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1978
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THE
DEER HUNTER
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STARRING:ROBERT
DE NIRO,CHRISTOPHER WALKEN,MERYL STREEP,JOHN SAVAGE,JOHN CAZALE,GEORGE
DZUNDZA,CHUCK ASPEGREN,RUTANYA ALDA,SHIRLEY STOLER
STORY
BY MICHAEL CIMINO,LOUIS GARFINKLE,QUINN K. REDEKER & DERIC
WASHBURN
SCREENPLAY
BY DERIC WASHBURN
PRODUCED
BY MICHAEL CIMINO,MICHAEL DEELEY,JOHN PEVERALL & BARRY
SPIKINGS
DIRECTED
BY MICHAEL CIMINO
GENRE:DRAMA/WAR
RATED:AUSTRALIA:R/UK:18/USA:R
RUNNING
TIME:182 MIN
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Michael
(Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage)
are three Clairton, Pennsylvania steel workers of Russian orthodox
ancestry who are days away from joining the war in Vietnam. Celebrating
their final days with the wedding of Steven to his pregnant bride
Angela (Rutanya Alda) and the subsequent deer hunting ritual with
their best friends Slosh (John Cazale), John (George Dzundza) and
Axel (Chuck Aspegren), the three men leave as enthusiastic volunteers
but are forever changed by the hell of war. Steven loses his legs
and alienates himself from his friends and family; Nick loses his
mind and goes AWOL after being seduced by the dark recesses of the
Vietnamese underworld; and Michael returns home a decorated soldier,
torn by his feelings towards Nicks girlfriend Linda (Meryl Streep)
and haunted by the promise given to Nick that he will not leave him
behind.
The Deer Hunter is a sad, sombre film that shows how the Vietnam
War had forever changed a small, blue collar town and the affect it
had on the men who served in it. Robert De Niro gives his best performance
outside of Raging Bull as the quiet, introverted and
quirky Michael. Once again with De Niro it's the small things that
lead to a greater whole. Whether it is a shift of his head or a look
in his eyes, De Niro brings much sorrow, anguish and stern authority
to a very complex character who finds it hard to articulate his feelings,
more often than not coming up with enigmatic, short doses of philosophy
(such as the infamous "This is this!" line given to John
Cazale's character 'Stosh').
Before he was stereotyped as the creepy guy, Christopher Walken had
many varied character driven performances under his belt. The role
of Nick has been his most celebrated earning Walken multiple awards
(including the Oscar) and with good cause. It is an intensely tragic
performance that showcases a vulnerability hardly shown in his body
of work.
Meryl Streep is excellent as the love torn Linda earning her first
of what would be 14 Oscar nominations. Virtually a new comer with
a few TV credits and one feature film in her resume, Streep is simply
radiant, an absolute natural on screen exuding pure charm and elegance.
the best moments within The Deer Hunter are the ones shared
between Streep and De Niro. There is absoluteness to both actors,
a sense of realism and credibility that not many others share.
The rest of the cast are also good. John Savage gives a heartbreaking
performance, while the marvellous John Cazale willed himself through
crippling bone cancer to play the egotistical "Stosh", and
doing a great job in the process. He would die shortly after the films
completion.
Director Michael Cimino manages to create an engrossing movie experience
despite its three hour running time and the distressing and often
confrontational subject manner. The transitions from Russian wedding
(the most extravagant since Carlo Rizzi married Connie Corleone in
The Godfather), to the tranquil scenery of the mountains
of Mount Baker, Washington (where the excellent cinematography by
Vilmos Zsigmond shines) and the hell on earth of Vietnam flow easily.
The Vietnam sequences feature some truly horrific images, the most
famous involving American POW's used in games of Russian roulette
with the Vietcong betting on who will blow their head off first. These
scenes are tense, violent, disturbing, were extremely controversial
upon release and feature De Niro at his unchained best. Of course
there is no evidence that these events actually happened, but never
the less these scenes are a vital part of the film, a fine lesson
in affective film making that had me on the edge of my seat.
One of my favourite war movies, The Deer Hunter is essential
viewing for anyone who is a fan of De Niro, Walken, or Streep and
is a must for any serious movie buff. |
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