On D List of Movie Reviews
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The Deer Hunter (1978)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
3/05, 4/09, 7/19
4/09:
The first time I saw The Deer Hunter, I didn't like it because of the long running length plus the slow pace.
After seeing it again, my opinion is more improved. The Deer Hunter is a well-made movie although it's still
slow. In hindsight, the Vietnam epic marks the first, the only, and the last time that Michael Cimino proved he could
direct.
The blue-collar life as portrayed doesn't appeal to me. It's because I don't give a fuck about these beer-guzzling
Pittsburgh idiots. What peeves me the most is the numerous meaningless moments. Often, I'm supposed to feel something, but
nothing happens. A good example of what I mean occurs at the end with Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. For some reason, Michael
Cimino wants to hold the moment for as long as possible, leaving me exasperated when I just wanted the movie to end already.
Nonetheless, the story isn't bad, but it feels underdeveloped or, rather, underwhelming at times. Obviously, the most powerful
scenes involve Russian roulette. Without them, I seriously doubt The Deer Hunter would've won Best Picture.
As for the cast, Robert De Niro stands out the most. John Savage gives the second best performance. They both have an
impressive scene when they rescued their friend. However, I'm not all crazy about Christopher Walken's Oscar-winning
performance. Meryl Streep is annoying to look at because she thinks she's all that. Everybody else is merely okay.
All in all, The Deer Hunter is only notable for the pièce de résistance: Russian roulette.
7/19:
Anyone could predict what's to come in Heaven's Gate because it's all right there in the first hour of
The Deer Hunter which is a sheer waste of celluloid that's akin to watching paint dry.
The only reason why the 184-minute Vietnam epic won Best Picture is Russian roulette. There was no evidence of the game going
on at any point during the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, it became the catalyst for wannabes afterwards, and they did
it for real. That's all the people could talk about: Russian roulette. Take it away, and The Deer Hunter would be
forgotten, hence no Best Picture award.
Christopher Walken won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, but he's okay despite a couple powerful scenes. Only
Robert De Niro gives the best performance of the ensemble; it's obvious that he put a lot of work into his character and
could be intense.
All in all, there are better Vietnam War pictures than The Deer Hunter.