I initially gave this movie a 7 but the more I think of it the better it gets.

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2010)

The Deer Hunter is a terrific movie - it seeks to discredit the war movies depicting various elements of war that we link to esteem and reverence such as heroism, patriotism and the other abominable components that we project onto it. It is void of all these facets. Instead, it explores only the ugly facts, aftermaths and most importantly the running theme : the mortality of man ("one bullet is enough" for the deer and the Russian roulette) that can not be compromised by our generic protagonists performing heroic acts in slow-mo. Whether the Russian Roulette scenes are accurate portrayals or not can be argued; if the credibility of the these scenes bother the realists amongst us then that is certainly a point that needs to be respected. On the other hand, if we are to perceive this game as an allegory (as I think was intended, judging by the lack of any actual war scenes of substance), we have an all-encapsulating notion of war as a game of chance that our characters are subjected to and the traumatic affects it has on their perception of life (Nicky needing to repeat this action). We are left with characters whose experiences are simply heart wrenching and amazing performances by the cast to enforce this stimulation.