Just like the film, this two-disc set of Francis Ford Coppola's classic is both rewarding and maddening, comprehensive yet incomplete. Of course, no DVD collection is complete without at least one version of the movie, and if nothing else, this set provides a great opportunity to grab "Apocalypse Now" & "Apocalypse Now Redux" at the same time, along with enough bonus features that make it worth replacing any previous DVD for. However, as anyone obsessed with the film will certainly attest to, without the inclusion of the brilliant documentary, "Hearts of Darkness," which chronicled the harrowing movie shoot, this "Dossier" is decidedly incomplete.

"Apocalypse Now" was always a flawed masterpiece. Of course, it's technically brilliant, and loaded with some of the greatest scenes ever committed to film, as well as some of the most perplexing and pretentious. The first two-thirds of the movie, chronicling Captain Willard's (Martin Sheen) journey down river to kill renegade megalomanic Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) is still one of the most fascinating descents into madness ever made, worth seeing over and over. And there's still no topping the massive helicopter attack on a Vietcong village led by Lt. Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), a scene both rousing and disturbing. But personally, I think the movie almost completely falls apart once Brando shows up, spouting ambiguously pompous gobbledegook like a beatnik hippie at a poetry reading. Having already seen the movie dozens of times, I often shut it off at that point. But that's just me. This collection includes both the original film and "Apocalypse Now Redux," released in 2001, featuring 49 minutes of additional scenes. I know some critics have hailed "Redux" as the definitive version of the movie, but in my humble opinion only, the additional scenes do little but make the film even more long-winded and pretentious. Still, it's cool having both cuts in one collection so viewers can formulate their own opinions. The only thing keeping this set from being the perfect (and complete) "Dossier" for fans is the fact "Hearts of Darkness" is not part of the package. The story behind "Apocalypse Now" is easily as fascinating as the movie itself (in fact, seeing "Hearts of Darkness" actually alters and enhances your appreciation of the movie). I think most die-hard movie geeks would gladly shell out the extra cash for a three disc set which included this great documentary.

While the overall image of the picture is outstanding, I have to give it a grade of B because neither version of the film is presented in their original aspect ratio. To the best of my knowledge, "Apocalypse Now" has never been presented on home video as it was originally shown in theaters. Near as I can tell, the aspect ratio is around 2:0, with slight cropping, for reasons I'm sure are important to the filmmakers. There's nothing wrong with the sound, though, rendered in crystal clear 5.1 Dolby Digital.

Despite the fact "Hearts of Darkness" isn't included, the extras included on both of these discs are comprehensive and fascinating, easily topping the decidedly pitiful extras on previous versions of the DVD. Best of all is Coppola's commentary on both films, which are entertaining, insightful and loaded with geek-level detail. Several interesting deleted scenes are also included, along with Brando's complete 17 minute reading of T.S Eliot's poem, "Hollow Men," multi-chapter post-production information, and features on the film's incredible sound design (for which it won an Oscar). "The 'Apocalypse Now' A/V Club" is a multi-part feature covers some technical aspects of the film, such as its use of 5.1 sound ("Apocalypse Now" was the first to use it), as well as an explanation (sort of) why the movie is presented its current aspect ratio; most of this section is text-oriented, technical and dry, but those interested in that kind of stuff will love it. "Apocalypse Then and Now" is another short feature which covers the release of both cuts of the film, along with details about the excruciatingly long editing process of the original cut. "PBR Streetgang" features some cast members during the 2001 release of "Redux," who talk about the film's production. "The Color Palette" features Coppola and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro discussing their efforts to restore the original cut and extra footage of "Redux."

Some may lament that this version of "Apocalypse Now" still doesn't feature the original aspect ratio, or include the definitive making-of documentary, "Hearts of Darkness," but this is still the best release of Coppola's classic to come along. For cinemaphiles, the extras alone probably make this worth replacing your old copies of either version for, especially since it includes one of the better director's commentaries I've heard lately. And if you still haven't included "Apocalypse Now" in your DVD collection, what the hell are you waiting for? Highly recommended.