Intense and Brilliant

Rating: Null/10 (23 June 2002)

Michael Cimino's Academy Award winning Vietnam epic presents us with an atmosphere of realism. Everything just seems so real; the characters, the emotions, the dialog, everything is real and very intense. This more then just a Vietnam war movie though, it is a film about friendship and courge... Under stress. The Deer Hunter is brilliantly written, beautifully acted, and skillfully directed. It is one of the greatest motion pictures ever. I will admit however that I found the first hour to be overlong and uninteresting, therefore causing me to knock my grade down one notch. The film picks up and becomes interesting as it moves on though. The Russian Rollette scenes in the film are some of the most intense moments in film history. Keep that in mind.
Final Grade: ****1/2 (out of 5)