#79. The Deer Hunter (1978)

There are movies out there more disturbing than "The Deer Hunter." Of course they are snuff-films and scat-porn.

Set in rural Pennsylvania in the mid-1960's, the film begins by showing us the close relationship between a group of steelworkers, 3 of which are getting ready to leave for Vietnam with one, Steven, getting married presumably mere days before they ship out. There is some dark foreshadowing of things to come (a theme that will become very prevalent as the movie progresses) when a recently returned soldier shows up at the VFW where the wedding is being held. The men ask him what they can expect and he responds with a bitter and curt "fuck it" which they take as him blowing them off, totally unaware as to what is in store for them.

Another one of the men, Nick (played by young Christopher Walken) professes his love for Linda, one of the bridesmaids (an even younger Meryl Streep) and the two commit to get married as soon as he comes back. This wedding sequence is a good and interesting way to get us all acquainted with the characters and their personalities, though the scene itself goes on for far too long, the same objective could have been accomplished sans a couple of the lengthy dances.

One last trip to the mountains for a deer hunt, the group's favorite pastime, reveals that quiet and pensive Michael (Robert DeNiro) is the leader as he is the most responsible and intelligent. We also learn that Michael is closest with Nick, as the two confide several things to each other, including Nick's fear that he will be left behind in combat- another brilliant if not obvious use of foreshadowing.

"Every time he comes up, he's got no knife, he's got no jacket, he's got no pants, he's got no boots. All he's got is that stupid gun he carries around like John Wayne." (Michael Vronsky, "The Deer Hunter")

With absolutely no warning the movie suddenly jumps to the middle of a heated battle in Vietnam. Michael, Nick and Steven are captured by the NVA and imprisoned along with several Southern Vietnamese. As a form of torture, the Viet Cong force the POW's to play Russian Roulette for their amusement. The use of Russian Roulette is an obvious metaphor for so many things; the risk involved in war, the "accidental" form of suicide that ensues from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and even the value people of different philosophies place on human life. During one of these disturbing games, Michael orchestrates an escape plan, turning the roulette gun on one of the captors, disarming him and blasting their way to freedom. As they float aimlessly downriver a transport chopper spots them and rescues Nick but Michael stays with Steven who has broken both legs.

Some time later, Nick wanders into an underground club where a French gambler offers to make him rich if he agrees to participate in competitive Russian Roulette. Nick is so badly wrecked from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and so psychologically damaged over worrying about the fate of his friends that he accepts the man's offer without a second thought. As it turns out Michael is also in the same building but the two never see each other.

As abruptly as the Vietnam segment begins it ends as Michael returns home from the war. He avoids his friends, ducks his Welcome Home party, checks into a motel and spends the night battling flashbacks and night terrors before finally going to see Linda. After they both confirm they haven't heard anything about Nick they quietly accept the fact that he is probably dead. After many months of awkwardness and isolation, they finally succumb to their loneliness and begin a relationship.

Michael slowly begins to readjust to life back home, but when he attempts to go on his first deer hunt since returning we see just how badly the war has affected him. When he comes practically face-to-face with an incredibly large buck, he struggles with his ability to kill the creature, and eventually fires an almost point-blank warning shot to scare it off and let it go. It is through this incredibly subtle yet telling action that we start to see the true importance of "The Deer Hunter." Many war movies before and since have shown the short term impact of war, the immediate carnage. But this film takes it an unprecedented step further by showing the permanent after-effects. While talking with friends after the failed hunt, Michael learns that Steven has been home the whole time Michael has been back but he won't see or talk to anyone. Michael finally tracks him down; he is a double-amputee living in a Veteran's Hospital, refusing to discharge himself to live with his wife.

Steven reveals to Micahel that he is receiving huge sums of cash in the mail from an unknown benefactor in Saigon. Micahel suddenly realizes that Nick must not only be alive, but competing in the horrific "sport" of Russian Roulette that Michael witnessed in the club the night he and Nick almost crossed paths. Utterly devastated that he has inadvertently allowed Nick's biggest fear, being left behind, to come to pass- he frantically rushes to Vietnam vowing to bring Nick home. When he arrives Michael learns the only way he can get close enough to Nick to confront him is to buy his way into the competition. Across the table from each other Michael tries despearately to get Nick to come home, though Nick is so far gone he has no recollection of his friend or his life back home and he insists the game continue in what leads to one of the most climactic, gutting and utterly shocking cinematic moments of all time.

As dark and dreary as the subject matter is "The Deer Hunter" is riddled with artistic beauty. The sudden jumps from Pennsylvania to Vietnam back to Pennsylvania clearly illustrate a defined first, second and third act, an absolute necessity for any truly theatrical tragedy. The repeated use of foreshadowing is identifiable enough to where you know that's what it is, but not so clear that it gives anything specific away. From Michael's repeated hunting mantra of the importance of what "one shot" can do to a close-up during the wedding sequence of Steven spilling the wine from his goblet during a traditional toast meant to bring good luck to the bride and groom, the use of foreshadowing serves one vital purpose: to help prepare the audience for things to come.

I spoke earlier of the importance of showing what war does to people, but this film takes it to a whole new level. One thing though that I thought was conspicuously absent was any kind of depiction of the mistreatment returning veterans experienced back home. While I understand this couldn't have been explored too deeply without taking the narrative off course it still would have been nice to see in a film that broke all kinds of taboos as far as it's honesty in dealing with war.

While I don't know how intentional it was on the part of the director "The Deer Hunter" does a phenomenal job of bridging the classes. By showing men who are inherently, almost stereotypically blue collar doing very blue collar things (working in a steel mill, hunting, going to war) the film uses a remarkable amount of artistic elements previously only seen in hoitie-toitie opera, theater and classical music.

The most unique and commendable thing about "The Deer Hunter" is the level of intensity. The point-of-view shots that alternate between the Russian Roulette combatants makes you feel uncomfortably close to the events being shown. I literally held my breath, cringed and subsequently exhaled every time a chamber came up empty, or audibly gasped when one of the men falls to the ground dead.

I would not recommend "The Deer Hunter" for everyone, but at the same time I think anyone who passes on it would be robbed of an experience that would give them an almost incomparable level of understanding of other people's struggles.