De Niro and Walken at their best

Rating: Null/10 (31 March 2003)

Robert De Niro is amazingly convincing as a factory worker, turned war hero. Michael (De Niro), Nick (Walken) and their friend Steve are drafted into the army and sent to Vietnam. All three men are captured and forced to play Russian roulette against each other. While Nick and Steve are finding it hard to deal with the reality of the situation they find themselves in, Michael realizes that they must escape or they will die. The men escape largely thanks to De Niro, and eventually make it back to their lines. The story then follows the three men in the aftermath of the war, through De Niro's eyes. A brilliant performance from Christopher Walken, for which he won an Oscar for best supporting actor, and yet another fine performance by De Niro, showing that he can play any role the scriptwriters throw at him. This is not just a war film, it covers a lot of other issues and keeps you watching for over three hours. A must see for De Niro fans.