Review of The Deer Hunter (1978) by Nathan M — 29 Aug 2010

Winner of the 1979 Best Picture Academy Award, 'The Deer Hunter' is a gritty and realistic account of how "Joe Everyman" was sent over to Vietnam and never really ever returned. This story follows three friends as they prepare to ship off to Vietnam.

Robert De Niro stars with Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep. As far as time and length of this film, this is the longest movie I have ever watched that did not need to be that long. I'm a supporter of films that are epic and lengthy ('The Godfather', 'The Assasination of Jesse James', 'Gangs of New York'), but this film can almost be started at the one hour mark into it and you can still get the same emotional and relativeness without having to sit through an entire wedding ceremony.

It's like I want to leave the reception but my ride is still having a good time somehow. This film also has very little dialogue considering the length. The acting is the best I have ever seen from any of these actors.

Walken certainly deserved the Academy Award and was definitely the best character in the film. I loved the hard and unsettling look at the war through these characters eyes. I wish the director had a little restraint when it came to the length, but overall it was a powerful experience and certainly one of the best vietnam dramas I have ever seen.