Told in operatic form with three distinct one-hour acts, The Deer Hunter is the most heartbreaking film yet made about the Vietnam War's effects, both on the men who fought and those who stayed behind.
Set in mid-60s Clairton, Pennsylvania, Act One shows us the close-knit family that is this small steel town. The whole community seems to be helping Steven (John Savage) and his pregnant girlfriend Angela prepare for their wedding. The traditions that tie the community together are unveiled and at the same time sadly undercut by the knowledge that Steven and his best friends Michael (Robert De Niro) and Nick (Christopher Walken) will be leaving to fight in Vietnam the next day. But not before the boys have one last deer hunt. "One shot. That's what it's all about," says Michael.
In one of the most harrowing hours ever committed to film, Act Two takes us to Vietnam. When the three friends are captured and tortured by the Vietcong, it is hard to keep your eyes on the screen. Critics have charged that the Russian roulette scenes were a fabrication, but obviously these folks have never heard of a metaphor. Michael's hunting code becomes a taunting echo in our ears.
Act Three returns to Pennsylvania. Everyone is disfigured: Steven physically, Michael emotionally and Nick (who refuses to come back) psychically. The community's attempts of to understand their pain and the boys' inability to explain it make this a wrenching hour of film. Finally, Michael's mission to save his friends shows us America's attempt to heal the war's wounds.
This is a difficult film to watch. We must sit through some very intense situations and confront overwhelming emotions. However, the actors in the principal roles are so convincing and the movement of this story, told on such a grand scale, is so compelling that its greatness is undeniable.
