Watch The Deer Hunter

The Deer Hunter is a 1978 war drama film directed by Michael Cimino and stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and John Cazale in lead roles. The film is widely regarded as one of the greatest American movies ever made, and it garnered multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Walken.

The movie follows a group of steelworkers from a small town in Pennsylvania as they go to fight in the Vietnam War. The film is divided into three acts, with the first act setting up the camaraderie between the friends as they drink, hunt, and attend Steve's (John Savage) wedding. The act ends with the men being shipped off to Vietnam, leaving their loved ones behind.

The second act is set in Vietnam, where the friends are captured and forced to play Russian roulette as entertainment for their captors. This section is intense and nerve-wracking, as the friends face life or death situations while being held captive. The audience is made to feel the claustrophobia, desperation, and terror that the soldiers did. The Russian roulette scenes are some of the most iconic in cinematic history and continue to be harrowing even today.

The third act takes place after the war, where Michael (De Niro) returns home to find out that he has won money playing roulette while in captivity. He then sets out on a mission to find Nick (Walken), who is still lost in Vietnam. This section is emotional and heartbreaking, as Michael learns that Nick is a shell of his former self after being held in captivity for so long. The final scenes of the movie are both poignant and cathartic, as Michael makes his way back home with Nick's body.

The themes of The Deer Hunter are vast and thought-provoking. The film explores the physical, emotional, and psychological toll of war on soldiers and their loved ones, and how it continues to impact their lives long after they have left the battlefield. The Deer Hunter also addresses the concept of brotherhood, exemplifying the lengths that friends will go to protect one another, even if it means sacrificing their own lives.

The acting in The Deer Hunter is phenomenal, with De Niro giving an excellent performance as Michael. Walken's portrayal of Nick is haunting and offers a heartbreaking look into what happens to soldiers after they return home from war. The performances in the film are raw and naturalistic, adding to its overall realism and its capacity to impact its viewers.

The cinematography is breathtaking, capturing the gritty reality of war, and the small-town charm of Pennsylvania. The score by Stanley Myers also adds emotional depth to the film, with his haunting melodies often inserting an added layer of poignancy to the most emotional moments of the movie.

Overall, The Deer Hunter is a masterpiece of filmmaking. It is a testament to the toll that war takes on the human psyche and brings the audience into the world of soldiers and their families who are impacted by it. The movie's impact is timeless, as it continues to resonate with audiences, even after more than four decades have passed since its original release.

The Deer Hunter is a 1978 drama with a runtime of 3 hours and 2 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 8.1 and a MetaScore of 86.