A profound and personal view of the effects of war and survival

Rating: Null/10 (26 August 2002)

**May contain spoilers** I first saw this movie more than twenty years ago, and wasn't terribly impressed. I have seen this movie many more times over the years and my impressions of this film are quite different now - having evolved with each viewing. It has to be seen from Michael's perspective. His attitude and reaction to life, death and survival (physical and emotional) form the crux of this movie. Perhaps he sees himself reflected in the eyes of the deer before it is slain - perhaps he sees Nicky reflected in those eyes too. The wanton killing associated with the war symbolized by the brutally graphic Russian Roulette scenes underscore the fact that war makes humans numb - every one is a pawn in another's scheme. The Pennsylvania family is symbolic of any country that may be at war and the family symbolizes its citizens. The story forces us to view the effects of war in a personal way - not as something that happens to faceless, nameless strangers far away but as something that could happen to us and the ones we care about and its impact on our day to day lives.