Back when Russian Roulette was Vietnam's national pastime.

Rating: 2/10 (1 February 2016)

Three white, northeastern factory workers in their thirties and early forties, from a tight group of five buddies, somehow manage to enlist in the army during the Vietnam war. This, even though the U.S. military in that era was made up predominately of draftees in their late teens and very early twenties, and even though a disproportionate number of them were black, because few blacks at the time could manage to get the student deferments that kept most white kids out of the war long enough for it to wind down to the point where they didn't get drafted. They are magically transported to Vietnam. Without engaging the enemy, they are taken prisoner and end up as pawns in a gambling game where prisoners are forced to play Russian Roulette. Even though their captors have several rifles trained on them at close range, a miracle happens, and they somehow escape. While still in Vietnam, one of them learns that this variation on Russian Roulette is the national pastime for the Vietnamese. They become separated while in Vietnam, and two of them return home separately. By the time these two meet up again, it has most likely been at least five years since they joined up, but they are all still the same age, still in their mid-thirties and early forties. And still not one black soul, anywhere to be seen. You would think that no black people fought in the Vietnam war. But one of them got stuck in 'Nam, playing Russian Roulette professionally, and evidently was very skilled at it, since he has been sending piles of cash to the one who came home in a wheelchair. The one that ended up in the Rangers, the Deerhunter, goes back to 'Nam to find the one stuck playing Russian Roulette. The Deerhunter finds his old friend Nick in a hidden away, secret room full of Vietnamese gambling on the Russian Roulette game, apparently the same marathon game that has been being played continuously for a number of years. Even though Nick has had the presence of mind to send money regularly to Steve, when Deerhunter finds Nick, Nick doesn't recognize Deerhunter and seems not to have any idea where he is, but knows that he is a professional Russian Roulette player. Deerhunter buys his way into the game, in order to try and talk Nick out of playing. To show Nick that he still loves him, Deerhunter takes his turn. The hammer falls, and Deerhunter is still lucky. Deerhunter again begs Nick to come home with him, but Nick takes another turn, and that's the end of Nick. Deerhunter escorts Nick's body home, and there is a funeral, not attended by any black people.