Cast and Crew:   Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, Dennis Hopper, Scott Glen, Colleen Camp, R. Lee Emery

What It’s About: Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) journeys deep into Vietnam to “sanction” renegade special forces Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando).  Along the way he will encounter all the madness of the conflict.

Why Watch it Today?: The last U.S. forces left Vietnam today in 1973, ending United States involvement in the conflict. Writer/Director Francis Ford Coppola and writer John Milius loosely adapted Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness to Vietnam, creating a surreal and gripping look at the war, and conflict and colonialism in general.

Other Choices: The Green Slime might sound odd, but the film is often considered to be a Vietnam allegory.