The Deer Hunter Review

The Deer Hunter

Director: Michael Cimino

Stars: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, John Cazale, Meryl Streep, Chuck Aspegren and George Dzundza.

Running Time: 182 Mins

Release: 27^th February 1979

Set in a small industrial town in Pennsylvania, it focuses on three young men; Michael (De Niro), Nick(Walken) and Steven (Savage) the film opens with them enlisted into the army to fight in Vietnam and there final day at work which is also the eve of Steven's wedding to Angela (Rutanya Alda) of which there is a party after which also doubles as the guys leaving party and then it's to Vietnam …..

I am not going to spoil the film but if you've seen it you already know what happens and if not your in for a complete treat. This is the only film (as of yet) that I have seen that's been directed by Cimino and I am very keen to see his other films most notably Heaven's Gate and Year of The Dragon. I now know that he is known for slow burning character driven films and that he's been lambasted by some film critics for it most notably Heavens Gate. In this films case the Wedding Day takes an hour well from them leaving work to there final hunt after Steven's wedding, I have no problem with this but I know for some people it would be too slow but it shows how the friends are quite frat boyish and immature before the war and the devastating effect it happens on them after the war.

I think it works very well as we get to to know these characters and there relationships they feel incredibly real. The main three leads in my eyes are De Niro, Walken and Streep who plays Linda the woman both Nick and Michael fall for.

Michael is the strongest of the three men both physically and mentally and of course De Niro is on fine perfect form, Michael is not so laid back as the other men he's more serious and reserved not letting his emotions get the better of him and this strengthens when he returns from Nam which has scarred him mentally, he is perfect in every single scene of the film. It's outstanding work especially in the Russian Roulette scene which i'll go into later.

I was very surprised by Christopher Walken I have never seen him in a serious dramatic role before well not in a whole films running length but I must say he stands head and shoulders above everyone else performance in this film and he is at the heart of the film well the pivotal character in my eyes, he's fantastic in all his scenes like in the Russian Roulette scene and the hospital scene were he completely breaks down when he can't remember his parents it's incredibly raw and realistic. This film has made me look out for more films with Walken in it.

Being honest I have not seen Meryl Streep in anything much before aside the Series of Unfortunate Events film when I was a kid. She's brilliant in this that's for sure and quite beautiful. She is torn between Nick and Michael and it's not just for a love story in the film either it's very realistically done it shows the effect the war in Nam has on her and her relationships with them.

This film has a great supporting cast too especially in the late great John Cazale's Stan, one of Nick, Steve and Michael's friend from work he's very cowardly, insecure and very unpredictable, he does not fight in the war with the others he stays at home in the town and he does not much change before or after the war, I feel if he's slightly embittered that he did not fight in the war, but it's good that he did not as he would be very unpredictable and John Cazale plays him perfectly tis a shame that this is his last film, he was dying of cancer when he made this and died shortly after he had completed filming, so now I'll be looking for other films he was in. I know he was in The Godfather films and Dog Day Afternoon so I really need to see those.

I have never seen John Savage in anything before either but he is brilliant in this as the war has really taken it's toll on him both physically and mentally and it's a very honest performance he's the one we see the least of the three men.

I am surprised that this is Chuck Aspergren's only film he's a complete natural fit with the other actors in the film, he plays Axel, he is not really an actor he was in fact a real life Steel Mill worker, and he's known in the film to saying 'F*****g A!'

Also Kudos to George Dzundza as John who's at the heart of my absolute favourite scene of the film it's so heartbreaking, poignant and beautiful. On the eve of Steven's wedding they are all in their local bar and he starts playing the piano there and it's one of the most beautiful pieces of piano I have ever heard and as he plays the camera goes to each characters face and how they react to his playing they are completely mesmerized and encapsulated and as a viewer I was too !.

Never before in a film have I seen performances that have said so little and expressed so much.

The most iconic scene of course is The Russian Roulette scene where Steven, Nick and Michael are taking prisoner by the Vietcong and forced at gun point to play Russian Roulette with them betting on whom would be the winner it's shocking. The scene is terrifying,brutal, searing, tense, uncomfortable and really puts you on the edge of your seat. All the actors in the scene are outstanding especially Savage, Walken and De Niro as they are forced to do the unthinkable, Steven is most effected by this and just the facial expressions that Nick does really gives you an insight to how they are feeling and Michael is the strongest in this scene, he has to be strong for them so that they can find a way to escape, De Niro really steals the scene he expresses so much emotion even laughing in the face of captors like the devil as he's about to pull the trigger, of course he knows what he's doing. When you see this scene for the first time it'll be forever seared into your memory and retinas you'll never forget it.

Stanley Myers was responsible for the music in The Deer Hunter but it's John Williams who performed the main theme which was written by Myers, there are great songs from the period in it as well as some traditional Russian songs I would love to get the soundtrack to this.

Cimino has done an outstanding job directing this it's a absolute, masterpiece and a brutal, searing, honest, tragic depiction of the Vietnam war, I highly recommend this film.