Robert De Niro in The Deer Hunter

Rating: Null/10 (3 December 2004)

I love the Deer Hunter mainly because of Robert De Niro's fantastic performance in it.
His character Mikey shows such grit whilst in action in Vietnam - during the horrific Russian Roulette sequence he is the one who holds the group together. Then, on the flip side of the coin, he shows such vulnerability when he is away from the war and struggling to deal with 'ordinary' life. His performance whilst in the hotel room when he has returned home is so powerful - he just can't stop the emotions within him from breaking out. But Mikey has no one to help him get through it and he is left sobbing in an empty room. I was stunned when I first saw this - it's amazing.
It may not have all the blood, guts, gore, etc.. that many other Vietnam movies have but it is all the more powerful for not taking the obvious route.
Robert De Niro was fantastic in Raging Bull, but he should have got an Oscar for this one too.