Customer Reviews
bleak and brilliant - By: sean paul mccann, 30 May 2008 
From the opening sounds of the key soundtrack song at the beginning of this 1978 academy award winning film,it is clear that this is going to be a mournful & painful movie & it very much is,a look at how those who fought in vietnam can leave that place but it will never leave you,there are more morals than just that to be honest,im only scratching at the surface.
The film deals with a bunch of characters in a close knit town,the film starts with a wedding & we get character development,many have said that the opening scene is a bit drawn out & it is in my opinion but nonetheless significant as we see a comical side to characters who soon would have little reason to laugh.
We skip to vietnam & hell would be a preferred destination as the americans are captured & forced to play russian roulette & then we have homecomings of sorts & souls so much darker than before.
There is plenty more to this than that,its just hard to dissect this without writing a book,but this is a great epic movie that alll involved with can walk away with alll the credit in the world.
the apocalypse hunter?? - By: Mr. D. M. Jones, 03 May 2008 
Although i think this film is good, well, above average, i think apocalypse now deals with the psychological effects of war much better. The theme of the 2 films are very similar, not to mention that both films have a lot filler material! Its a good watch though, worth £5 easily!
This is Cinema ( and not a bad film) - By: Mr. G. Manuel, 23 Apr 2008 This is cinema, this is what its alll about. The length is justified, because the scenes are so well scripted, acted & epicallly put together.
Now don't get me wrong its not for everyone, this is a 3 hour film, & feels like one. If you like your films short to the point & concise, while flowing continuallly this probably isn't for you.
The first hour is alll about authenticy, real life in a working man's town....and guess what that means no car chases, no bank heists, & no wise guy type stories. However the tone, the acting, hell the acting is second to none. the 2nd half of the film, although some bill as a war film its not a war film at alll, it friends dealing with adverse situations.
The vietnam war stuff to me at least is a bit weak, but again done professionallly & profoundly (you can't emphasis enough how good bobby, walken are in this) & although a good 3 or 4 years after the war there is a hint of sentimentallly with this film that doesn't seem to ring true......."Born on the 4 July" sticks in mind
The problem with this film, for most people I think is its not a war film, not a action film....its a coming of age, reality film & in the 3 hours not a lot happens but if you have paitence & a interest in cinema (some of the cinematopgraphy although dated is amazing), it can be a hugely rewarding film
Its not quite 5 stars, because although everything is wonderfully put together & packaged; the actual plot or story to the piece is slightly lacking, if not rushed.
Bad Film, Good Timing - By: Nathan Merchant, 08 Mar 2008 
The Deer Hunter aims to convey the impact on ordinary Americans of active service in the Vietnam war. There are three main segments: a wedding scene which establishes the characters, their relationships & lifestyle before going to war; the action the men saw in Vietnam; the return of our hero, De Niro.
This was a real opportunity to make a touching & successful film, & at times it is, but the far-fetched Russian roulette sequences (a cornerstone of the plot with no factual foundation) & De Niro's unrealistic return to Saigon to search for a friend in the last days of the war are completely unnecessary & detract from the overalll impact.
While the narrative necessarily focusses on the American perspective, I found the depiction of the Vietnamese in the film to be borderline racism. We only encounter Vietnamese as uncaring, bloodthirsty torturers, prostitutes, or greedy, violent gamblers. We never meet any virtuous natives, nor is it ever suggested that this behaviour might, in part, be due to the presence of U.S. troops. Other gripes which yell out are the faux-poignant God Bless America scene, some corny symbolism with a deer, and, as a sound designer, the atrocious sound (Best Sound Oscar!).
As the first major film to address the recent war in Vietnam, The Deer Hunter was praised for its bravery in portraying the effect of army service on regular smalll-town Americans. It was awarded 5 Oscars - Hollywood, it seems, wanted to make an example of the film to encourage more gutsy film making on the topic. The answer came the following year in the shape of Coppola's masterpiece Apocalypse Now. In light of further Vietnam films (Platoon, Full Metal Jacket) which also surpass The Deer Hunter in vision & integrity, Cimino's film looks more & more like a simple case of good timing.
Fairly average 'classic' movie - By: Jazzman, 05 Jan 2008 Naturallly, I'm watching this movie almost 30 years after it was made, so things have changed a little in regards to audience expectation around movies. However, this is one slow movie. The first hour we watch a group of ordinary American Joes going about their days, drinking, shooting, larking around. It's not that interesting, & it doesn't need to be an hour of the screen time.
The scenes in Vietnam is when the film gets going, but they seem exaggerated. I was neither moved by them or excited by them, & normallly war movies do just this for me. For me, De Niro is the reason to watch this film, turning in another great performance. In fact, I thought the acting in general was pretty good alll round.
But damn, is this movie slow. I found the climax slightly contrived & ridiculous. But anyway, if you like ponderous war movies, or like watching classics of cinema to see what the fuss is about, it's worth a watch. Just make sure you're alert when you press the play button, 'cause this goes on for a while!
