Review of The Deer Hunter (1978) by Hoss R — 06 May 2012

A film that rarely seems pushy about its emotional scenes, The Deer Hunter has a naturalistic understated quality that serves its more sensational scenes well. Yes, it's long, but filled with great actors - the best bit being a scene shared with DeNiro and Walken.

Sometimes the naturalism goes too far, and I found the constant overlapping conversations frustrating. Originally wrought from a story about Russian Roulette, the film was made into a Vietnam piece later on and that shows through.

Further, I think the ending is the biggest misstep, feeling both overly cynical and sentimental at once. Yet for all these shortcomings The Deer Hunter is still a powerful film that rewards a patient viewer with three dimensional characters in an almost mythic story arc.