Review of The Deer Hunter (1978) by Brett H — 28 Jun 2015

The Deer Hunter is a movie I could not grasp on my first viewing as I was too young, after a second viewing I see the film's merit with incredible acting, directing, and music, but it is still WAY too long.

What a fantastic cast with Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, and Jon Cazale (who was dying of cancer during production, and passed away before its release) all bringing their A-game and seeing the effects of war on all of them and how it changes who they are is devastating to watch.

The segments with the Russian Roulette games are nail-bitingly intense; never knowing who's walking away from that table and those scenes are what will stick with you. The film is broken up into three acts with a wedding/going away party, the vietnam sequences, and then the return home and at times it feels like an elaborately staged play.

As said before, the film is simply too long and it hinders its chances at re-watchability, but Michael Cimino became a one-hit wonder, so I guess having one 3-hour epic under your belt is solid to him.

This is not a cheery film and it was one of the first to tackle the effects of the Vietnam war on the returning soldiers, but it is a classic amongst cinephiles and if you have the patience for it, should be seen at least once.