The Deer Hunter

Eight stars. The seeds of Cimino's downfall were sown in his greatest triumph.

His Heaven's Gate was the disaster that ended the Hollywood auteur era of the 60s and 70s. And one needs look no further than the first act of The Deer Hunter to see why. Maybe Cimino thought he really needed three one-hour acts for some sort of symmetry. I don't know. What I do know is that act one was about twice as long as it had any business being. It dragged. Painfully so.

Now, once we leave Clairton for Vietnam, the film elevates to brilliance. Acts two and three are masterful. Cimino's work here is glorious. And the acting is splendid from the first scene onward. DeNiro and Walken get most of the cred, but Streep and Cazale are both monumental here. Savage and Dzundza also turn in splendid performances. Dzundza's is the easiest to overlook, just as Savage's is the easiest to discount. But his work is needed for the whole tragic tale to hang together. Nick and Steve are both shattered by their experiences. And, for all his love and effort, Mike really can't save them.

This is a great film. If Cimino had cut half an hour from act one, it would be a transcendant one. 14 August 2023.