The Deer Hunter (DVD, 1998, Limited Edition Packaging; Widescreen)

I had purchased this DVD for my mom in order to replace a VHS copy. The Deer Hunter is one of the longer movies out there, with a running time of three hours.

The movie is one part look at life, one part showing the hell that is war and what it means to live after after the war, in this case Vietnam, is over. It's cast is a list of who's who in Hollywood, including Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, George Dzunda and Christopher Walken. The movie has been criticized as "anti-war" since it shows only the worst elements of post war life. However, I think an intelligent observer could look past that to the deeper meanings.

Consider the relationships in this movie. You have a group of friends working their jobs at a steel mill, then heading out for an after work beer enjoying each other's company. Later, they go to a wedding and we see a scene not unlike most wedding, celebration, people getting drunk and parting.

The group of friends heads into the mountains to shoot deer and have a conversation about what it really means to shoot an animal. It's quite analytical and makes you think.

From there, you're literally dropped into the Vietnam conflict, with these same friends serving as soldiers. There's a particularly emotional scene when, having been captured, the men are forced to play Russian roulette by their captors. They do manage to escape, but all three men are forever changed by what they went through. One is forever crippled, one returns home to be with the girl he always cared about and the third stays in Vietnam, playing Russian roulette as a way to make money.

I guess you could argue that Deer Hunter is ultimately a sad film, for the innocence these men lose or a happy movie for the ones who return home. I see it more as a comment on the human condition, the byplay of how life and people can dramatically change to someone we might not even recognize.

If you can, see it.

After hearing so much about how awesome this movie was I saw it for myself. This boring experience was worse than doing arts and crafts with my grandmother, or indulging in underwater basket weaving courses. Nothing made sense and it was drawn out way too far, yes I understand the emotional value between Walken and Deniro, but there were too many worthless insignificant events leading up to that for me to really even care, and what in the hell is the deal with all of the russian roulette, makes no sense at all. Don't waste your time, and don't buy this one.

Recommended DVD's That Are Actually Good:
Downfall
Stalingrad
Patton
Schindler's List
Apocalypse Now Redux
Cross of Iron
Dr. Strangelove

This movie is one of the best Vietnam era movies ever made. The movie has a great cast and won Best Picture along with other awards. It is a movie about a group of friends who go to Vietnam and how it changes their lifes and the lifes of those around them. This movie is excellent and a must see in my opinion.

This movie has won many awards in its day. It is a classic War movie about Pennsylvania Steelworkers and their lives before the Vietnam War as well as during and after. It's just over 3 hours - so be sure you're comfy. Robert DeNiro and Meryl Steep performed very very well in this movie which won them awards.

The Deer Hunter is a misnomer for this film because the deer hunting was not the crux of this movie.
Other characters aside from DeNiro had just as much to offer. I'm not sure why the reviews I read are centered around the miitary...that was the plot. The subplot is more interesting. Being a woman I could related to Streep's character of losing her boyfriend first to the war then because of his PTSD. So what...he should've seen a shrink.
My family's roots on my mother's side are from the Ohio Valley so this movie was like a slice of local life for the characters who were friends in the movie. Not sure why many of the reviews I've read are based on the War backdrop of this movie.
It's more interesting to see how the friends coped after everyone came home with one exception.
So I loved the movie for the nostalgia. I can remember from my hometown when neighbor's sons returned from Vietnam. We all moved on from then.
I think Streep's character, as the abused daughter, could've been expounded upon further. What's with all the staring scenes from DeNiro?
Also....a voice coach should've been used for this epic movie. Having traveled to that part of the country every year since I was a child I know the tonations of the Ohio Valley accent....I didn't hear any of that in the movie. Great film though.