The Deer Hunter (1978) Movie Review, Trailer and Poster

USA, UK 1978
Director: Michael Cimino
Cast: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, John Cazale, Meryl Streep, George Dzundza
Rating: R
Release Date: 8 December 1978 (USA)
Running Time: 3 hours 2 minutes

The Movie Review

Vietnam War that ended in the 70s had left not only limited to the devastated nation of Vietnam and its people, it also devastatingly effected the American Soldiers in how the war has changed them physically or mentally. Just like any other wars, Vietnam War also become the inspiration whether fictional or fact in the form of a spate of Hollywood movies. The Deer Hunter was released in 1978 and has received five academy awards including Best Motion Picture, tells the story about the Vietnam War Veterans and the aftermath of the war had inflicted upon them.

The whole three hours of its running time divided into three lengthy acts. We meet Michael (Robert de Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage). Three


The DEER HUNTER
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buddies and also come from the same ethnic of Russian American are the American Soldiers that serve their country in Vietnam. We learn how their life used to be before going to war, how they deal with the war in Vietnam, and how they have to face the life back home with changes happen upon them that made them never be the same again.

Frankly, one third of its running time or around an hour, we practically only learn about Russian Culture and somehow a tad drawn out just to introduce us to the characters and a waste that there are not much that we learn actually about them and their past. After that, things are getting kicked up several notches higher, and the movie starts to get really intriguing.
The second act is how the boys deal with the communists in Vietnam. The violence depicted is bold and strong, added by the strong performance by the Vietnamese actors too.
And the finally the third act is really where this film is acclaim-worthy for. This is where we see the strong emotional drama scene between the leading cast, playing their part as war veterans with their own emotional problem.

The Deer Hunter is not the kind of war movie that makes you ooh and aah with its war entertainment value with all the ka-boom and bang bang but instead it makes you feel awestruck and think deeply about how scary war is and there's nothing fun about it. The Deer Hunter definitely has its moments, mainly involving those three great actors, but those moments seem to be widely detached between variably unimportant tiring scenes. It emphasizes on the dramatic relationship between them and with a touch of great ending that made me ignore its tedious three hours.

Major advantage The Dear Hunter has is its Cast, Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, and Meryl Streep. Those actors combined into a spectacular movie. With this movie actor Christopher Walken started to collect its Movie Trophies and continue to collect another and star in various great movies up until this beginning of the 21st century.

At the year of its release probably, this movie was something of spectacular material, if not notoriously controversial for its Russian Roulette scene... If you are a war movie enthusiast, The Deer Hunter should be on your viewing agenda.

© iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com