Review of The Deer Hunter (1978) by Jeremy C — 18 Jan 2011

[font=Tahoma','sans-serif][color=white]The Deer Hunter has great performances, a solid story, and some very powerful moments. It has all the makings of a great movie, yet it falls short.[/color][/font].

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[font=Tahoma','sans-serif][color=white]I'll start off with the weaknesses. It might sound weird if you haven't seen it, but the transition from life in America to the war in Vietnam is way too abrupt, so much so that you feel like you accidentally skipped a couple scenes. I also thought it tried too hard to relate to the "common man", it kind of felt insulting, as if the director (Michael Climino) thought that all working class Vietnam era solders were all loud-mouthed drunks. Although that's not half as bad as the way the Vietnamese are portrayed: violent and ultra-sadistic. Because of this there are some parts of the movie that are hard to believe. And although the message is very one dimensional it's also very effective, especially the ending. It's one of the best movie endings I've seen, but at three hours and four minutes you'll wish it had come sooner. There is no reason for this movie to be so long. All in all, the quality of the performances really carry the movie beyond the faults. [/color][/font].

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[font=Tahoma','sans-serif][color=white]I give The Deer Hunter 6/10 stars.[/color][/font].