The Deer Hunter (1978)

I grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania, not far from the steel mill towns, but among those deer hunting-crazied people. Maybe that has something to do with the fact this movie hit home with me. It takes place in Clairton, PA and was filmed in various dying steel towns on the outskirts of Pittsburgh.

While I was not a young woman during the Vietnam War, I was when the Iraq conflict began in the early part of the 21st century. I watched as some of my male friends joined the armed forces and even had a boyfriend or two do the same. Robert De Niro's character is an amalgamation of those former boyfriends. It is because of his work in this movie that I have become quite a De Niro fan and will admit to even having a bit of a crush on him. I watched the first half of the movie and thought, "Wow, Robert Duvall is really attractive in this!" I then re-read the sleeve from Netflix and realized I had the wrong Robert D. Whoops!

The story centers around three friends as they prepare to leave their blue collar jobs to join the military and head to Vietnam. One is marrying his girlfriend while the other two are in love with the same woman. The three men often deer hunt together and De Niro's character is by far the most superior hunter.

They all meet in Vietnam while under fire and after having been there for some time. All three are captured and their captors use a torture method that doubles as entertainment for the men imprisioning them. These men force the American prisoners of war to play Russian Roulette. The game changes the lives and mental state of the three men.

I do not want to give anything more away for those who have not seen the film but it boils down to when De Niro's character returns, he is no longer able to shoot a deer. The movie shows what is unforunately the pattern in the United States - the poor boys go off to war because the rich boys either can get out of going, do not care, or do not need the money. When the young men returned from Vietnam, there was no celebration like after the victory of WWII. These guys were basically forgotten except by those close to them. They came home from a "war" that really was won by nobody. The mental suffering of these veterans is also showcased in the film but to say any more would be to give away parts of the story.

Christoper Walken won a Best Supporting Actor award for his role in The Deer Hunter. Rounding out the great cast were Meryl Streep and John Savage.