Craven's Assignment: Why Michael Returns

Rating: 8/10 (12 June 2011)

It's late in Act One of Michael Cimino's "The Deer Hunter" that Robert De Niro's Michael runs drunk and naked through the small town of Clairton to escape the crowd that has gathered for his friend Steven's wedding reception. Michael's longtime best friend and coworker, Nick (Christopher Walken), follows him on his run and covers Michael in a towel after he slows down. The two begin to talk about their futures, and their impending trips to Vietnam. It's here that Nick begs Michael that, no matter what happens, Michael not leave him over there. Nick's request weighs heavily on Michael in the film's final act.
There are a variety of reasons why Michael returned to Vietnam in pursuit of Nick, but most of it can be chalked up to guilt. Guilt because Michael wasn't able to stay with Nick during the helicopter rescue. Guilt that Michael couldn't reconnect with Nick after the two show up at the roulette den in the red-light district. Guilt that Michael has always secretly envied Nick's long time love interest. And most importantly, guilt that Michael has failed to stay true to his promise.
When Michael returns to America at the beginning of Act 3, this guilt is constantly haunting him. He is withdrawn and disconnected, his body in Pennsylvania, and his heart in Vietnam, so to speak. When he discovers that Nick is still alive, he pounces on the opportunity to redeem himself, only for his whole plan to fall apart again, leaving him to return home with guilt that will likely plague him until death.