Audio problem: As Chef says to Clean, "Should've given the f***er a silver star" after hearing his story about a Vietnamese lieutenant his vocal track cuts out for a few seconds then comes back. (01:13:45)
Audio problem: Clean listens to his transistor radio as the DJ says, "Â…and we have an important message for GI's who are living off base from the Mayor of Saigon". The volume that we hear stays the same but watch his thumb on the left of the radio as he turns the volume knob up. (01:14:05)
Audio problem: When they first spot Lazaro's boat Clean says, "Chicken time" followed by some other choice hyperbole. He says more that has been edited out. (01:16:00)
Audio problem: On the boat while reading Kurtz' file Captain Willard narrates to himself, "dear son, I am afraid that both you and your mother well have been worried at not hearing from me during the past weeks, but my situation here has become a difficult one". At this point they show the actual letter that he's reading from and the text of the letter is not the same as what we are hearing. (01:20:40)
Audio problem: On the boat while reading Kurtz' file Captain Willard says to himself, "The charges are unjustified, they are in fact and in the circumstances of this conflict, quite completely insane". In this shot they show the Captain reading the letter to himself but looking at his lips the words he is mouthing do not go along with what he's narrating. (01:21:20)
Audio problem: When Clean says that great line, "Well I'm next ma'am," to the Playboy bunny, he also says something else that was edited out. (01:32:50)
Audio problem: As they approach the Do Lung Bridge Lance tells Chef that he dropped a tub of acid and Chef says, "far out " but if you look at his lips he's not saying anything at all. (01:40:50)
Audio problem: When the natives start shooting arrows at the boat, Chief is imploring his crew to "fire...fire...FIRE.". Then if you listen to the scenes at Do Lung Bridge, they have reused the sound of this battle as a background sound. Its just after Willard says he needs some information, and to pick him up on the other side of the bridge. It's very clear on the Apocalypse Now (2 CD version) soundtrack, track 1 at 3:06. (01:42:14)
Audio problem: As Willard, Lance and Chef are approaching Kurtz's compound, Lance is playing come creepy sounds with 2 tin cans and a drumstick. The sounds do not match the number of times that he hits the cans nor coincide with when he hits them. (01:45:40)
Audio problem: After leaving the Do Lung Bridge Chef hands out the mail to Clean who says, "Is that it?" If you look closely at Clean's lips he also says, "Thanks," which was edited out. (01:49:30)
Audio problem: On the French plantation dock Lance picks up what looks like the sole of an old shoe and smells it. If you look closely you hear a sniffing sound that isn't in sync with the movement of his chest because he doesn't really inhale while that horrible thing is near his nose. (01:57:05)
Audio problem: On the French plantation dock, Lance picks up what looks like the sole of an old shoe and smells it while Chief Phillips yells, "Lance, cover the captain". Look closely at Chef's lips, for the next ten seconds he's talking but we don't hear anything. (01:57:10)
Audio problem: On the French plantation dock Captain Willard walks over towards the Frenchman and they do an excellent job of overdubbing the sound of his helmet strap each time it hits his chest. Two shots later they don't put in the sound as the helmet strap hit's against his chest several more times. (01:58:00)
Audio problem: As they lie there in bed Roxanne says, "you are alive captain" and you can only see the side of her face. Her jaw is not moving and if you look closely at her face, all she's doing is returning the captain's smile, not talking. (02:18:10)
Audio problem: After Captain Willard says, "They're just little sticks. They're just trying to scare us", Chief Phillips has some prime words that he shouts at the captain which are edited out. (02:22:05)
Audio problem: Lance is singing while he's in the water with Chief Phillips' body and his lips do not match his vocalizing. (02:24:35)
Audio problem: Approaching Kurtz' compound Lance starts drumming on two tin cans and if you listen closely they get the overdub wrong. At first we hear two distinct pitches, which are the actual sounds, picked up by the microphone but the last time he hits it we hear a third higher pitch which was overdubbed. There are only two cans not three and he doesn't change the way he's holding them therefore you can only have a maximum of two audible pitches. (02:29:05)
Audio problem: When they first meet Captain Willard asks Dennis Hopper who he is and he answers with a question, "Who are you?". If you look at the Captain's lips he answers the question but it was edited out. (02:29:55)
Audio problem: As the natives grab Captain Willard, turn him over and drag him through the mud you hear many natives chanting. If you look closely at their mouths only one guy standing in the crowd to the right of the Captain is lip-syncing correctly. (02:36:50)
Audio problem: When Captain Willard meets him for the first time Colonel Kurtz is laying on a bed as the camera pans in. We hear Kurtz coughing but it's an overdub because his hands are on his chest and they don't move at all when he coughs or speaks. (02:37:50)
Chosen answer: Kurtz was protected by political connections and his military record from being relieved of command, and the Montagnard people whose village he was in were considered American allies, so they couldn't just send a force in to kill him or relieve him of command, but an individual assassin. (The US Government's "official" policy is that they do not engage in assassination, which is why "this mission does not exist, nor will it ever exist").
Captain Defenestrator