Thanks for raping my first experience of the movie.

That wasn't a spoiler so don't worry... Or was it?

DUN DUN DUN

It was a joke--one in very bad taste, but a joke nonetheless; nothing has been spoiled.

It was my sixth sense of humor.Hope you see the film,its a good one :)

Taxi Driver first, two disc Apocalypse Now later.

If you smoke weed buy Ap. Now, it's the perfect movie for that.
And if they are able to get a good dvd with sound ,because this movie does have excellent sound at lest it did on laserdisc and I think it won an Oscar for sound.

Apocalypse Now starts getting weird after Kilgore, but then again Coppola said "my movie isn't about Vietnam, it IS Vietnam". Definitely the best nam movie.

I just ordered Apocalypse Now Redux, but only because recommendations were pretty much even, I couldn't find the theatrical version, and Apocalypse Now Redux cost half the price of Taxi Driver Collector's Edition so I was also able to pick up Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as well

I hated the Redux. :(

Redux is a step down from the original, the pacing is wiped out in the unecessary cut from Kilgore's iconic napalm speech to comical surf board stealing, and then the French plantation seemed like a different movie all together.

Yeah the Redux sucked some of the life out of it.

Taxi Driver is the better film.

Only now, after I've made the order, do any people speak out who'd not recommend it. I guess I'll just take a look and decide for myself, Redux got a score of 90 at metacritic.

...

Couldn't find the theatrical version. I'm in a region 4 country, remember. I think the Redux is the only version of the film currently in print.

your tastes seem more inline with TD

The theatrical version of Apocalyse Now and Taxi Driver are both essential, but I would give the edge to Taxi Driver.

Well not that it matters anymore (and I haven't seen the Redux) but Taxi Driver is a great film. Apocalypse Now is an experience. It's my second favorite film behind The Godfather. Hopefully your enjoyment of the movie will be the same.

I would not make the "Redux" version of AN your first experience with the movie. It is a step-down, overlong, and the pacing is thrown off. The extra scenes are interesting for the viewer already familiar with the movie, but they would've been better in a "deleted scenes" part of a DVD. Not spliced back into the original with no option for seeing the first cut. There's a double-dip coming of the original. You've gone your whole life without seeing AN -- what's a few more months.

TD looks to be the best choice for you -- it currently has a good relatively cheap DVD edition. If you have access (or know someone with access) to Mark Cuban's HDNet family of channels, it's been getting airtime in beautiful HD transfer.

Thanks, but I live in New Zealand. Taxi Driver CE is currently US$24.76, Where Apocalypse Now Redux was only US$12.37, so since at the time I ordered both were equally recommended I went for the cheaper option and was able to purchase another DVD alongside Apocalypse Now.

Let's be fair--if he hates AN: Redux, chances are pretty good he wouldn't have cared for the theatrrical version much either.

There's only one "1st time experience" and with a movie like Apocalypse Now you do not want to ruin it, just like from one of those redux scenes "it's gonna ruin it! the waves!" hold off that cheapo redux dvd, at least rent the original if you really can't wait to watch it, and then buy the release a few months from now.

I just sat through my first 194 minute viewing of Apocalypse Now Redux and I absolutely loved it. I had never seen the theatrical cut so Redux was my first experience of the picture. It was funny (Lt. Kilgore, and the american photographer in the end, Chef, etc) and terrifying at once. Absolutely beautiful cinematography too -- one of the best video transfers from a film of around that time (mid-late 70's) I've seen.

I'm proud of you; don't listen to the naysayers--REDUX has plenty of virtues, and you may find that REDUX's evocative sense of "travelling back in time" the further down the river Martin Sheen goes is diluted in the theatrical cut.