THE DEER HUNTER
A film review by David Landers
Copyright 1997 David Landers
RATING: **** out of **** - 9.5 out of 10.0 CAST: Robert De Niro (Michael), Christopher Walken (Nick), Meryl Streep (Linda), John Cazale (Stan), John Savage (Steven), George Dzundza (John), Chuck Aspegren (Axel) DIRECTOR: Michael Cimino CERTIFICATION: R (USA) for violence, language, brief nudity, and horrific war scenes YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1978 ACADEMY AWARDS: Best Picture, Best Director (Cimino), Best Supporting Actor (Walken), Film Editing (Peter Zinner II)
THE DEER HUNTER, directed by Michael Cimino, is truly one of the greatest movies ever made. A captivating drama about the lives of a group of friends from a small Russian-American Pennsylvania community, THE DEER HUNTER promises to be one of those movies that you will never forget. In this Academy Award winner for Best Picture of 1978, outstanding performances are turned in by all actors, and Cimino's brilliant directing provides the perfect vision into the character's lives.
The first act of the film provides us with an inside look into the lives of a group of men from a small community who work and hang out together. Michael, portrayed perfectly by Robert De Niro, is shown early on as the natural leader of the group. After a days work, the men leave their jobs at a factory to head down to the local bar, where John (George Dzundza) works. Three of the men, Michael, Steven (John Savage), and Nick (Christopher Walken) will be leaving shortly for Vietnam, but not before Steven gets married. After the marriage, the group, including Axel (Chuck Aspegren), spend one last day on a hunting trip, one of their favorite past-times.
This sequence of events enables us to view the lifestyle of a normal group of men, who will be suddenly and permanently affected by the ravages and separations of war. The wedding scenes, although criticized by many as being quite long, actually enhance even more the purpose of the first act. The outstanding performances by De Niro, Walken, Streep, Savage, and Cazale, who died very shortly after the filming of the movie was completed, really begin to shine through and promise not to halt in the near future.
The second act of the movie begins with the trio of men on the front lines in Vietnam, stationed in a South Vietnamese village being attacked by the Viet Cong. The men are eventually captured and held in a floating prison on a river. This prison, run by the V.C., initiates the horrifying scenes in the movie, where the prisoners are forced to play Russian roulette against each other. Steven, who is emotionally marred by this turn of events, is secluded in a tiger cage with water up to his face when he refuses to participate. Michael shows his leadership again by convincing Nick that the only way that Steven will survive is if the two friends play against each other, and moreover, they must play with 3 bullets in the gun. Personally, I felt that De Niro's absolutely gripping portrayal really was displayed in a brilliant way in these and the following scenes.
The men are eventually able to escape, but are separated. Michael is able to get Steven, who ends up losing his legs, to medical care, while Nick finds his way to Saigon and a U.S. Army hospital. Michael returns home and does not feel at all like a hero. He wants to avoid the celebrations and recognition that his friends would like to bestow upon him. He assumes that Nick is still lost in Vietnam.
The third act concentrates more on Walken's character, who eventually stumbles upon a small gambling operation where the game is, again, Russian roulette. Only in this game, you play for money. Michael has learned that Nick is possibly still alive and returns to Saigon to attempt to find him. The two narrowly find each other at the Russian roulette games, but do not link up until Michael discovers Nick participating in the games and tries to bring him home.
A very emotional, and, for many, a very disturbing movie, THE DEER HUNTER is a truly magnificent movie that should not be missed. The greatest performances possible are turned in by all actors, and Cimino's directing, which is considered to be at his all-time best in this film, is equally dazzling. Do not miss this film, it will captivate and astound you.
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