Brilliant - a powerful examination of war and its consequences

Rating: 10/10 (25 January 2016)

Brilliant - a powerful examination of war and its consequences.
Set in a a small industrial Pennsylvania town during the Vietnam War. Three friends - Mike (played by Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steve (John Savage) - are getting ready to join the Army. In their last few days before leaving we see them going about their lives - drinking, hunting...and, in Steve's case, getting married. Soon they will be confronted by the harsh realities of war.
A thought-provoking, emotional and, to a great extent, depressing journey. We see how the war affects these men, and their community. There are physical effects for some, but there are also mental and emotional effects. Nothing will ever be the same again.
Incredibly well made by director Michael Cimino. He painstaking paints you a picture of the men and their close-knit community - for example, the wedding scene seems to go on forever but is vital to the ultimate plot. The seemingly innocuous everyday things provide the contrast for later.
Great performances help too. Here we have Robert De Niro at his most heroic...and most vulnerable. We also have the performance which shot Christopher Walken to fame. Plus we have Meryl Streep, who doesn't deliver bad performances. Walken won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, De Niro was nominated for Best Actor and Streep was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.