Recently Watched "Catch 22" and "Apocalypse Now"

Both excellent movies, but what was striking about how both portrayed not simply the madness of war, but how both portray war as some sort of weird business conspiracy.

In "Catch 22", Milo Minderbender controlled this vast business "syndicate" that reached beyond the two side of the conflict, trading with the Germans, etc

In "Apocalypse Now", the war is shown as a mad, chaotic enterprise, where Colonel Kurtz made the mistake of being too honest and efficient (and then goes rogue and "insane"). Then when Captain Willard is sent to terminate Kurtz, Kurtz makes the analogy of Willard not being an assassin but rather "just an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks, to collect a bill."

Both moves incidentally, have clear 33's.

In "Catch 22", it is towards the end, but fairly blatant-- when Yossarian goes to the whorehouse, to tell Nately's prostitute that Nately had died, he is told go to room 33.

In "Apocalypse Now", Coppola gets it out of the way very early-- in the first scene with Sheen in the hotel room, a bottle of beer is show with a large "33" on the label.

Very fitting that both these movies, that touch upon some truths of the PTB, have clear 33s.

Of course, never forget -- "war is a racket".