The Deer Hunter (1978) Review

The Deer Hunter (1978)

The Deer Hunter follows 3 working-class, Pennsylvania friends who prepare to ship out to war following a friends wedding. In Vietnam however, their dreams of military honor are shattered by the inhumanities of war, haunting them long after the fact. 

For a movie set at the height of the Vietnam War, I like how this isn’t necessarily a film about Vietnam. More so the various ways it affected this group of men, their friends & spouses back home, and the community from which they hail from. In it’s roughly 3 hour runtime, The Deer Hunter methodically takes it time in breaking down the 3 distinct time periods for these 3 friends; the before, the during, and the after. Before, they are relatively happy, carefree, and very honor driven in life. During the war, we see a BIG shift, one that seems to mentally break Nick and Stevie to their core. After the war though, we see just how throughly damaged everyone is. The way that De Niro, Walken, and Savage each portray varying levels of PTSD is done hauntingly well, especially in Mike’s case, as it seems to disturb him on a day-to-day basis, much to his efforts against showing it. 

On top of it’s excellent portrayal of PTSD, it’s also both visually stunning and entirely too disturbing. The vast, sprawling Appalachian mountains are such a stark contrast to the fiery, Russian roulette ridden camps of North Vietnam, a steady metaphor for the deteriorating mental states of Mike, Nick, and Stevie. 

The 1979 Best Picture winner boasted an excellent cast, starring Chuck Aspegren, George Dzundza, John Savage, John Cazale, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, and Robert De Niro. Walken’s performance, which nabbed him a Best Supporting Actor win, is jarring as you watch his destructive transition over the 3 acts from a happy young man to brainwashed, emotionless pawn in an inescapable game. De Niro is also so good, giving us a rare non-gangster role that really shows off his range as an actor. 

The Deer Hunter, directed by Michal Cimino, is one of the rare cases where a complete lack of historical accuracy actually works, providing a premise that is polarizing to watch, as one visceral scene breaks these friends to their core, setting an evocative tone that is damning to watch till the credits roll on this excellent film.

9.4/10