Real people in Reel life

Rating: 10/10 (18 September 1998)

Michael Cimino's "The Deerhunter" is, quite simply, a masterpiece that ranks as one of the greatest films of all time. The strength of this movie does not lie in its subject matter (as we all know, Vietnam movies are a dime a dozen), but in the presentation. The characters are all *real* people. Conversations are natural and fluid, and actions are believable because the characters have been portrayed as capable of carrying them out. Also, they *look* like real people. They sweat, they are rumpled, etc. All performances in the movie are wonderful, standing out are Christopher Walken, John Savage, John Cazale, and of course, the MAN, Robert De Niro.

The movie flows very naturally, while the plot structure is not wholly open, it does not have the artificial, closed structure that is commonplace in Hollywood movies. This allows you to accept the film as a real course of events, "real" life which becomes "reel" life. The movie is long and at points slow, but this is not a weakness. The strength of the film is that it does not simply manipulate emotions to elicit a response. It is subtle and touching, and rather than being shown how you should feel, you come to an understanding with the characters on your own. You empathize, not just sympathize.
You have to be in the mood to sit through "The Deerhunter", but if you do, you won't regret it.