The Deer Hunter

Long, roughly edited, and with an almost dragging realism, The Deer Hunter continues to resonate divisively since its original 1978 release. Naively heroic, a posse of small-town friends, headed by the sturdy Michael (Robert De Niro) and his vulnerable buddy Nick (Christopher Walken), are catapulted abruptly from workaday routine to primitive terror in Vietnam.

Director Michael Cimino offers a stark vision that illuminates everyday humdrum with peculiar beauty when set against the horror that transpires in Vietnam’s scenic paradise. After trawling through merry celebrations, tranquil Pennsylvanian vistas and their mutual love for girl-next-door Linda (Meryl Streep), the gut-wrenching power of that roulette scene lies foremost in seeing the two friends thrust heartbreakingly out of context. Facing death, De Niro and Walken provide career highlights as men wrestling for their lives and souls within the depths of hell. Impressively, Cimino manages to fluctuate involvingly between cynicism and compassion in what feels like a three hour cinematic ache.