Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

When people usually think about the filmmakers of New Hollywood, the first name that comes to mind certainly isn't John Milius. The most commonly remembered names of that period are "The Big Four:" Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola, and Scorsese. Even Brian De Palma may come to mind. But almost nobody thinks of Milius. Which is a shame, because he seems to be one helluva talent.This documentary covers most aspects of John Milius's life from his childhood to his stroke and continuing recovery (at that time). His whole career from his writing efforts to his few directorial projects have quite a bit of focus as well. He is probably best known as one of the screenwriters for Apocalypse Now, for which he got an Oscar nomination. Some may not even realize that he helped come up with dialogue like Dirty Harry's "'Do I feel lucky'" speech, or the Indianapolis monologue in Jaws. To know that he did both is bound to increase one's respect for his talent. What makes this documentary even more fun is that it feels like quite the party with all sorts of directors who knew him and were inspired by him participating, as well as many famous actors. I mean, you have guys like Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Arnie, Stallone, and Harrison Ford all giving their thoughts on the man. And I'm just getting warmed up. You hardly ever see this much major talent participating in a documentary like this. It makes you feel like you're a new friend to all these guys and by the end, you really feel like their buddy.Prior to this documentary, I've only seen one Milius film: Conan the Barbarian (1982), and it's a film I've loved more over time. Now that I've seen this documentary, I want to seek out more of his work, since he has specialized in big budget epics and one of the most common things that the interviewees in this documentary have cited him for is the way he writes dialogue. Knowing now about his efforts on Dirty Harry and Jaws, as well as Apocalypse Now, I believe it. Milius may not have a personality that is comfortable with everyone: George Lucas remembers a story of how Milius punched his film professor, he's been accused of being right-wing in a system that veers more towards the left, he's pro-war, and he seemed to love pushing people's buttons, but the more you understand Milius, the more you respect him. I may not agree with everything he believes in, but I won't deny what he's contributed to the film industry.Before Milius suffered his stroke, he was working on a movie based on the life of Genghis Khan. However, it's been a while and the project doesn't seem to be reaching the daylight. Given how much work he put into Conan, a similar film, I hope that he can still make the film, given how much he seems to believe in it. You can do it, John. I know you can.

This documentary is about a Hollywood legend who deliberately cultured an anarchistic and ultra-macho persona—one that irritated the life out of many of the politically correct in Hollywood. However, for some time, the film industry had to put up with John Milius' strangeness because the man was extremely successful. With films like "Dirty Harry", "Magnum Force", "The Wind and the Lion" and "Apocalypse Now" to his writing credits, he was greatly in demand and was friends with the biggest names in Hollywood—like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. However, in recent years, Milius' output on the screen has dropped considerably and the prestige of his projects has dropped. And, in the last few years, his output has dropped to nothing. What happened? What led to this fall?The film begins with a very brief discussion of Milius' childhood but spends most of the early part of the film talking about his time in film school—where he attended classes with the two men mentioned above as well as a few other future filmmakers. It then proceeds to discuss his projects chronologically—and pays special attention to his most successful and critically acclaimed pictures. Additionally, I noticed that Milius' IMDb credits actually are missing much of his work, as he was apparently the go-to man when producers needed re-writes or wanted to punch up scenes—such as when he contributed some dialog for the films "Jaws" and "The Hunt for Red October". His track record during this time was pretty amazing. But as I mentioned above, there was a fall—but I really don't want to say more, as it would spoil the film.The best thing going for this film is how much many ultra-famous people love and respect Milius. Because of this, TONS of exceptionally big names contribute to the film—such as Clint Eastwood, Sam Elliott, Oliver Stone (who didn't seem to like him but respected his abilities), Francis Ford Coppola, Richard Dreyfus, Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many, many more. Even a bad documentary would be great and well worth seeing with these folks appearing in it!! And, fortunately, this is NOT a bad film at all. It is a loving portrait of a strange and deliberately out of sync man. Think about it—in the bastion of liberal thinking, Hollywood, Milius was serving as an officer for the NRA and would carry guns about him to meetings with studio execs!! I admire someone who deliberately tweaks the noses of those around them, as provocateurs make like a lot more interesting!Additionally, the film is well-constructed, filled with wonderful clips and archival footage, is fascinating and you cannot help but gain an appreciation for this very odd man. Well worth seeing—especially for anyone who wants to be somebody in the film business.

"Milius" admirably susses out the life and essence of director, writer and movie maven John Milius, and does so without resorting to hagiography or caricature. Milius the man and the notion put the hook in me, to use his own expression, with his script for "Apocalypse Now" from 1979. He is a master of the outsize soliloquy that is relevant, indelible, written in urgent flaming large font, and always delivered with a sub rosa wink and nod. Milius in life is as bombastic, vexing and complex as his characters, and labels, slogans, and cliché cannot describe him. The filmmakers here do an exceptional job of getting past hype and drama to really figure out what makes Milius tick (or tock, as the case often is). One wishes Coppola in this film were more forthcoming with what must surely be deep insights into Milius he possesses, but aside from this dry spot, "Milius" is a nicely-woven film and warrants a watch.

I just caught this on cable yesterday,I had seen the trailer last year and jumped at the chance to watch the movie,and I was not disappointed. I saw Conan in '82 and it just blew me away,I was 18 but I knew I was watching something different,this was not the usual fare,there was a philosophy present,it was wonderful. Back then info on writers and filmmakers was tougher to find but eventually I found out about Apocalypse Now which I had seen 3 years earlier,Jaws and Dirty Harry,all done by he same guy,I was a fan but didn't even know it! The movie covers his whole career,his friends like Lucas and Spielberg deliver very insightful interviews which endear me to the man even more,despite him holding many political views the very opposite of mine. But it is his towering talent,his passion and integrity which really shine through,the filmmakers did a fantastic job of getting to the heart of the man,and I found it truly inspiring and eventually moving. I cannot recommend the movie highly enough,anyone with a love of cinema owes it to themselves to seek this flick out,it's really one of the best I have ever seen on a film maker,full of life,passion and fire,just like Milius himself.