Waste of time

One of my all time favorites.

Good movie but grossly overrated

Crappy film

This is a film that looks at a group of close friends in a Pennsylvania rust belt town before getting deployed to Vietnam, briefly depicts their combat experience, and then refocused on their efforts to reintegrate back into society. People looking for a more traditional war movie will find it very boring. Interesting portrayal of the fall of Saigon. Brian Ghilliotti

And boy has this aged incredibly well! 1978 and still utterly gripping and compelling. Is it a masterpiece? No. However to conceive something so bold, daring and powerful is a remarkable achievement. A group of work colleagues and friends from Pennsylvania have their lives irrevocably changed by the Vietnam war. The classic microcosm of portraying small lives to create a scale of grandeur. These steelworkers weren't just representing themselves, but also the idealisms of America at that time. It's a one-sided affair, whether you view that as a detriment is entirely up to you. It does not hinder what is being shown. This is all about the character development, their emotional and physical changes through all three acts. Establishing their close bonds in the first act, putting their survival skills to the test in the second and then dealing with the psychological wounds in the third act. It's the perfect structure. The first act is easily the weakest. Thirty minutes of a wedding ceremony where people are Cossack dancing to the Tetris theme tune feels pointless, could've easily established the friendships in ten minutes. Aside from that, I thought this was pretty darn excellent. Robert De Niro holds the entire film together. Christopher Walken explores his wide emotional range of acting, he was terrific. Even a young Meryl Streep was incredible. Michael Cimino's direction was exhilarating, particularly during the war scenes. Shots were extensive, he took his time with the story and the characters. Then we get to the Russian Roulette scenes. Wow. Never seen anything quite like it. I was on the edge of my seat. Such a simple premise to include in a war film which guarantees thrills and fear. The final roulette scene was gut-wrenching. Captors betting on their survival, it really conveys how chaotic Saigon and the rest of Vietnam became during the war. Descending into a hysterical nightmare. A 3 hour behemoth has never passed by so quickly. Close to perfection, but not quite.

"The Deer Hunter" tells the story of three friends, Mike, Nick, and Steven, as they endure the Vietnam War and its aftermath. However, while the ending of the film is climactic in all aspects, I found the plot to be rather slow-paced otherwise. The most noteworthy portions of the piece are Robert DeNiro's portrayal as Staff Sergeant Mike Vronsky and Christopher Walken's Academy Award winning performance as Corporal Nick Chevotarevich. I believe DeNiro and Walken accurately highlight the difficulties faced both during and following combat by the American soldier. The Russian Roulette scene especially moves its viewers and, in my opinion, is the best scene in the film. By showcasing the camaraderie of servicemen through Mike's ultimate promise of ensuring Nick returns home in addition to featuring the lack of support for soldiers who face mental health issues as seen through Nick's declining stability, audiences understand more of the 20th century America's flawed view on warfare: fight, win, and return to normal. Though the film is saved by its two leads' impeccable acting, I will say I preferred "When We Were Soldiers" (2002) as a means to better understand the Vietnam War. "The Deer Hunter" more beautifully displays war's impact on its soldiers but if needing to gain a full grasp of the war itself, "When We Were Soldiers" is a must-see. We watched the film in my AP United States History class last year, and it was undoubtedly among the better ones we watched. Mel Gibson perfectly portrays the classic American hero, Lieutenant General Hal Moore, and audiences gain insight on what American soldiers' wives face on base throughout the entirety of warfare through Madeleine Stowe's performance as his wife, Julia Moore. I love both films, but I would base my recommendation as to which is better on for the viewing's purpose.

In The Deer Hunter, Mike comes back from Vietnam knowing that he wasn't able to bring Nick back with him and Mike knows that he can't break that promise for Nick. When Mike comes back to town he avoids a party at his house and then goes in on his own when only Linda is in there. Linda then reminds him that he hadn't brought Nick back with him and that they think he is AWOL. After being back in town for a couple of days he realized life was too different without Nick, for example he didn't feel right working without him or living in their house with Nick's girl. The last straw is pulled when Mike and the other guys go on a hunting trip and Mike just can't pull the trigger on a deer who had accepted defeat. Mike misses on purpose and realizes that he needs to fulfill his promise because that is the type of guy he is, point A to point B. So, when Mike gets back from the trip he plans to fulfill his promise and try to bring Nick back home, but little does he know Nick has gotten himself in a very dangerous business.