Deer Hunter
Deer Hunter is a progression from a wedding to a funeral. It is all about how the war in Vietnam led to the loss of many lives, and negatively impacted on several others. For me, one key event would be where the movie starts off in the furnace of the steel mills where the men featured work tirelessly, in some town in Pennsylvania. Later when their shift is ended, the men move out while singing along to a song with the jukebox, to get some beer down the road. This happens in the last morning, and later, they would have to present themselves before the Vietnam. It signifies male bonding among the involved characters. It shows the free time men have to interact with each other. Such moments bring them together even after a hard day at work.
Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and John Savage, go through horrifying sequences that I see as the second key event in the film. The men are taken prisoners and then made to play Russian roulette as the people who captured them bet on who would be the first to blow their brains out. This game becomes a major symbol of the film. Russian roulette is full of violence, as it paints a clear picture on the sanity of the captives that are forced to engage in it. It carries with it significant ideology about the war. Additionally, it symbolizes the war in the sense that the men’s body parts will be cut off, then become mentally disturbed and fear facing their families.
In conclusion, Deer Hunter major displays the intricacies of human response to pressure. For instance, men who fight but lose the war face unpalatable choices. This film presents grotesque scenes that succeed to give the war being alluded to, its true nature.
