5. Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now remains the definitive Vietnam movie (er, sorry about that Tropic Thunder), and this now iconic scene featuring Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore deploying those choppers to destroy a nearby beach village is why.
Directed masterfully by Francis Ford Coppola, things behind the scenes may have been a mess, but it was all worth it for this unforgettable sequence. With Richard Wagner’s immortal “Ride of the Valkyries” playing in the background, this action-packed scene which has been parodied or referenced countless times since, but nothing tops the original.
As the Lt. Colonel directs the action, he simultaneously weighs up how good a spot this will be for surfing, ending things with that iconic line about napalm.
