Blog 9 JKK

The Deer Hunter is a “coming home” film. The movie shows the main characters at home before they go to war, at war, and when they return from Vietnam. The three main characters, Nick, Michael, and Steven are seen in these 3 stages and their transformations are extreme.
In the first hour of the film the main characters have a very close relationship and love to drink and goof around with each other. They are all very excited to go to war and are proud to be serving their country. The friends attend Stephens wedding and have a great time dancing and drinking together. It is very clear to the audience that these men are all very close and love each other, their families, and their girlfriends. The wedding shows just how much these men will be leaving behind and how much it means to them. The men see a Green Beret sitting at the bar and ask him what the war was like. He is a very quiet man who creepily stares and walks around the party. It is obvious that he does not fit in with the normalcy that is going on at the party and that he struggles to adapt. The Green Beret responds to the men by saying “Fuck it.” And the characters just laugh and walk away. The audience can clearly see the brotherhood between these men and the close ties they share before they leave for war.
The next portion of the film shows the men in Vietnam in combat. They are captured and are seen playing Russian roulette with the Vietnamese against their will. It is clear that they all fear for their lives being at war. They are all afraid and upon their escape one of the characters says “I want to go home”. When they return from Vietnam, they are all significantly altered by the events that took place. Nick did not even come home with the other men and stayed in Vietnam gambling and playing Russian roulette. Stephen lost both of his legs and feels inadequate and feels embarrassed and ashamed of his condition. Michael was so shaken up by the war he could not bear to go to his own coming home party and avoided everyone he loved before going to war. The men no longer joke around with each other and have carefree fun. They are very serious and the drastic change can be seen by everyone around them.
The Deer Hunter is definitely and anti-war film by showing how awful the combat is and the after affects. The film showed the audience the whole story of these men and really captured the before and after of their lives. The men were broken down and can no longer show the emotions of love and caring the way they once did. This movie shows all of the negative aspects of the war and the transformations a soldier would undergo during and after the war.