Friday 15 February 2013

Day 46: The Deer Hunter



Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage) leave behind their happy lives in Pennsylvania to become soldiers in the Vietnam war. Much like every film about soldiers, the men are wounded psychologically as well as physically and trying to get back to normal life is proving difficult.

Almost the entire first hour of this film is Steven’s wedding. It’s just far too long. Yeah they’re all happy and having a great time, I understand we need to see that but no way did it have to last that long. It was such an enthusiastic wedding reception, I was exhausted just watching the damn thing. Eventually it’s over and they’re off to war. The three of them are taken prisoner and forced to play Russian Roulette by their captors. Those scenes were well acted and you could definitely feeling the tension alongside them. Finally, Michael (total hero throughout), hatches a plan and they manage to escape. All three end up going their separate ways and we follow Michael as he returns home. He doesn’t feel comfortable though and remembers his promise to Nick, that he wouldn’t leave him, and so returns to Saigon to get him. But Nick is too far gone mentally and he can’t even remember Michael anymore. He’s playing Russian Roulette voluntarily this time and he dies playing. Right in front of his best friend. Michael’s face is just heartbreaking.

Before they head off, Linda (Meryl Streep), is with Nick but you can see she clearly likes Michael. And Michael is insanely obvious about his liking of her and he almost kisses her during the wedding but you can see him hesitate and quickly stop himself. When he comes back from the war he doesn’t want to see anyone but her. She’s so happy to see him and just bursts into tears and grabs onto him. In every scene with the two of them, Michael can’t keep his eyes off her and when she looks at him it’s like they understand what the other is thinking. Their relationship is difficult though because she was with Nick and Michael was his best friend. I’m sure it must work though, I mean, she kisses his war scar. If that’s not just such an intimate thing. Must be love.

The film made me feel so claustrophobic and I never feel like that. There were so many people all climbing on top of each other all the time and it was like every scene was so loud, it was rarely ever just quiet. It made me so uncomfortable the entire way through but that was probably the intention. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this film because I’m really not interested in soldiers at all but I ended up surprising myself by how much I did like it.

8/10 

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