It got away.

Rating: 7/10 (5 May 2020)

'The Deer Hunter (1978)' is often hailed as the greatest Vietnam war movie ever made, despite the fact that it only spends a very limited amount of time in the country. It's not really about the war; it's unconcerned as to whether the conflict was right, wrong or somewhere in-between. Instead, it's about the soldiers. It spends its time exploring what happens to a person when they go to war, when they see their friends die and are forced to kill to survive, and how they readjust when - or, rather, if - they return to the apparent normalcy of everyday life. Even though the picture is undeniably rather slow, its overall effect is undeniably rather powerful. It stays with you. It's a showcase of acting, writing and directing that owes a huge debt to 'The Godfather (1972)' but isn't just a copy of it. It's a realistic, affecting portrayal of war-time trauma that's as successful in its quieter contemplation as it is in its unbearable tension. 7/10