4. The Deer Hunter (1978)
The third of four Best Picture winners on this list is also the next one that could really ruffle a few feathers. Most people love
The Deer Hunter, or at least think very highly of it: everyone remembers the Russian roulette scenes with Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken (who also won an Oscar for his performance). But when you really stop and think about it, how much of the rest of the film do you remember? More to the point: how much of the rest of the film actually contributes to the plot? The answer is: actually, not that much. When Michael Cimino was interviewed about the film for the DVD release, he summarised the film as such: in war, "either you're dead, you're paraplegic, or you're alive", with the three main characters playing out those options. Regardless of how profound (or otherwise) that observation is, you don't need all of three hours to convey that. You could take out the vast majority of the scenes before the three men are deployed, and you wouldn't lose anything in terms of characterisation. The entire opening act plays out far too slowly, and contains so much ephemeral melodrama that could and should have been cut. There is so much about
The Deer Hunter which should be up for discussion. We can talk about the racist depiction of the Vietnamese, the patriotic flag-waving masquerading as social commentary, or the often-sadistic depiction of American cruelty towards civilians. But even if you disagree with me about all that, the film could and should have been better-paced and less indulgent. Don't believe me? Then watch
this Revels advert based on the film's most famous scene. It's about 90 seconds in total and maybe that's all The Deer Hunter needed to be.