Disturbing, if flawed.

Rating: 7/10 (24 February 2006)

Nineteen seventy-eight saw the release of the first two movies that dealt seriously with the Vietnam War: "Coming Home" and "The Deer Hunter". The latter portrays some Russian-American friends working in a factory and going hunting before shipping off to Vietnam.
I guess that this movie's biggest problem is its approach to the war in general. Whereas "Apocalypse Now" directly condemned the US occupation of Vietnam, this one mainly focuses on the Americans getting killed there. Also, when it came out, there were complaints about how it portrayed the North Vietnamese: cruelly taking the Americans prisoner and making them play Russian Roulette.
As long as one understands the approach that this movie is taking, then it's good. One really interesting aspect is the contrast between the children and their immigrant parents: while the parents remain very religious - and the men drunk - the children are getting very much into popular culture and such things. Overall, a good movie as long as you understand it, although I would have given "Coming Home" Best Picture. Great performances from Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Cazale, George Dzundza, and John Savage.