This is a masterpiece that is scrupulously written, beautifully filmed, conscientiously directly and superbly acted.

Rating: Null/10 (14 February 2005)

The first hour of this 3-hour (short) masterpiece takes its time in bringing the audience into the world of a group of Pennilvania steelworkers, starting out with "a day in the office" beside the searing furnace, the usual rowdy routine of getting off work, fun at the pool hall and with the jukebox.all before young Steve's (John Savage) wedding. We see Steve's two best friends cool, quiet Michael (Robert De Niro) and gentle, fragile Nick (Christopher Walken), plus a few other characters, finally getting into tuxedos. The beautiful choral music in the Orthodox Church reveals another dimension of this group of blue collar workers, their heritage and their solemn side. The mood changes again as we share the joyous celebration after the wedding ceremony. We gradually get to know more and more about these people, about things such as the undercurrent of emotion between Michael and Nick's acknowledged girlfriend Linda (Meryl Strep).
Alcohol brings out the hidden personalities, as we see the three buddies who are Vietnam bound approaching a uniformed veteran at the party, asking how it's really like "over there". All that comes out of an absolutely emotionless face is two words, "Fxxx it". By the time the party breaks up, the alcohol has taken full effect as Michael starts a rowdy streaking run. After the excitement subsides, Nick asks Michael to promise not to leave him behind no matter what happens in Vietnam.
The next morning, with an abrupt change in mood, the gang (except for the groom) is in the breathtaking mountains for one more hunting trip before three among them go to Vietnam. Michael shows again his mantle and he makes good his words "all it takes is one shot" and brings down his deer. Back in their usual hangout, the gang finds itself suddenly in a pensive mood. The bulkiest of them sits down nonchalantly at the piano and plays a languid melody. The camera roams from face to face. The next shot  Vietnam, right in the middle of a furious engagement.
The focus of the middle movement (as in a concerto) is not so much on the carnage of the Vietnam War itself, as on one particular episode which happens to involve the three of them, all captured together by a group of North Vietnamese soldiers who force them to play Russian roulette to facilitate the soldiers' gambling. Steve cracks down under the pressure and is placed in a cage to be drowned. Michael, true to form and character, leads Nick in capitalizing on a slim chance to fight back and kill all the enemies. Their rescue and rehabilitation put them through separate paths, as we the audience eventually follow Michael back to his hometown.
The third and final movement evolves around Michael's futile effort to re-adapt to a normal life back home, his strained relationship with Linda, and his search that leads us to witness the tragic aftermath of his two buddies, one ending in death. In chilling realistic portrayals, the intense agony and pain is revealed to the audience like an inescapable wall crushing down. And it is only because of the painstakingly delivered first hour that the final hour becomes so devastating. This is a masterpiece that is scrupulously written, beautifully filmed, conscientiously directly and superbly acted. It deserves watching again and again.