Uneven but often very impressive

Rating: 7/10 (4 July 2017)

Considering the cast, the critical acclaim and accolades 'The Deer Hunter' garnered, and still does garner, part of me was expecting much more. It is a long way from a bad film, in fact it's good and often very impressive, but it's also uneven in places.
'The Deer Hunter' is by some way director Michael Cimino's best film, and it contains his best ever directing. That's saying a good deal, considering that only a few years later he would go on to direct the notorious flop 'Heaven's Gate' and his career never really recovered. 'The Deer Hunter' is considered by some one of the finest Vietnam films (don't quite agree, to me there are far better examples), but it is also perhaps the most controversial. Either viewpoint is very easy to understand.
Despite its many impressive, outstanding even, elements, 'The Deer Hunter' is uneven. It is a bit too long (and no before anybody sneers, there have been films of similar length and even longer that still manage to be great films, a few among the best ever made), and would have been solved by tighter editing and a little less time on the lengthy wedding sequence, which is compelling with some strong character development but could easily have been trimmed.
Parts are disjointed too, with some abrupt scene shifts and a heavy-handed patriotic ending that felt incredibly tacky against the rest of the film. There are deficiencies in the sound quality on top of all this.
On the other hand, editing aside, 'The Deer Hunter' is an exceptionally well made film. The cinematography is quite magnificent and the attention to detail in the settings and the rest of the production both sumptuous and rich in atmosphere, the authenticity also remarkable. The music haunts the mind and is very beautiful, the mournful guitar theme unforgettable.
Cimino is at his best in the director's chair, while the script provokes thought and the story is often incredibly powerful and moving. The highlight is the justly acclaimed Russian Roulette sequence, which today is genuinely harrowing and will stay with you forever.
Robert De Niro has seldom been more restrained and gives an affecting performance. Even better is Christopher Walken, who has never reduced me to tears before and he really wrenches the heart here, making his character a compellingly real one and the most relatable one. John Savage, John Cazale (in his last film before his ultimely death) and a young Meryl Streep are sterling in support.
In summary, uneven film but often very impressive with much to admire. 7/10 Bethany Cox