Long but Powerful

Rating: 9/10 (15 May 2008)

Rather than focusing the entire film on the Vietnam War, Michael Cimino chose to emphasize character evolution and the aftermath of war on a small blue-collar Pennsylvania town. This not only removes The Deer Hunter from the war movie category but makes it so much more. While the first third of the film is long and parts can be cut (say what you will but the marriage scene could have been slimmed down and the scene when the guys kept on driving off without John (George Dzundza) was almost unnecessary) this is an excellent film that continues to shine more than twenty-five years later. The talent in this film is immeasurable with an all-star cast including Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, and John Cazale. While everyone at home goes about their everyday lives, Michael (Robert DeNiro), Nick (Christopher Walken), and Steven (John Savage) go through a war that shatters their enthusiasm. The war continues to ravage their lives even after they are done fighting: Michael can no longer hunt, Nick's mind is broken as he sits playing Russian roulette in Saigon, and Steven is paralyzed. Meryl Streep deserves accolades for this film as well as she plays the woman torn between Michael and Nick. Her character demonstrates war's power in affecting those who stayed at home. Unlike so many films that romanticize wars as honorable and good vs. evil, The Deer Hunter shows that war is a hell that follows you home. The last scene in Saigon will catch you by surprise every time you watch it.