Just As Relevant 35 years On

Rating: 8/10 (3 March 2012)

Watching this film recently I was struck by how things haven't really changed. Men are still defined by their (un)employment and their communities, and use the military as a means of escape, often in the belief that it is a worthy and romantic course of action. But what is touching about The Deer Hunter is how we see a naive immigrant community feel the need to give something back to their adopted country. Young men join the army unaware of the horrors that await them, and the film essentially shows us how the lives of the whole community are irreversibly changed by the horror of war.
The hour long set up lets us into the heart of the community, the love and friendships, the closeness of the people. This is essential and is what makes the rest of the film so powerful. The second and third acts of the film then reveal the horrors that befall the three men, and the devastating consequences of their time in Vietnam. The end is one of the saddest I have seen on film, with the remaining friends ironically singing God Bless America around the table after the funeral.
The film at times felt like it had been edited down from an even longer running time with jumps from their home town to the violence of combat. From the meeting of the three to suddenly them as prisoners of the Vietcong. The film relies on its story for effect, so there is no great cinematography or snappy dialogue, but there are some great acting performances from De Niro and Walken, but for me George Dzundza is outstanding as John, the bar owner and musician.
A sad indictment of war and its effect on working class people and their communities. As relevant now as it was in 1978.