Rating: 
Summary: What is the Point?!?!?!?
Review: This is my favorite film. It clearly doesn't cheer me up to watch it, but it has all the makings of a fantastic film. After reading another review asking what the point is, I felt I had to add my thoughts (for whatever they are worth). Asking what is the point of the movie is like asking what the point of life is. A film that takes a serious look at the impact of both joyous and traumatic events on a group of people's lives and how they react to them and ultimately deal with them is the point. Sometimes you don't get the happy, clean ending. The acting is superb. I think the most interesting aspect of the film is Michael (De Niro). He is clearly a character in conflict from start to finish. He is apparently distraught over his feelings for Linda (Streep)and his guilt over having these feelings for his best friend's girl from the beginning. This conflict and guilt is only heightened when he has to deal with Nick (Walken)being left behind as he gets to return to Linda. Great story. Highly recommended. Unfortunately, the DVD is average. Where is the 20th anniversary edition? I'm hoping for a 25th with a commentary or 2 and other extras.
Rating: 
Summary: 'tis wacky
Review: A real laugh-a-thon from start to finish; Deniro raises churlishness to an artform...watch him sulk, spout incomprehensible philosophies, and try to blow everyone's brains out at Russian Roulette..Walken turns in his typical bugged-out performance and is plaugued throughout Deer Hunter with an odd swagger that makes him seem like a black dude. Streep is "very believable" as a grocery store clerk. The wedding scene lasted longer than my first marriage. The real deal here is the Russian Roulette scene, with its endless face slapping that is actually more disturbing than the inevitable head shots....wild, wacky fun for the whole family!
Rating: 
Summary: King of overrated movies
Review: I found this film to be highly overrated. First, it desperately needed the attention of an editor. The 3 hours isn't what bothers me, it's just that they tried to do way too many things with the script and it comes off to me as noisy and not focused. Yeah, the hardships, yeah, the friendship, yeah, the abused women who have to cope with disgusting husbands. But there are little redeeming qualities you take from the characters and the situations. Second, the Vietnam scene was a disasterous mess from start to ridiculous escape. The famous Russian roulette scene lasts about 45 minutes, which is the duration of the Vietnam scene. After 45 minutes, you probably will get tired of people shouting and seeing others shoot themselves through the head and watch as blood streams from the wound as they fall and twitch on the floor. The escape is absurdly preposterous, and Christopher Walken is left behind. The last hour and a half of the movie is Robert DeNiro walking around town saying, "Hello, nice t'see ya!" And by the time you see Walken again in the end you've probably forgotten that he's even in the movie. I'm sorry to say that it seems like this film could be really good, if they would have polished it and focused it more. From the dragging, overly long wedding to the deer hunting scene to Vietnam to home again, it all seems like the movie is just a bunch of outtakes or something.
Rating:
Summary: One of a kind; impossible to emulate it.
Review: As war films go, 'The Deer Hunter' is a unique work and an impossible template for would-be imitators to use. Director Michael Cimino takes a straightforward premise and complicates it so thoroughly that the end product can be nothing else but a true imitation of reality. His picture is a first in that it demonstrates slices of lives before, during and after they go into the oven. Three Russian-American steelworkers from Philadelphia go off to serve their country in Vietnam. After enduring unbelievably sadistic treatment from their Viet Cong captors, the trio manage to get out..... ......only to find that there is no escape from war. Homing in on De Niro and Walken (the third guy gets backseated early), Cimino's cameras milk each scene dry of its humanity. De Niro finds that he is able to try for some semblance of normality back in Philadelphia, albeit as a changed man. However, Walken's character has popped all his screws and is drawn back to the Russian Roulette tables of Saigon by his maniacal suffering. Only when he finds that Walken has being sending large cash conscience gifts to the legless third member of the original trio does De Niro feel hopeful that he can find his friend. He returns to the self-destructing city in search of him and finds something so horrifying that he chooses to gamble with his own life. Clocking in at over three hours, Cimino's epic wonderwork earned several Oscars for its contributors. Ultra strong performances are pulled from the cast and the realism never lets up during the entire run of the film. Every aspect of these men's lives comes to the camera which is a double-edged blade. On the one hand, Cimino's lack of subject concentration ensures that the characters and the events that befall them are extremely plausible; on the other hand, sometimes this constant microscope on life makes for tedium. Given the novel feel of 'The Deer Hunter', though, the negative aspects of Cimino's over zealous style is excusable. No, the reality factor in this movie is so great that it can push the viewer to tears. As a whole, the movie can't be construed as overlong, either, because it's far too mind engaging and poignant. Perhaps it's owing to its identity as the first Vietnam War drama film that 'The Deer Hunter' is so powerful. At any rate, it made a name for its director. Cimino was trail blazing here in the strictest sense and nothing like it has come since. Future Vietnam pictures would eschew the human element in favour of the violence only. A sad ending, a beautiful soundtrack and spectacular location photography provide the jewels for this crown of a work. Even so, the dimensions and dynamics of 'The Deer Hunter' were as good as impossible for Cimino to replicate in his later films. He tried to do it in the Western 'Heaven's Gate' two years later and nearly sank MGM studios. 'The Deer Hunter' is the archetypal War Drama. It had to be done so Cimino committed it to film. It can never be done again or transfused into another format. This film is a monolith of Humanity on tape. It needs to be seen by those who seek to understand the darker sides of the human condition and owned by those who already do.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: The Deer Hunter is one of my favorite movies of all time but its not for everyone. The characters and their development ARE the point of the movie rather than strict vietnam authenticity which it lacks. Every scene has a purpose so if one has trouble concentrating during the slow parts, you may miss the subtle and powerful underlying theme of friendship...the point of the movie.
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful, Wrenching War-Drama Film!
Review: This is easily among the best movie of all time. this is a powerful piece of film-making and a rare treat: a 'war' movie with nostalgia. Great performances all around, but especially DeNiro and Walken. While 3 hours long it is never boring, it shows you what's happening before, during and after the Vietnam War, in a small Pennsylvania town. It also shows you what happens to men after a war and the impact it leaves in their personalities. Great direction by Cimino, and a low-key score make it enjoyable. A must-see, one of the greats. From a scale of 1-10 I give this movie a 10!
Rating:
Summary: Best movie EVER!
Review: The Deerhunter is probably the best movie ever to be made in my opinion. This movie is very deep, I have never cried during a movie but this was just too much. Unbelievable movie, I rate it a 10 star. Five stars don't do it justice.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie, but DVD light on the extras
Review: This movie desevered to win best picture and all of the other Oscar nominations. DeNiro, Walken and everybody is great. I rented the DVD version and it is O.K. The picture and sound were average at best and the picture at times resembled VHS. The DVD doesn't have many special features, but it is a must rental if you've never seen it before.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars not enough
Review: If you watch this film patiently (because it's long), and hang on every word that's said, you will be left dumbstruck. This film is so real it is like a documentary. Here are the details: the film is divided into 3 parts. The first part depicts three ordinary men (Mike, Steve and Nick) living in Pennsylvania, going about life just as you and I do. They live as if there is no tomorrow: having a good time, getting drunk, Mike getting married. This part lasts 1 hour. The film then moves up a gear, and takes you to the other end of the spectrum of their life: playing Russian Roulette against each other forced upon them by the Vietnese. The Russian Roultete scene, which is carried out in detail and leaves you sweating, lasts about 20 minutes. In the third part (post Vietnam) the film moves into top gear. De Niro (Mike) returns to Pennsylvania a traumetised man who is now far aand distant from his friends. He eventually tracks down his collegues who are also broken by their experience (I'm not saying what has happened to them). This part lasts about 1 hour. The film is so moving to me because of the way the three men appear experts in Russian Roullete after their ordeal - they are able to pick up a gun and point it to their heads as if they know they will win. I could write much more. Don' be put off by the slow start - it's necessary in order to see the contrast when they move to Vietnam. The dvd quality is ok, though I found some scenes a bit gloomy.
Rating:
Summary: so real it's like a documentary - 5 stars are not enough
Review: Five stars are not enough for this film. The previous night I saw the General's Daughter with John Travolta. The two films couldnt' be more contrasting. The latter is your typical hollywood dumb-down pop-corn film with sex, violence and one of hollywood's favourite actor; the former is a no-frills film about events as they really must have happened in Vietnam. Here are the details : The film is divided into three parts: the first part is about 3 normal young men in Pennsylvania whose only aim is to have a good time (lasts about 1 hour); the second part takes you to Vietnam, and that's where you start wiping the sweat off of your brow, and sweating in the southern region (this lasts about 45 minutes); the third part is post-Vietnam when deNiro returns to Pennsylvania traumetised. The film is now in top gear and keeps you on the edge of your seat because you don't know what has happened to De Niro's other 2 collegeus. Are they also in Canada ? Were they killed in Nam ? DeNiro (Mickey) eventually tracks them down, and I won't say what state they are in, because that would spoil it. There cannot be a better film out than the Deer Hunter. The Russian Roulet scenes must be the most nerve touching scenes made (same category as the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan). The acting is superb. A lot of people rave about de Niro et al (and quite rightly so), but those vietnese bad guys were also superb. The film may appear too long, perhaps a bit drawn out in places, and some of the scenes a bit gloomy - so don't expect a non-stop action Private Ryan type of film. I'm sure it would sweep the oscars today if it was released now. I'll be watching it again tonight just to watch the russian roulette scenes.
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