Review of The Deer Hunter (1978) by Eero V — 30 Sep 2014

Narratively ambitious and brutal in its depiction of war, but also aimless, overlong and sometimes gleefully racist, The Deer Hunter is a painfully boring war drama that was just a stroke of luck for Michael Cimino, a film that is well past its prime today.

The numerous Oscars and critical acclaim it received are easy to understand due to the timing of its release (only three years after the fall of Saigon), but today it is, both from a technical and political viewpoint, incredibly sloppy.

The film blatantly asks the audience to cheer for heroic, innocent Americans terrorizing a foreign country, and while you do get the sense that they aren't there because of their own choice, it is impossible sympathize with them as the Vietnamese are brushed aside as mere bloodthirsty torturers, and the fact that millions of people died also seems unknown to the film.

Cimino's approach to the direction seems to be that sluggish equals profound, and so the film stretches a very simple story to over three hours. The opening act is one of the most tedious 50 minutes ever put to screen, and the entire film feels like a long stand at a grocery line.

Christopher Walken's iconic death scene has some emotional power, and is the only discernible scene in an otherwise terrible mess. Robert De Niro is good in the lead role, but considering how many legendary performances he gave in the '70's and '80's, this is nowhere near his best.

Walken plays himself as usual, and Meryl Streep gives one of the most annoying performances of her venerable career. The success of The Deer Hunter eventually led Cimino's ego to puff up like bun dough, and directed the disastrous flop Heaven's Gate, after which he hasn't done anything notable.

Maybe that is only a good thing.