In this study, the film Apocalypse Now is analyzed in terms of its ideological function and messages by using the textualist approach of screen theory. The film is examined as both a pro-war and anti-war film which reveals the U.S.’s ambivalence toward the Vietnam War both politically and cinematically. Although Apocalypse Now seems to oppose the war and is generally considered an anti-war film, the visual style of some scenes and certain discursive constructions of the film allow a pro-war reading. The film is analyzed especially in terms of its mythic structure, the subject positions it creates for the spectator, and the ideology of realism within it.