Gardens? - I used to train birds there.
You are--
- You are Miss December, aren`t you? - Miss May.
Is it coming?
- Miss December has black hair. - It`s over there.
He`s not one of my regular birds.
Come on. Come on, baby. Snack? Snatch a crack. Come here.
Being playmate of the year...
is the loneliest experience I can imagine.
It`s like-- You try to express...
your feelings to someone and show them your heart--
Yeah, I want to hear about your bird act.
I`d love to hear about your bird act.
But would you mind just puttin` this--
Would you just mind putting this black wig on for me, please?
And there`s this glass wall between you--
this invisible glass.
They can see your mouth moving.
I used to train birds for at least two years--
- That`s beautiful. - at Busch Gardens.
This was cascading over your right shoulder. This was open here.
But they can`t hear what you`re saying.
I used to train them to stand on their head and ride a bicycle--
Your right hand was--
Hey, Chef!
- Get outta here, man! - Come on!
- Does he want to talk to you? - Later. Give me 1 5 minutes.
You can never really make them hear what you`re trying to say.
You okay with kind of bending? That`s it.
Your ass was sticking out just a little-- Hey, man, fuck off!
Fifteen minutes!
That`s why I tried so desperately...
to show somebody that I had some talent.
Little baby macaws.
- Have you ever seen a baby macaw? - That`s kind of open there.
- They`re all blue-- - Take off, would you?
I got my rights, man!
They make you do things you don`t wanna do--
like, this picture here.
I started feeling repulsed with myself.
You were just kind of bending forward. Your ass kind of out a bit.
- I love training birds. - That`s it.
That`s it. That`s very-- That`s it. Voila.
You`re beautiful. I just want to--
You know, I can`t believe it.
Me,J. Hicks. I can`t believe I`m really here.
Maybe I`m unfit to have a relationship...
with a beautiful, innocent boy.
Just think, if it hadn`t been for the Vietnam War...
I never would have met you, Miss December.
Miss May.
I wish-- I wish I could find...
just one person...
that could share my point of view.
Oh, you kiss like a bird!
Oh, God! Kiss me! Kiss me!
Who is that?
- You`re drivin` me crazy! Kiss me! - I love birds!
You finished yet?
Oh! Fuck!
Like a bird! Take me like a bird!
Fly, baby! Cock it to me!
- Fly! - I can fly like an eagle!
- Fly like an eagle! - It drives me crazy!
It drives me crazy!
Lance, that was somebody`s son.
Lance, there were things that they made me do...
that I didn`t want to do.
They said, ''Pull the ribbons between your legs.``
I didn`t want to do it.
But they said that was what was expected of me...
that that`s what people wanted to see.
- Who are you? - Well, I`m next, ma`am.
Ha, ha! Hell, I didn`t know it was a cherry.
-Didn`t know you never got no pussy. -Shove it, fuckup.
Sorry about that. If I`d have known, I`d take you to New Orleans.
- Man, fuck you. - Introduce you to--
- Lay off, Chef. - Cherry boy, cherry boy.
You`re a fuckin` dog!
Come to New Orleans. I`ll get you fixed up, ya prick.
Lay off, Chef.
You`re the only fuckin` prick I see around here.
If I wanna play with a prick, I`ll play with my own.
Lay off!
What are you gonna do with it, cherry boy?
Chef, I said lay off!
Chef, knock it off! Give him a break! What do you think I said?
Then give your jaws a rest!
This ain`t the army. You are a sailor!
So get out of that frizzly army-looking shirt...
and stop smoking that dope!
You hear me?
Lance, what`s with all the green paint?
- Camouflage. - How`s that?
So they can`t see ya. They`re everywhere, Chief.
I want you to stay awake up there, man. You got a job to do.
Sampan off the port bow. Sampan off the port bow.
Let`s take a look. Lance.
Bring them in. Clean, on the 60. Chef, get a 1 6.