With one shot, The Deer Hunter teaches us so much.

Rating: Null/10 (16 March 2003)

As an animal lover and a vegetarian, I didn't know if I would be able to sit through this movie. However, this gamble proved good - The Deer Hunter is one of the best films ever made. Without being anti-veteran, the film manages to depict the savage, dehumanizing nature of combat. A buddy film, the story of a close-knit group of friends is not unusual on the surface. What helps to set this film apart from most other war films is the parts of the film that aren't set in the conflict. This is not a constant parade of special effects and macho stereotypes. The men in this film are real - they could be your brother, uncle, cousin, boyfriend. By seeing the boys before and after the war as they try - and sometimes fail - to reconnect themselves into society is extremely touching. I've seen this movie dozen of times, and still need a box of tissues every time. Additionally, the devastation of their friends and families at the loss of their old friends as they once knew them really brings it all together. An extremely beautiful movie - it should be required viewing in American schools.