Tedious

Rating: 5/10 (4 April 2012)

Another mistake by the voters of the Academy Awards, The Deer Hunter won best picture for the one hit wonder, director Michael Cimino. It begins with three Pennsylvania steel workers before their adventures in Vietnam. A wedding scene drags on and on to the point of exhaustion ; we get it Mikey, these are regular middle class people celebrating a marriage, learn how to edit.
After the wedding of the century, the boys are at war with its usual atrocities and mayhem all around. The three amigos from Pa are captured by the Vietcong and placed in a prisoner of war camp. The evil guards are bored, so they force the American soldiers to play Russian roulette for gambling and entertainment purposes.
A cage immersed in water is used to further punish the invaders who finally escape their captors tower up a return to domestic bliss.
The third act of a three hour plus marathon, has the boys returning to the USA and the after effects of the horrible experiences of combat. A hunting trip with symbolism and the meaning of life and death is beyond ridiculous. The Deer Hunter is a long and pretentious bore.