Very tedious.

Rating: 5/10 (26 July 2010)

I borrowed this DVD from the library . I had pretty high expectations, considering all of the rave reviews, it being heralded as one of the best war movies of all time, and the fact that it won some Oscar awards. Instead I was treated to seeing a 3 and a half hour long melodrama, where every single scene was dragged out as long as possible.
I know that this film was more about the effect war had on soldiers, their friends and family, as opposed to being in combat, like most other war films, which is why most of the film took place at the home front, rather than on the battlefield. The film was basically divided into 3 parts. The first focused on the main characters, and their relationships, and should have been dedicated to developing the characters, but instead you have to endure watching over an hour and a half of people dancing at a wedding. I constantly found myself fast-forwarding through scenes like these.
Another example of this tedious style, is the scene where the guys are driving down the highway, and they pretend to ditch one of their friends. You then have to watch the car drive off way out in to the distance, turn around to come back, only to start it all over again, 2 or 3 times. Moving on to the Vietnam war, this film makes you think that the whole war experience is about playing Russian Roulette.
Flashing forward, De Niro's character comes back from the war for a short period of time, only to go back to try and find his two friends, and you're forced to believe that Walken's character has been surviving for who know how long, playing Russian Roulette in a fighting ring.
What I find extremely funny about the high status the film has, is the fact the film's director, Cimino, was universally panned for his film, "Heaven's Gate", which is directed in the exact same dragged out style. I'm just glad I didn't have waste any money to watch this film, however, my time wasted will never be refunded.