One to Actually See To Be Intrigued

Rating: 9/10 (18 February 2013)

.In order for you to fully understand the concepts of "The Deer Hunter", you have to watch it carefully to get the feel of the movie. May I remind you before I continue my review, this movie is a three hour epic. So with that that in mind those who have short attention spans, it's never too late to turn away now, but if those who can sit through the slow, progressive pace with patience and perseverance, this is truly a treasured movie for the ages. Back in the late 1970's there have been an influx of epic movies that went past the three hour mark. Even though the movie caters to a general audience, it's really not custom-made for everyone to enjoy. It has a cornucopia of genres thrown into the story like romance, drama, mystery, horror and most of all the triumphs and turmoil of the Vietnam War that was still haunting the United States even though the war ended three years before "The Deer Hunter" was released. Sure the facets of the film was centred around the concept of friendship, it also gave an insight of the Vietnam War and the physical and mental harm it affected the soldiers who fought in this war.
The images captured in "The Deer Hunter" was extremely believable. There is no Hollywood concocting or glorifying the dreadful events of the Vietnam War and it doesn't have any artistic merit to the movie though the cinematography is quite sublime. The story often balances of congruency and at the same time it's off its kilter. The characters' development are not entirely coherent as there's little background provided for them and the psychological aspects are not very fulfilling either. What it does have is strong connections to the relationship of the characters which is based on friendship as each deserve our sympathy after what they've experienced during the Vietnam War. There's a lot of shock-value in the story and of course the one that sticks out is the infamous Russian Roulette scenario which was real and quite memorable in a not so good way.
Robert DeNiro plays the leading role as Michael Vronsky, an introverted individual who only speaks if there's something that needs to be said and is smitten by a young lady named Linda (played by a young Meryl Streep). Linda plans on marrying Nick (Christopher Walken), who's friends with Mike while their other friend Steven (John Savage) and his new wife Angela (Rutanya Alda). The triad celebrate their enlisting into the Vietnam War. Meanwhile three other friends named Axel (Chuck Aspegren), Stanley (John Cazale) and John (George Dzundza) request to stay behind in the semi-condemned small town of Clairton, Pennsylvania as they anticipate their return. The alliance have quite a few similarities to one another. They all work in steel factory, they enjoy the sport of deer hunting and they all love a harmonious drink of beer. Again director Michael Cimino focuses on the realism of the settings and the characters. There are times when the movie has a few scenes where little action happens and are not in sync with the plot, but as long as they keep it real, is what makes it all the more settling.
And just like you would expect on the effects of people who fought during the Vietnam War, psychological scarring takes place and the bonding of friendship begins to falter. The good moments are lost in the carnage as the friends try to rectify what was once the balance that brought them together. Michael is the balance of the scale as he tries to piece together the foundation of the three friends, but he could only do so much even though he deserves an "A" for effort. And the more he tries to be the peacemaker of the triad, the more frustrated he becomes as he can find no way to mend this once strong friendship that has now crumbled. Nick has become a shell of his former self as he's now become a prisoner of war for all to see. Steven is now a cripple and is now institutionalized by his wife. In the meantime, Linda has become a lost soul and just wants to be with a man to seek comfort with. The emotions are sad but they play off very gratifying.
In all due sincerity, "The Deer Hunter" is anything but entertaining. You must be in a certain position of mind when to look for the engaging scenes and which scenes to fast-forward to. If you're like me who liked the movie, please watch again for stuff you may have missed. And for those who can't sit through a three hour epic (nothing bad not everybody can) then maybe this is not the movie for you. There's a lot of gripping stuff that demands our viewing.