John Milius is a force of nature.
He wrote Apocalypse Now, Quint’s Indianapolis speech in Jaws, and Conan the Barbarian – and that’s just SOME of what he’s done in Hollywood. He directed and wrote Red Dawn, “punched up” dozens of movie’s screenplays (including Dirty Harry and The Hunt for Red October), inspired Spielberg and Lucas to aim higher… and he also inspired John Goodman’s character in The Big Lubowski.
He’s a master storyteller. He loves guns, cigars, and surfing… and right now he is recovering from a major stroke – one that took away his ability to speak.
Suffice it to say, someone with the kind of life John Milius has lived is someone who should have a documentary made about them… and thankfully, that documentary has been made. Milius tells the story of the man, through his own words and anecdotes from his friends and peers. It shows the highs and the lows, and touches upon how hard it is for a conservative like Milius to get work in left-leaning Hollywood.
The most inspiring segment is at the end, as we see Milius recover slowly from his stroke – and the movie ends with him finally able to return to the shooting range, triumphantly shooting down clay pigeon after clay pigeon.
Everyone who loves movies should watch this – it’s on Netflix streaming, and so you enjoy it from wherever you are. Hopefully Milius has a complete recovery, because a man with such a distinct voice should never