Genre: War / Drama
Duration: 184 minuten
Country:
United States / United Kingdom
Directed by: Michael Cimino
Stars: Robert De Niro, John Cazale and John Savage
IMDb score:
8,1 (372.287)
Releasedate: 9 March 1978
The Deer Hunter plot
Michael (Robert De Niro), Steven (John Savage) and Nick (Christopher Walken) are three young Pennsylvania factory workers who are called up to fight in Vietnam. Before they go, Steven marries the pregnant Angela and their wedding party is also the farewell party of the three boys. After fighting in the war for a while, the friends fall into the hands of the Viet Cong and are captured in a camp where they are forced to play Russian roulette against each other.
Actors and actresses
Michael Vronsky
Nikanor "Nick" Chevotarevich
Stan
Steven Pushkov
Linda
John
Angela
Julien
Bridesmaid
Linda's Father
Reviews & comments
Fisico (moderator films)
-
- 9754 messages
- 5303 votes
To my great shame and shame I had never seen this classic. Very nice film, but it is a film, a film with little historical value. So this is not an absolute masterpiece. Russian roulette in Vietnam? Not so. The frequently recurring 'good vs bad' stereotypical opponents that you see in many war films, including here. The Americans are depicted as good, sympathetic noble family people. The Viet Cong as a murderous sadistic ugly gang. Life is a little more nuanced than that...
It is not a typical war film with a lot of violence. The film focuses on the lives of three Americans who go to war. The focus is on their lives before they leave and when they return and how the war has changed them. That is portrayed very well. De Niro and Walken do this brilliantly. The wedding may have been a bit long-winded, but it reflects the zeitgeist very well. The friends lead a dull, despondent existence in a gray industrial city with little prospects, apart from a party here and there. The war is their flight to fame, honor and adventure. It is a gift (tiens, where did we hear that before?). Disillusioned they come out of the war. Some better than others. The atmosphere, structure of the story, message of the film and music are sublime (hence my high rating). The film also stood the test of time well, which I can only admire. Historically rubbish, but then I should probably watch a documentary? Yet ...
Translated from Dutch · View original
Black Math
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- 5417 messages
- 1741 votes
Last top 250 Vietnam film I still had on my shelf, and also the only one I hadn't seen. Another motivation to watch this film was the parody of the first roulette scene in Meet the Feebles.
Not too high of expectations, but it was still disappointing. The film is already very long, but on top of that the film is also very slow.
Each. Scene. Is becoming. irritating. Long. drawn out.
Dealing with shoes and such. In addition, a typical De Niro tough guy character, always surrounded by a wannabe macho (played here by Cazale, in other films often by Pesci). I don't care much for it. The only character that was still somewhat interesting is that of Walken.
The Vietnam part is relatively short and my suspicion that this is actually more of a peg to let the characters be who they are is confirmed when I read that the script was originally only about Russian roulette. I don't really care if a script has been reworked or not.
The soundtrack is not very memorable. The opening music, which also sounds at the end and in between during a scene with De Niro and Streep, is okay, but not great either. Visually, the film is just as interesting as the average Scorsese film. Not so. Scorsese's films sometimes still have some atmosphere, but that too is largely absent here, at most in the Vietnam scenes, but they are quite short.
In short, a long boring film. 0.5*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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