The Deer Hunter (1978)
1978
R
182 Minutes
A group of working-class friends decides to enlist in the Army during the Vietnam War and finds it to be hellish chaos -- not the noble venture they imagined. Before they left, Steven married his p...
User Review
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The Deer Hunter is like fine wine, the more it ages the sweeter it tastes. And boy has this aged incredibly well! 1978 and still utterly gripping and compelling. Is it a masterpiece? No. However to conceive something so bold, daring and powerful is a remarkable achievement. A group of work colleagues and friends from Pennsylvania have their lives irrevocably changed by the Vietnam war. The classic microcosm of portraying small lives to create a scale of grandeur. These steelworkers weren't just representing themselves, but also the idealisms of America at that time. It's a one-sided affair, whether you view that as a detriment is entirely up to you. It does not hinder what is being shown. This is all about the character development, their emotional and physical changes through all three acts. Establishing their close bonds in the first act, putting their survival skills to the test in the second and then dealing with the psychological wounds in the third act. It's the perfect structure. The first act is easily the weakest. Thirty minutes of a wedding ceremony where people are Cossack dancing to the Tetris theme tune feels pointless, could've easily established the friendships in ten minutes. Aside from that, I thought this was pretty darn excellent. Robert De Niro holds the entire film together. Christopher Walken explores his wide emotional range of acting, he was terrific. Even a young Meryl Streep was incredible. Michael Cimino's direction was exhilarating, particularly during the war scenes. Shots were extensive, he took his time with the story and the characters. Then we get to the Russian Roulette scenes. Wow. Never seen anything quite like it. I was on the edge of my seat. Such a simple premise to include in a war film which guarantees thrills and fear. The final roulette scene was gut-wrenching. Captors betting on their survival, it really conveys how chaotic Saigon and the rest of Vietnam became during the war. Descending into a hysterical nightmare. A 3 hour behemoth has never passed by so quickly. Close to perfection, but not quite.0 member like this review.
