Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film Apocalypse Now supports a disparaging perspective on the state of war and its corrupting influence. Set in Saigon during the Vietnam War, the action and narrative present the post-World War II era as a morally confused, hypocritical and corrupt period, especially as the film's antagonist, Colonel Kurtz, illuminates the moral subjectivity and embodies the nihilistic and self-centered nature of war.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayCorruption is expressed through Benjamin Willard's mission metaphor, which acts as a transformative quality for the characters; especially as his crew reverts to escapism and facades to escape their own guilt and ignorance, expressed through the symbolism of the masks. This film exposes the apparent hypocrisy of American democracy, as the war against communism is an attack on their fundamental value of free speech, with paranoia and self-centeredness at the heart of the superficial perspective of America. While current systems of governance remain narcissistic in scope and the tension between communism and capitalism in general remains high, Coppola's Apocalypse Now will maintain its relevance in a world skewed by human vices. however amplified by modern warfare and the conflict between capitalism and communism. This is expressed hyperbolically through the characterization of Kurtz, whose amoral and nihilistic perspective is misguided by the sheer madness of war, whose "horror and moral terror [must be] your friends." If they are not, then they are enemies to be feared,” which will inherently alter all those affected. Portrayed as divine and omniscient, his state of extreme pessimism and forced ignorance expresses the confined aspects of conflict and duty, and how to respond to them. The line results in dehumanization and escapism, as Willard signifies in the following: "I felt like he was up there, waiting for me to take away the pain." This is further expressed through the metaphor of Willard's mission, in which the film's rising action is expressed through its journey toward the fundamental barbarism of the humanities and the role of masks as a symbolic crutch to destroy the machinations past morals, as in the exposition, he punches his reflection in the mirror and, at the climax, wears mud to illustrate his character's transformation. in Kurtz; take part in "ruthless action" and "end with extreme prejudice" as ordered. The psychological ramifications of this result in the mental deterioration of the crew, in which they similarly create a facade after reaching a "breaking point", usually with face paint, and return to drugs rather than 'to Kurtz's total immorality to escape their reality, especially since Chef "doesn't care where (his soul) goes until it's there." Clearly, the characters have been corrupted by their experiences and by the Machiavellian nature of morality (so to speak) in wartime. So, real corruption manifests itself through the hypocritical moves of Americans and their allies during the Vietnam War, such as American troops. are shown shooting uselessly at will, with complete separation of their actions; highlighting a state of dehumanization and subjective ethics. This is expressed through the following: “…a hill was bombed, for 12 hours…We found none, not a single stinking body. The smell, you know, that smell.’