A bloated bore.

Rating: 3/10 (15 June 2017)

Three friends, Mike Vronsky (Robert De Niro), Steven Pushkov (John Savage), and Nick Chebotarevich (Christopher Walken), find their lives affected in different ways by the horrors of war.
50 minutes, give or take a few: that's how long the opening wedding sequence takes in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter. It starts with the preparation, followed by the ceremony itself, and finishes at the reception where there is much drinking and dancing. It's about as much fun as being at a real wedding where you know none of the guests (other than your partner) and are forced to remain sober because you're the one doing the driving home. You want it all to end as soon as possible, but your other half insists on just one more drink (and another, and another) while she chats with all of her friends.
Having bored the viewer to death with the wedding, Cimino then proceeds to numb the senses further with some dreary hunting scenes in the mountains, after which the film finally cuts to Nam for a little war action. Here we are treated to the infamous Russian roulette torture sequence, which is arguably the highlight of the film, both suspenseful and terrifying. But don't worry, we're soon back to the drudgery as the main characters escape capture, Mike returning to his steelworks hometown, Nick remaining in Saigon (to earn cash by taking part in Russian roulette games in seedy gambling dens), and Steven recuperating in a veterans hospital. Eventually, Mike decides to find Nicky and bring him home, which he doesâ€”with a bullet in his head, his luck having finally run out.
Winner in 5 categories at the 1979 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Director, Best Film Editing (seriously?), and Best Sound. Superman The Movie might have only won one Academy Award that same year, for Visual Effects, but I'd rather watch a man fly than hunt deer any day of the week.