A masterpiece of the era

Rating: 8/10 (30 April 2020)

Most Vietnam War movies are extremely difficult to watch, and The Deer Hunter is no exception. Christopher Walken won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his unforgettable performance, and the horrors his character endures are enough to forever burn this movie in your brain. The Deer Hunter has been universally hailed as one of the greatest war movies, and the greatest Vietnam War movie ever made, so it's absolutely worth watching. Just make sure you're up for it, because it's very heavy.
The film starts out showing you the personal lives of three soon-to-be soldiers as they enjoy their last days in America; before long, you're as invested in them as the filmmakers have banked on, setting the stage for an emotional, suspenseful drama. Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken leave the country both in love with the same girl, Meryl Streep, and John Savage has just married a woman carrying another man's child; their friendship comes first as they go off to war. When they come home, they're not the same men who left, and since the audience has seen what they've endured, we understand better than some of their friends.
It's unfortunate that both Coming Home and The Deer Hunter were released in the same year, because both movies are excellent in their own right and don't deserve to be constantly compared with one another. Both movies show that men who are lucky enough to return are permanently changed, and both show physical as well as mental effects. Coming Home doesn't show any war violence, so if you're on the squeamish side, you'll probably like that one better. The main focuses, and certainly the most memorable parts, of The Deer Hunter are the war violence and the bond between the three friends who will never be the same.
More mature audiences will remember the extra sadness behind the filming of this movie, but younger folks probably don't know that the entire cast and crew had to put their emotions aside while the cameras were rolling. There's an added tenderness you can feel between the cast members, but it does make it even harder to watch.
The Deer Hunter is a masterpiece; even people who don't like it admit that it's fantastically put together and wonderfully acted. You don't have to watch it, because it's very upsetting, but if you're the type of person who likes to make "must-see" movie lists, add this to it. Also, if you've been unlucky enough to only watch lousy war movies-yes, I used to be one of those people-this movie will change your mind about the genre.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to violence, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.