The first hour of the movie "The Deer Hunter" is in starck contrast to the rest of the movie. It shows the three main characters, Michael, Nick and Stephen enjoying alcohol, women and most of al friendship. The opening act takes place at the wedding of Stephen and his girlfriend. While there, Michael tries to talk to a soldier at the bar about the war. The soldier's only response is "fuck 'em" which really angers Michael. This is likely the first time Michael realizes the situation he is in and how dramatically it can affect his life.
This is considered a "coming home" film because it focuses less on actual warfare and more on the ill effects it has on people. We see in the end of the film how it drive Nick crazy enough to continually press his luck and play russian roulette. Even though from the beginning of the movie it is clear that Nick is a gambler, we see his actions steady rise in insanity until he kills himself. Michael, who is portrayed as the leader of the group and who you would think has the best chance of "surviving" the war, is still clearly affected after he comes back. He is the one who always says "one shot" refering to deer hunting but in the end we see that it also can be that way with human life. When Nick shoots himself there are no second chances or re-do's.
This movie is definitely an anti-war movie. This is because it focuses on how much the war can ruin people. We also see very little positives in the movie after the first scene is over. It slowy goes down hill for each character especially Nick. he leaves for the war with a loving girlfriend and by the end of the war he is a drug addict who is extremely addicted to experiencing the thrills in life that he eventually kills himself trying to get the rush of war again.
No comments:
Post a Comment