The Deer Hunter
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Movie Reviews of The Deer Hunter
Movie Review: WORTH WAITING FOR
Summary: 5 Stars
This film takes an investment of attention that most modern films do not require. The payoff however is unique and lasting.
In the story we follow a group of friends, some who go off to war in Vietnam, some who stay behind. The characters here are not flashy, but they grow on you as people do in real life. We get closer and closer to who people really are without relying on a hero. Solid performances all around.
The contrast of the mountains and the town and the struggles in Vietnam are startling. In all three places, people decide, each in their own way, how to deal with a season of madness.
Movie Review: Not to Be Confused with a War Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I love movies, but I've never liked war movies and have generally stayed away from them. Even some of the most acclaimed war movies have been some of my least favorite films. "The Deer Hunter" bills itself as a war movie and points everyone in the direction that it's going to be a war movie. The movie is 3 hours, no one ends up in Vietnam until a little past the hour mark, and they're only there (in the war zone part of Vietnam anyway) for a few minutes. "The Deer Hunter" is not a war movie, but it is a great film with great performances, great direction, great cinematography, and solid, tense script...Several reasons why it probably won Best Picture at the Academy Awards and is on The American Film Institute's Top 100 List (#79). Anyway, it's 1969 in Clairton, Pennsylvania where a group of friends work in the blast furnace of a steel mill before hitting the bars. This day is different for the group...One of them is getting married and three of them are heading out to Vietnam. The group consists of Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken), Stanley (John Cazale), Steven (John Savage), and Axel (George Aspegren). The movie's first hour is very well done in the way it lets us get to know the characters, but never seems to rush it. We watch all the guys' drink, while preparing to go to Steven's wedding. We see his Russian mother chase him out of the bar and protest the marriage. We meet Linda (Meryl Streep), Nick's girlfriend who lives with a crazy/alcoholic(?) father and asks Nick if she can move into the house he shares with Michael when they leave. We watch the group of men go deer hunting and then, without warning, the film jumps to a war-ravaged village in Vietnam. Many of the shacks are on fire and Vietnamese women and children are hiding in an underground shelter. A Vietnamese soldier throws a grenade into the shelter, but is killed by Michael with a flame-thrower in one of the most famous shots from the film. Soon, Michael is reunited with Nick and Steven and the group soon find themselves as prisoners-of-war. In the realm of taut, suspenseful scenes in war movies...The scene on the boat is one of the best. There, the Vietnamese soldiers force Steven, Michael, and Nick (separately) to play a game of Russian Roulette. This scene is the most important scene in the film because it parallels with many later scenes. The movie has a strong message and is very entertaining, but I really want to make it clear to people that this is not a war movie. While war does affect many of the people in the film, it only takes up about 25% of the film. De Niro is absolutely incredible (as usual), while Walken won an Oscar for his role and deserved it. Cazale, Streep, Savage, and Aspegren all turn in terrific supporting work. This is a film that belongs in the top 100, because it truly is one of the best films ever made.
GRADE: A
Movie Review: Where are the extras from UK version?
Summary: 4 Stars
They went through the trouble to pinch out a Special Edition,(now I can make another ashtray out of another first version DVD), but where is the directors commentary? Over in England, thats where, along with other informative interviews, that would have fleshed out this Special Edition nicely. "The Year Of The Dragon" has Michael Cimino`s commentary but the money just was`nt there for this one, probably the most important work of his career. I really care for the people in this film, a lot more than I give a hoot about anybody in "Citizen Kane". So thanks Universal, maybe one day a Super Duper Special Edition will come out.Movie Review: HD transfer acceptable
Summary: 4 Stars
I collect classic movies only and bought all nine available in HD. Warner discs (The Searchers, Casablanca, Mutiny on the Bounty, Forbidden Planet, Grand Prix, The Dirty Dozen, Robin Hood (1938)) generally have better picture quality than Universal (Spartacus, The Deer Hunter). The picture quality of this one is acceptable, especially if you compare it to Spartacus. But, The Searchers is absolutely the most brilliant in picture quality and that proves how beautifully HD can be produced. Let's wait for the next releases.Movie Review: Much more than a college drinking game
Summary: 5 Stars
Most customers purchasing this dvd will have already seen The Deer Hunter, perhaps many years ago. Whether one has seen it or not, it is a film everyone should have in his/her library. Not only is it among the best Vietnam movies (rivaled only by Platoon), it is among the best dramas of the past 50 years. Plus, it meets an important criterion for having it in your library: you will pull it out every 9 months and enjoy it anew. This is an important point many buyers ignore: Caddyshack? Yes, you'll watch it all the time and laugh your butt off. Kramer Vs. Kramer? Great movie, but how many times do you want to see it? The Deer Hunter is one you'll watch many times.
The story is tight, though the movie is long (but not so long you start looking at your watch). The acting is transcendant: De Niro is in his prime, and is understated perfectly; a young Meryl Streep offers a glimpse of the greatness ahead; and of course, there is Christopher Walken. What can you say about Walken? He is Walken, one of the most unique actors of our time. In The Deer Hunter, he is superb.
Buy this movie and watch it over and over for the next 15 years.