Richard Slotkin’s “Unit Pride: Ethnic Platoons and the Myths of American Nationality” examines the typical ethnic makeup of military platoons in war movies and explains how this archetype has changed over time.  Starting with Bataan (1943), most film platoons have been remarkably diverse, featuring members of every race fighting together as one to defeat America’s adversary.  In a way, the platoon became a microcosm of America, a tiny melting pot in which racial and cultural divisions slipped away and all that was left was a group of men fighting together for their country.

            Even though this convention has never stopped, it has evolved over time.  For example, Kurtz in Apocalypse Now presents an alternative way to unite American soldiers through viewing the enemy as a single group of brutes.  The madness of Kurtz and his desire to “exterminate the savages” is simply an extension of the traditional film paradigm.  By distinguishing himself and the rest of his American soldiers from the Vietnamese, he creates a strong sense of national identity, albeit a warped one.

            Apocalypse Now is also unique in that, while it celebrates the unity of the American people, it makes a clear division between those people and the government that they serve.  The superior officers, closer to the inner workings of the government, are crazed.  Kurtz has established a rogue military base in the jungle and Kilgore wants to go surfing amid artillery fire.  The American government is criticized for sending men ill-equipped for the mental and physical challenges of war.

            Although Apocalypse Now is critical of American involvement in Vietnam, it still represents a united platoon of soldiers fighting against powerful and evil antagonists; not only the Vietnamese but the American government as well.