The Deer Hunter

The Russian roulette scenes were some of the best scenes in movies I've seen in a while. So intense and beautifully shot.

This is among the weaker 70s films dealing with the Vietnam war. Definitely not bad but a lot of choices feel watered down. A lot of this folds in on itself if you’ve seen movies like _Apocalypse Now, Platoon_ and _Taxi Driver_ (maybe throw in some _All Quiet on the Western Front_ too for the first act). Really feels like this was made for an audience who’d consider those films too challenging or artsy, there’s no auteur filmmaking here and the sappy music takes some of the edges off. It doesn’t mean there are no memorable sequences, for example I loved the Russian roulette scenes (even with it bordering on villifying the Vietnamese too easily) and its authentic depiction of war, but for every great moment there’s a scene that drags on for too long (e.g. wedding). Ultimately what saves the movie for me are the great performances and this idea of the experience of war having different psychological effects on people. It’s that idea that carries the film to a pretty emotional climax. If only the rest of the film was as tight and packed as much punch. 6/10