Review of The Deer Hunter (1978) by Tim S — 30 Mar 2012

Well, to be perfectly honest, this isn't one of the greatest films ever made. However, I can see why some might feel that way. There are some absolutely amazing performances and some great themes running through it that get right into you.

Unfortunately, all of that is hampered by the film's length. Some might argue that spending an enormous amount of time with these characters before they go to war affects how we connect with them during and after the war.

To some degree, that's true, but I feel like there is entirely way too much time spent with them. Things just take far longer than they should, giving a droning effect, wherein I just wanted the film to move on.

If it weren't for the riveting Russian Roulette scenes and the powerful performances by the great cast, this film probably wouldn't have had half the impact that it had OR won the amount of Oscars that it did - but that's just my opinion.